Whale Watching in Alaska

Q: Can you see whales from shore in Alaska?

Shore viewing is possible but agencies are cautious. NPS Glacier Bay makes the one observation that matters most for anyone watching from land: "Whales most often feed within 1 mile from shore."

Q: What whales can you see in Alaska?

Humpback whale, Gray whale. Those are the species for which a federal or state agency publishes a season covering Alaska. Other species pass through Alaska water without an agency published window, so the season pages cover these.

Q: Do you need a boat to see whales in Alaska?

Probably, most days. Agencies in and around Alaska are cautious about shore viewing rather than enthusiastic, and where they name a spot they attach conditions to it. Read the shore section on this page before planning a trip around a lookout.

The summer feeding ground for the humpbacks that spend their winter in Hawaii, and the National Park Service says they feed within a mile of shore.

In season in Alaska right now: Gray whale, feeding grounds

Species with a season

Agency windows

Named shore sites

Alaska whale season at a glance

Pacific coast

May 1

Season opens

Earliest agency window in the state

October 15

Season closes

Latest agency window in the state

Open

Right now

From the quoted windows, not a forecast

Species with a published window

Shore viewing is possible but agencies are cautious

Today

The busiest stretch of the Alaska whale calendar, from June 15 to September 15. Climatological, from published agency windows, not a forecast.

The season

Which whale, and when, in Alaska

Every window below is the wording of the agency that publishes it, reproduced exactly, with a link. Where two agencies describe the same animal differently, both are shown.

Humpback whale

Over for this year

May 1 to September 30

“Having fasted the entire winter in places like Hawaii or Mexico, these massive mammals spend their entire summer gorging themselves on the small schooling fish”
National Park Service, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve

NPS does not publish arrival, departure or peak months on that page, so the dates on the ribbon come from the summer feeding season it describes rather than from a quoted month range. Treat them as approximate.

What you are looking for: A tall columnar blow, a small dorsal fin on a hump, and the black and white underside of the tail as it dives. The only large whale that routinely breaches clear of the water.

Gray whale, feeding grounds

Happening now

June 1 to October 31

“Most of the eastern North Pacific stock gray whales spend the summer feeding in the northern Bering and Chukchi seas.”
NOAA Fisheries, Gray Whale

That is the Arctic, not the road system. No agency publishes a shore viewing season for gray whales in Alaska.

What you are looking for: A low bushy blow about 10 to 15 feet high, often heart shaped from head on, then a knuckled ridge instead of a dorsal fin as the back rolls under. Gray whales travel close in, which is the entire reason they can be watched from land at all.

Worth knowing about Alaska

Alaska and Hawaii are the two ends of the same animal's year, and it is the same 100 yard federal approach rule at both ends. NOAA states it as "In Hawaii and Alaska, it is illegal to approach a humpback whale within 100 yards, by land or sea." The whale you watch off Juneau in July may be the whale somebody watches off Maui in February, and NOAA notes that some humpbacks complete the 3,000 mile trip in as few as 28 days.

Checking the most recent public whale record in Alaska…

From land

Can you see whales from shore in Alaska?

Shore viewing is possible but agencies are cautious

NPS Glacier Bay makes the one observation that matters most for anyone watching from land: "Whales most often feed within 1 mile from shore."

National Park Service, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve

No federal or state agency names a specific Alaska shore lookout in its own words, so none is listed here; the agencies' own assessment of shore viewing on this coast is above.

A distant white whale spout rising above a flat sea, seen over a dark rocky foreground from the shore — This is the realistic view from land: a blow on the horizon, over rock, gone in two seconds. Height above the water is what buys you distance, which is why agency lookouts sit on headlands and cliff tops rather than on the sand. “Whale spout, Alaska” — Forest Service Alaska Region, USDA — Public Domain

The law

How close you may legally get in Alaska

Approach distances differ by species and by region, and the differences are large enough that a number remembered from another coast can put you in breach of federal law. Below, the rule for each species that has a published season here, quoted from the agency that issues it.

Humpback whaleMegaptera novaeangliae

“In Hawaii and Alaska, it is illegal to approach a humpback whale within 100 yards, by land or sea. It is also illegal to approach humpback whales in Hawaii within 1,000 feet (333 yards) by air.”

NOAA Fisheries, Humpback Whale: Resources

Note the phrase "by land or sea". NOAA states this rule two different ways on two of its own pages: the species resources page says "by land or sea", while its general viewing guidelines page frames the same 100 yards as a requirement on vessels. Outside Hawaii and Alaska the 100 yards is guidance rather than a humpback-specific law.

Gray whaleEschrichtius robustus

“Remain at least 100 yards away, about the length of a football field, unless other rules apply.”

NOAA Fisheries, Marine Life Viewing Guidelines: Guidelines and Distances

Never approach a whale to get a better view, and never put a drone over one. If an animal comes to you, the instruction from NOAA is to move away from it, slowly, not to hold position for a photograph.

A humpback whale surfacing in calm water in front of a forested shoreline and snow-covered Alaskan mountains — Humpback whale, *Megaptera novaeangliae*. A tall columnar blow, a small dorsal fin on a hump, and the black and white underside of the tail as it dives. The only large whale that routinely breaches clear of the water. “Humpback whale, Auke Bay, Alaska” — Forest Service Alaska Region, USDA — Public Domain

A humpback whale breaching clear of the water with its long white flippers spread — also occurs off Alaska. “Adult Humpback Whale breaching” by Gillfoto, CC BY-SA 3.0

A headland overlook with a railing and interpretive sign above the open Pacific — A shore vantage of the kind this page is built around. Every site listed here is watched from land, which is what NOAA itself asks for: viewing from shore keeps one more boat off the water. “Looking north from Cooks Chasm roadside” by Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 4.0

A cross-check

When people actually reported humpback whales in Alaska

The chart below counts research-grade public observations by month. It is not a season. It is a record of when somebody was standing in the right place with a camera and knew what they were looking at, and that depends at least as much on tourism and daylight as on whales. Winter is systematically under-counted everywhere on this coast for exactly that reason.

It earns its place because when it disagrees with the agency window, the disagreement usually has a cause worth understanding.

Reading the public observation record for Humpback whale in Alaska…

Elsewhere

Whale watching season in other states

California

Gray whales pass twice, southbound from December and northbound from mid-February, and California has more agency-named shore lookouts than any other state.

Agencies name shore sites here

Oregon

Thousands of gray whales pass mid-December to mid-January going south and from late March going north, and about 200 stay all summer.

Agencies name shore sites here

Washington

Gray whales pass the outer coast in spring, and the inland waters hold killer whales under the strictest state approach law in the country.

Shore viewing is possible but agencies are cautious

Hawaii

Humpbacks are here November through April with the peak from January through March, and the sanctuary itself says you can see them from shore.

Agencies name shore sites here

Massachusetts

Humpbacks arrive in April and are in large numbers through the summer, and right whales fill Cape Cod Bay in late winter under a federal January to May shipping rule.

Shore viewing is possible but agencies are cautious

Maine

Humpbacks, finbacks and minkes feed in the Gulf of Maine through spring, summer and autumn, and the National Park Service says do not expect to see them from shore.

Agencies say do not expect to see whales from shore

New York

Humpbacks are close to shore in summer and autumn in the New York Bight, and right whales are detected in spring and winter.

Agencies say do not expect to see whales from shore

Georgia

The only known calving ground on earth for the North Atlantic right whale, occupied from mid-November to mid-April.

Shore viewing is possible but agencies are cautious

Florida

The southern half of the right whale calving ground, mid-November to mid-April, and the one state whose wildlife agency says the whales are often visible from the beach.

Shore viewing is possible but agencies are cautious

Virginia

A winter state, unusually: humpbacks concentrate off the Virginia coast in January and February while New England is empty.

Agencies say do not expect to see whales from shore

Not seeing your state? The hub names every coastal state without a page here and explains why, including the whole Gulf coast and most of the mid-Atlantic.

Things to do

Tours & activities near Alaska

Guided trips and experiences from local operators.

Browse on Viator

Places to stay

Stays near Alaska

Vacation rentals and cabins close to the water.

Browse on Vrbo

We may earn a commission on bookings made through these links.

All four US whale migrationsThe national hub, with the federal right whale calendar and every approach rule in one place.Alaska beach conditionsLive National Weather Service surf zone forecast for the same coastline, as issued.

Common questions

Whale watching in Alaska: FAQ

When is whale watching season in Alaska?

The summer feeding ground for the humpbacks that spend their winter in Hawaii, and the National Park Service says they feed within a mile of shore. The earliest agency window in the state opens around May 1 and the latest closes around October 15. Every window on this page is quoted from the agency that publishes it: for the humpback whale, National Park Service, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve writes "Having fasted the entire winter in places like Hawaii or Mexico, these massive mammals spend their entire summer gorging themselves on the small schooling fish"

Can you see whales from shore in Alaska?

How close can you get to a whale in Alaska?

In Hawaii and Alaska, it is illegal to approach a humpback whale within 100 yards, by land or sea. It is also illegal to approach humpback whales in Hawaii within 1,000 feet (333 yards) by air. That is NOAA Fisheries, Humpback Whale: Resources. Approach distances differ by species and by region, so check the rule for the specific animal in front of you rather than reusing a number from another coast. Note the phrase "by land or sea". NOAA states this rule two different ways on two of its own pages: the species resources page says "by land or sea", while its general viewing guidelines page frames the same 100 yards as a requirement on vessels. Outside Hawaii and Alaska the 100 yards is guidance rather than a humpback-specific law.

What whales can you see in Alaska?

Do you need a boat to see whales in Alaska?

Seasons and approach distances on this page are quoted from the agency named beside each one, with a link. Nothing is modelled or averaged. Monthly observation counts are read live in your browser from the iNaturalist API and record when people reported whales, not when whales were present.
Hero image: “Humpback whale, Auke Bay, Alaska” — Forest Service Alaska Region, USDA — Public Domain