California

The most beautiful beaches, the wildest coasts, the most popular parks: California has it all – Great Whale-Watching areas included.

Photo: Oliver Dirr / Whaletrips

whales: California

Whale watching has a long tradition in California, with the first boats going out as early as the 1950s. The main sightings are grey whales on their annual migration northwards. Humpback and blue whales can also often be seen.

As everywhere along the North American coast, the focus in California is on the migration of grey whales: every year they travel back and forth between Arctic feeding grounds and subtropical breeding grounds. Between November and February they pass through California on their way south, between February and May (peak in April) on their way north – together with their offspring, which is why they swim much closer to the coast when travelling north than south.

There is also a good chance of encountering blue whales on the Californian coast, preferably between May and December (peak: June to September). Humpback whales and orcas are also spotted more frequently, especially in the area around Monterey Bay. Numerous species of dolphin can be observed in most places all year round. Land-based observations are also possible in many places.

The most important places in northern California include McKerricher State Park and Mendocino Headlands State Park. Whale watchers are here mainly from mid-December to February for the southern migration and from February to April for the northern migration of grey whales.

The central coast of California offers significantly more whale-watching opportunities, with over 20 operators for boat tours and over 20 designated spots for land-based watching – the most important places are: Point Reyes National Seashore, Sonoma Coast State Park, San Simeon and Montana de Oro State Park.

A blue whale just before diving. On average, only one in seven raises its fluke as it dives. Some blue whales never do. Photo: Oliver Dirr / Whaletrips

You can also watch grey whales from San Francisco and the Bay Area between mid-December and May. Between July and November, blue whale safaris are offered to the Farallon Islands, which are 35 kilometres off the coast and are important feeding grounds for grey whales, humpback whales and blue whales. Full-day tickets cost up to 125 dollars, with tours departing from San Francisco, Sausalito and Halfmoon Bay.

Grey whale tours depart from Monterey from December to April – with the peak in February (southern migration) and April (northern migration). Humpback whales and blue whales can be observed between May and December, although blue whales are not very regular. Orcas are also sighted fairly regularly off the coast of Monterey throughout the year. Many species of dolphin can be seen all year round.

Southern California with Santa Barbara, Ventura County, Los Angeles, Newport and San Diego is the most important part of the coast from a whale-watching perspective, also for observations from land (Cabrillo National Monument, Point Vicente Interpretive Centre, Crystal Cove State Park).

Slater Moore takes fantastic drone videos and photos from Newport. Like anywhere in California, whales can be seen from almost any elevated point, yet there are 25 explicitly designated locations in Southern California where land-based viewing is best.

In Santa Barbara, the grey whale migration peaks between January and March, when the grey whales and their offspring migrate north close to the coast. Humpback whales and blue whales can also be observed between June and November, with the best opportunities from June to September.

Blue whales are spotted quite reliably in the waters off Santa Barbara, which is one of the best areas in the world for blue whale watching. Numerous species of dolphin and the occasional orca can also be spotted here.

Photo: Shutterstock

TO DO: California

The Highway Number One in California is one of the most beautiful coastal roads in the world: it runs for almost 1,000 kilometres past the most beautiful beaches, wildest coastlines and tallest trees. Here as well: the largest elephant seal colony in North America.

With its secluded beaches and rugged bays, the California State Route (also known as Highway 1) between San Francisco and Los Angeles is one of the most beautiful coastal roads in the world, and is on the to-do list of every visitor to California, at least as a section. The most beautiful section begins shortly after Monterey and runs along the cliffs of Big Sur. Pro tip: Drive from north to south, not from south to north, so that you always drive on the coastal side.

The redwood trees (also known as sequoias) can grow up to 120 metres tall and be 2,000 years old – making them the largest and oldest trees in the world. They grow exclusively on the North American west coast from Big Sur to southern Oregon and are rarely found more than 20 kilometres from the coast. The Redwood National State Park on the border to Oregon is home to a good 50 per cent of all remaining giant trees, and the Avenue of the Giants is a 50-kilometre road that runs directly through the redwoods.

“California is Bear Country, where there are black and brown bears, and especially in the national parks you have a good chance of an encounter – as well as with cougars.”

California is world-famous for its surfers and beaches – the most popular are the beaches of Santa Barbara, Malibu (Baywatch!), Los Angeles (Muscle Beach!) and San Diego, where you can go for a good swim. Further north, the Pacific is too cold, so here you usually only see surfers in their thick wetsuits.

California is Bear Country, with black and brown bears, especially in the national parks, where encounters can occur – including with cougars (actually shy, but much more dangerous than bears when encountered). Bald eagles, the heraldic animal of the US, can also be seen here with a bit of luck (the further north you go, the more likely). On the coast off San Francisco (Año Nuevo Island) and near San Simeon (Piedras Blancas Rookery) there are elephant seals, the largest seals in the world at four metres and 2.5 tonnes. Elephant seals usually gather in their colonies twice a year, and the best time to observe them is during the mating season between December and March.

The ideal companion for your next trip: Check out our NOTES in five great colours – with plenty of space for all notes, observations and memories. Order now!

Yosemite National Park is located 300 kilometres east of San Francisco and, along with Yellowstone, is the most visited park in the USA. Everyone knows the massive El Capitan rock with its 1,000 metre vertical cliff face. Tommy Caldwell was the first person to climb it without technical aids in 2015. Speed climbers like Alex Honnold need two and a half hours to reach the top with technical aids. Everyone else is simply amazed from below.

To the south-east of the massive Sierra Nevada mountains lies Death Valley National Park, the driest and hottest area in the USA. There is not much here except sand and rocks – and complete darkness at night: as there are no artificial light sources for miles around, nowhere else in the world can you see the starry night sky as well as here. Death Valley has therefore been officially designated a Dark Sky Place.