Depoe Bay Whale Watching

Every year, in the winter  nearly 20,000 gray whales travel south from mid-December through mid-January as they travel south to the warm lagoons of Baja Mexico. They go to Baja enjoying the warm water lagoons along the peninsula's coast to mate, give birth and raise their young.

Grey Whale Spouting

Sealion on bell tower

In late March, the gray whales travel north on  their way towards Alaska, calves in tow. The  first surge swims by around the end of March, and you can watch the north-bound whales all the way until June.

Pacific Harbor Seals

Depoe Bay is a special area that hosts resident whales who choose not to go all the way to Alaska.  Instead they choose to stay for the summer, staying close to shore, to the delight of residents and visitors alike.  

Thursday was a beautiful day to be on the Pacific Ocean and the whales, seals, sealions, and other wildlife did not disappoint.

Shore Acres Botanical Garden

Shore Acres began as a private estate of lumberman and shipbuilder Louis J. Simpson with luxurious gardens featuring trees, shrubs, and flowering plants. In 1942, the Simpson’s estate was purchased by the state of Oregon for use as a public park.

The botanical gardens are carefully tended by volunteers and State of Oregon Parks employees and still boast beautiful rhododendrons, all-American roses, and a lily pond.