LAPUSH — It’s happening now: Gray whales, which make one of the longest migrations of all mammals, averaging more than 10,000 miles round trip, are now headed along the Pacific coast to feed in the waters off Alaska and Siberia.
As they move north from Baja California, where they breed and produce their calves, LaPush is an ideal spot on the North Olympic Peninsula to catch a close-up glimpse of these magnificent beasts which weigh 30 to 40 tons and grow as long as 45 feet.
Whales that frequent the waters off LaPush are easily seen through mid-May and often into June.
It’s thanks to the calves, in fact, that LaPush-area beaches offer so many close-up views of the whales.
Mother whales with calves often roll just beyond the surf, while the males swim further out and don’t get as close to the shore.
Gray whales feed primarily on bottom-dwelling organisms, taking in mouthfuls of sediment and sieving through it for their prey.
The best time to catch a glimpse of gray whales — bring binoculars and look for spouts — is early in the day, when the water is often calm.
It helps if it’s high tide, or about an hour before, and if the sky is cloudy so the glare off the water is minimized.
One of the best whale-watching vantage points is the south end of First Beach in LaPush, the heart of the Quileute tribe’s reservation about 12 miles west of Forks.
Another good place to whale-watch is Second Beach, which is reached by way of a 0.7-mile forested trail that leads to a 2-mile sandy stretch of beach that is also home to elk, deer, bald eagles and seals.
The best viewing areas are those located at a higher elevation than the beach, such as standing on a beach log or rock.
Extreme care should be exercised when crawling over and walking on beach logs — they shift easily.
Other popular viewpoints south of LaPush, and reachable via U.S. Highway 101, include Ruby Beach and the Kalaloch beaches, especially the Beach 4 and Beach 6 overlooks.
Northwest is Cape Flattery, located a couple of miles west of Neah Bay on the Makah reservation.
