Best Whale Watching Spots in Southern California

Taking a whale watching cruise off the coast of Southern California is exhilarating and gives you a high likelihood of seeing gray whales up close, but it’s fun to watch them from shore too. We did some research to find the best places to look for these massive mammals without a boat.

During the winter months of December, January, and February the grays migrate south from the Arctic to their preferred “vacation spots” on the Baja Peninsula in Mexico. Their Baja meeting places are for mating and birthing, not margaritas and sunbathing.

Eventually the moms and babies migrate back northward for summer feeding in the Arctic and pass by the Southern California Coast in March, April, and May. During this migration they tend to hug the coast which is safer for them and better for us to observe them.

Adding these migration periods together, the peak times for spotting whales offshore in Southern California is late November through mid May. During this time you can see them breaching and spouting not far from shore. The best places to see them from are viewpoints that are high on bluffs, especially at points that stick out into the ocean.

California’s Fishing Piers are excellent too as they get you farther out into the ocean, but they are not as high above the waterline.

Here is our list of the top shoreline whale watching spots in Southern California. These are listed in order from south to north.

• Point Loma in Cabrillo National Monument, San Diego

• Sunset Cliffs Natural Park, San Diego

• Ellen Browning Scripps Park, La Jolla

• Bluffs above Blacks Beach, La Jolla

• Bluffs in Torrey Pines State Beach

• Seagrove Park above Del Mar Beach

• Viewpoints above Fletcher Cove Park, Solana Beach

• Swami’s Seaside Park, Encinitas

• Viewpoint above South Ponto Beach, Carlsbad

• Bluffs Beach in San Onofre State Beach

• Dana Point Headlands Viewpoints, Dana Point

• Salt Creek Beach Park, Dana Point

• Bluff at Montage Resort above Goff Island, Laguna Beach

• Heisler Park in Laguna Beach

• Crescent Bay Point Park above Crescent Bay Beach

• Bluff Trail in Crystal Cove State Park

• Point Fermin Lighthouse, San Pedro

• White Point Park, San Pedro

• Two points in Abalone Cove Shoreline Park, Palos Verdes

• Point Vicente Park & Interpretive Center, Palos Verdes

• The summit of Point Dume, Malibu

• Channel Islands National Park