Grab your binoculars and a warm sweater. The time has come again to watch the annual gray whale migration along the California coast. These incredible mammals make a 10,000-mile journey each year from Alaska to Baja with mid-March peak viewing time along our coastline. Come April and early May you may spot mothers and calves feeding close to shore. 7×7 compiled a short list of the best spots on the Northern California coast to observe them. Here are a few favorites:

Monterey Whalefest

“Monterey—the officially trademarked Whale Watching Capital of the World—hosts the biggest annual event of whale-watching season. 

Whalefest (March 19-20, 2022) promises guided tours (weather permitting) as well as a whole Moby Dick’s belly-full of activities including a two-day symposium with presenters from NOAA, Stanford, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium; a 43-foot inflatable whale whose internal organs you may mingle with from the inside; and other entertainment in the form of live music, abalone races, and scrimshaw-making. While you’re there, take our guide for where to eat, stay, and play on the Monterey Peninsula. For more information, go to montereywharf.com.”

Fort Ross

“Eleven miles north of Jenner on Highway 1, located on a wave-cut marine terrace between the ocean to the southwest and the coastal hills to the northeast, Fort Ross State Historic Park offers about 3,400 acres of spectacular wild land. Walk to Sandy Cove, a protected beach just below the fort, for beach combing and whale watching. Ocean access is available at the North Cove at Windermere Point, one mile north of the park entrance, and at the marine terrace by way of the Reef Campground entrance two miles south of the fort. Note that while the grounds are open daily year-round, facilities including parking and restrooms close for the season on March 15th. parks.ca.gov”

Bodega Head

“The Ocean Overlook (about three miles from the visitors center on Highway 1) at Bodega Head State Marine Conservation Area is a primo spot for whale watching, and there are various boating trips offered in the area. Stewards of the Coast volunteers are on site every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4pm, January through May, weather permitting, except on Easter and during the Fisherman’s Festival. parks.ca.gov”

Get the full list here.