Every winter, an estimated 14,500 gray whales swim past Oregon’s shores on their way to warmer waters and calving lagoons off Mexico. Their numbers peak at the end of December with a couple dozen whales passing by any given spot every hour.
Oregon State Parks has designated 15 sites up and down the coast — a few of which are less than a two-hour drive from Portland — as prime places to spot flukes and telltale plumes of air.
Trained volunteers will be stationed at the sites from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every day, Wednesday, Dec. 27 to Sunday, Dec. 31, to answer questions and help visitors look for whales. Those eager to spy cetaceans can also stop by the Whale Watching Center in Depoe Bay (open 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday) for interactive whale exhibits, sweeping views of the sea, and conversation with knowledgeable park rangers.
