Whale Watching in Long Beach, California

Long Beach, a major city at the southern end of Los Angeles County, is known for its large and busy port, one of the nation's most important maritime centers and the permanent home of the Queen Mary. Tourists and locals are also drawn to the port for boating excursions, including trips to spot seasonal populations of blue and gray whales, as well as dolphins and other remarkable marine life plying the coastal Pacific waters.

Seasons and Species

• Blue whales, the largest mammals on the planet, are seen in the Pacific Ocean off Long Beach mostly from June to October. The migration season for Pacific gray whales is from December to mid-May, when they make their annual journey from Alaska to Baja California in Mexico, often with calves in tow. Other whale species known to inhabit Southern California's ocean include orcas, minke whales, fin whales and the occasional humpback and sperm whale. Common and bottlenose dolphins, harbor seals, sea lions and sea birds are prolific. Whale watching tour boats also report occasional sightings of Pacific white sided dolphins, Risso's dolphins, elephant seals and mola mola, the heaviest bony fish in the world. Among infrequent shark sightings off Long Beach are great white, basking, blue, mako and thrasher sharks, and in 2008 an Ocean Breeze whale watching tour boat reported seeing a hammerhead shark. Leatherback sea turtles are also spotted on rare occasions.

Tour Providers

• Whale watching tours departing from Long Beach are available through Harbor Breeze, which has been in operation since 1990. The company has six tour boats and offers three-hour-plus tours to spot blue whales from early May to the end of September; and two-hour gray whale watching tours from November until the end of April. The tours are available directly through Ocean Breeze, based at a dock adjacent to the Aquarium of the Pacific, or through the aquarium. The boats used for whale watching tours are double-decker sightseeing vessels with indoor seating as well as plenty of deck space for prime visibility. The boats also feature snack bars and toilets on board.

Typical Excursions

• Although it's impossible to guarantee whale sightings, you do have a good chance of seeing whales, especially at the peak of the blue or gray whale season. In 2012, Harbor Breeze passengers saw 565 blue whales, 447 gray whales, 384 fin whales, 191 orcas and 13 humpbacks. Common dolphins are nearly always seen, sometimes in pods numbering in the thousands. Dolphins like to surf in the boat's wake and frolic close to the decks, to the delight of passengers. An Aquarium of the Pacific naturalist will be on board to provide narration about the characteristics of Pacific marine life and whale migration patterns.

Tips

• Ocean Breeze recommends that you book tickets for whale watching tours as early as possible, especially during migration seasons. The Aquarium of the Pacific offers money-saving combination tickets that include admission to the aquarium and a whale watching excursion. Expect temperatures to be considerably cooler out on the water than they are on land, and dress in layers accordingly. Even if it's a little chilly, the Southern California sun is powerful, so bring sunscreen and wear sunglasses and a hat that won't blow away. You'll be standing on deck for up to three hours, especially if you're vigilantly watching the ocean, so wear comfortable, nonskid shoes. Binoculars and a camera will be useful.

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Backpacking & Camping on Long Beach, Washington

The Long Beach Peninsula, a quiet, tucked-away corner of the Pacific Northwest coast, defines the very southwestern finger of the state of Washington. A place of dunes, shore-pine copses, spruce rainforests, tidal mudflats, oyster-shell middens and little towns, this big sandbar is an excellent place to savor the region’s many special qualities. Laying down a sleeping bag to spend a night under the stars -- or, for that matter, parking an RV in a pine-fringed slot -- makes for an especially direct experience with the peninsula.

The Peninsula

• Setting the Long Beach Peninsula in context is a useful exercise for anyone planning a visit to the area. The landscape comprises a great sandbar accumulated off the mouth of the Columbia River, which defines its southern end. A bold, dark basalt headland, Cape Disappointment, lords it over the “Graveyard of the Pacific," the Columbia’s stormy estuary. Some 30 miles of sand extends due northward like a narrow tooth, separating Willapa Bay eastward from the open ocean. On a clear day, the Willapa Hills on the Washington mainland roll along on the eastern horizon, with High Cascade snow peaks looming beyond. The Olympic Mountains, heart of the Olympic Peninsula dozens of miles to the north, can be glimpsed from the Willapa Bay shore in places.

Cape Disappointment

• Cape Disappointment is the wild anchor of the Long Beach Peninsula and serves as its premier camping location. Miles of rugged trails lace the deep woods of the crest and drop through brine-scented hollows to the rocky coast. The rough, rainforest-swathed and ravine-gouged headland marks the area where Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and their Corps of Discovery reached the Pacific Ocean in 1805, although it was already known to British mariners and, of course, local Chinook Indians. Cape Disappointment State Park includes a large campground, with close to 140 sites, 60 of which are full-hookup. Some of these sites can be reserved in advance, while others are first-come, first-served. Other rental options include 14 yurts and a trio of lakeside cabins.

Long Island

• Long Island is an estuarine island located just a stone’s throw off the Long Beach Peninsula shore on the south end of Willapa Bay. Part of the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, the island includes a spectacular old-growth grove of western redcedar, one of the majestic, long-lived conifer species that defines the Pacific Northwest temperate rainforest. Some 20 campsites -- Pinnacle Rock, Smokey Hollow, Sand Spit, Sawlog and Lewis -- are scattered between five primitive campgrounds on Long Island. These campsites, which are accessible only by boat, are first-come, first-served; during the autumn elk archery season, campers must register. Tidal fluctuations in Willapa Bay are significant, so those kayaking or canoeing out to Long Island must consult the tide schedule; the sites are mostly reachable by water only with a six-foot or better high tide. However, you can generally always go ashore at the landing across from the Willapa Bay park headquarters on the southeastern part of Long Island and backpack in to the island’s campsites.

Private Campgrounds

• For both RV travelers and tent campers, numerous private campgrounds on the Long Beach Peninsula offer additional opportunities for bedding down. Most are concentrated in and around Long Beach, Ocean Park and Ilwaco, the peninsula’s major towns. They range from the Bay Center/Wallapa Bay KOA to Andersen’s on the Ocean RV Park. Collectively, these Long Beach parks account for more than 1,000 RV spaces. Reservations are recommended during the peak tourist season from late spring to fall.

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Where to Rent Camping Gear In Long Beach, California

As a camping destination, Long Beach has high chances for sunny days and comfortable nights from April through November. RV camping families can choose from dozens of sites convenient to beaches and boating within a half hour's drive of the Disneyland Resort. Some campers travel light to Long Beach before catching the ferry to Catalina Island. Other campers head south to the surfing capital in Huntington Beach. The golden rule in camping gear and outdoor-sports rental is to call ahead to be certain about availability.

Sport Chalet

• A popular one-stop rental shop for camping gear and supplies as well as climbing, snow, water and racquet sports is Sport Chalet, located in Long Beach. If you're new to the area and need advice on driving up into the mountains or the best diving spots, just ask. If you want to rent bicycles, need a fishing license or climbing ropes, you've come to the right place. Scuba equipment rental and essentials such as air fills are handled here as well. Located 4 miles from Long Beach Airport and 13 miles from Disneyland in Anaheim, Sport Chalet is open seven days a week.

REI

• Of the handful of REI locations in California that offer rentals as well as sales, the nearest to Long Beach is located in Tustin, 24 miles west of Long Beach and 9 miles from Disneyland. Backpacks, tents, ground pads and sleeping bags are available for hiking and overnight camping trips. If you are headed for higher elevations inland, winter-sport enthusiasts can rent snowshoes, snowboards and mountaineering gear. For those traveling during shoulder season, the selection varies by time of year, so ask in advance regarding availability.

Adventure 16 Outdoor and Travel Outfitters

• The "try before you buy" policy may be well worth the drive to Adventure 16 Outdoor and Travel Outfitters. Outfitters since 1962, a good rental gear selection on tents, synthetic and down sleeping bags, backpacks, snowshoes, trekking poles and other equipment from well-known brands are available from this location. This company comes close to carrying everything under the sun. Most importantly, it rents. If you're driving up the coast, estimate 30 minutes from Long Beach on Interstate 405 to the store in West Los Angeles near Santa Monica.

Hermit Gulch

• Each of the seven daily departures on a high-speed catamaran takes passengers 22 miles from Long Beach to Catalina Island in one hour. Arrive at Avalon, where Hermit Gulch is the nearest place to camp, a perfect fit for a car-free adventure. Amenities include restrooms, showers, lockers, outdoor sinks with potable water, picnic tables and barbecue stands. Reserve a two- or four-person tent rental in advance and choose from other rental equipment including sleeping bags, ground pads, propane lanterns and camp stoves. It is recommended to reserve ahead as rentals are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

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