Gray whales now migrating off the coast

The California gray whale swims 10,000 miles each year, the longest migration of any mammal, spending about one third of its life migrating from the cold, nutrient-rich waters of Alaska, to the warm, shallow lagoons of Baja California.

Along the way, these incredible animals can often be seen from the shores of Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County northwest of Sana Francisco. What drives the gray whale to undertake this incredible annual round trip from Alaska to Baja? The basics of mammal urges, food and sex.

Jutting ten miles into the Pacific Ocean, the headlands of the Point Reyes Peninsula offer one of the finest spots along the California coast to view the gray whale. The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary provides a twenty mile-wide "highway" through which the whales cruise.

Sometimes they swim well off the coast, but often traveling close in to shore, where they can easily be viewed from the high bluffs of the headland. The areas around Chimney Rock and the Lighthouse offer some of the best whale watching spots in the park.

At Point Reyes National Seashore, the peak of the southern migration usually occurs in mid-January and that of the northern migration in mid-March. Late April and early May afford the opportunity to see mothers and calves close to shore.