Depoe Bay Oregon

The population is 1,398.

The bay of the same name is a 6-acre harbor that the city promotes as the world’s smallest navigable harbor.

Whale Watching is Depoe Bay’s claim to fame. About 200 whales only migrate as far north as Depoe Bay, Oregon, and stop there.

They can be seen nearly year-round until they return to their breeding waters off Mexico, where they stay between December and February.

Depoe Bay is the best spot for whales along the Central Oregon Coast. Oregon State Parks operates the oceanfront Whale Watch Center in Depoe Bay.

Park personnel assist visitors in spotting whales and offer interpretive information.

Another good bet is The Lookout at the Boiler Bay, another facility operated by Oregon State Parks.

The towns of Depoe Bay offer whale-watching boat excursions.

During the annual migrations, Oregon State Parks coordinates Whale Watch Weeks in late December and late March, when the number of migrating whales is typically at its peak.

Of the migratory periods, the Spring migration offers the best opportunity to spot whales, as the trip is leisurely and the whales travel closer to shore.

A few whales migrating north will be seen into the summer, including slow-traveling mothers with newborn calves.