Gray whales pass the outer coast in spring, and the inland waters hold killer whales under the strictest state approach law in the country.
In season in Washington right now: Killer whaleEvery 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.
February 15 to May 31
“From mid-February to May, eastern North Pacific gray whales can be seen migrating northward along the U.S. West Coast”
NOAA Fisheries, Gray Whale
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.
January 1 to December 31
“Stay 1,000 yards away from Southern Resident killer whales.”
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
That is the state approach rule, not a season. We could not verify an agency-published Washington killer whale viewing season, so none is given.
What you are looking for: Unmistakable: a tall black dorsal fin, up to six feet on an adult male, with a white eye patch and a grey saddle behind the fin.
Washington has the largest gap in the country between federal and state approach law, and if you are going out on any kind of boat you need the state number. Federal rules put vessels 200 yards from killer whales in Washington inland waters. Washington state law, since January 1 2025 under RCW 77.15.740, puts them 1,000 yards from Southern Resident killer whales, and it names kayaks and paddleboards explicitly. Five times the distance, and it is the state number that applies in Washington waters.
Checking the most recent public whale record in Washington…
No federal or state agency page we could verify names a specific Washington headland as a whale lookout in its own words, so none is named here. What Washington does publish, in detail, is the law about how close you may get.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
No federal or state agency names a specific Washington shore lookout in its own words, so none is listed here; the agencies' own assessment of shore viewing on this coast is above.
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.
“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
“Federal rules require vessels to remain 200 yards away from killer whales in Washington State inland waters. Washington state law is stricter and it is the one that binds in Washington waters.”
NOAA Fisheries, Marine Life Viewing Guidelines, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Washington: "As of Jan. 1, 2025, per RCW 77.15.740, motorized and non-motorized vessel operators (including kayakers and paddleboarders) in Washington waters must: Stay 1,000 yards away from Southern Resident killer whales." That is 1,000 yards under state law against 200 yards under the federal rule, and paddleboards and kayaks are named. Both rules bind vessels, not people standing on a beach.
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.
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 Gray whale in Washington…
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 hereThousands 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 hereThe 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.
Shore viewing is possible but agencies are cautiousHumpbacks 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 hereHumpbacks 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 cautiousHumpbacks, 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 shoreHumpbacks 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 shoreThe 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 cautiousThe 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 cautiousA 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 shoreNot 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.
Make a trip of it
Guided trips and experiences from local operators.
Browse on Viator
Places to stayVacation rentals and cabins close to the water.
Browse on VrboWe may earn a commission on bookings made through these links.
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: “Adult Humpback Whale breaching” by Gillfoto, CC BY-SA 3.0