Whale spotting from a dry place

You don’t need to board a boat to see whales. Each winter, hikers often can spot the state’s official marine mammal, the gray whale, a 45-foot-long, 35-ton creature from coastal bluffs.

Its migration from the Bering and Chukchi seas near Alaska to breeding and birthing waters in Baja California, Mexico, is the longest of any animal. Gray whales tend to swim farther offshore on their southbound journey, which usually starts in December, compared with their northbound return, which usually begins in February.

Even so, plenty of hiking spots in California are good for whale watching now as well as later in winter. I’ll start in the north and work south:

Redwood National Park: Some of my favorite whale trails are in this park. The hike along the bluffs from Lagoon Creek south to Klamath Overlook -- eight miles round trip -- is delightful in any season and especially dramatic if you spy some whales. The short walk from Enderts Beach Road to an overlook is another good one.

Information: (707) 464-6101, www.nps.gov/redw.

Point Reyes Lighthouse: One of the Bay Area’s best whale-watching locales is the lighthouse in Point Reyes National Seashore. Take the 1.2-mile round-trip hike to the Lighthouse Visitor Center, open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday through Monday.

Parking is limited, and the area can be crowded on weekends. Construction occasionally limits access, so call ahead. The road to the lighthouse also is closed on weekends during peak whale-watching season, but shuttles are offered.

Information: (415) 464-5100, www.nps.gov/pore.

Santa Barbara: Walk from Stearns Wharf past the yacht harbor and up the bluffs to Shoreline Park, a grassy strip overlooking the Pacific. (The hike is 3 1/2 miles round trip.) Whale watching, picnicking and kite flying are popular here.

Santa Barbara’s ninth annual Whale Festival -- with educational presentations, music and other activities -- is March 29 and 30.

Hikers can take a side trip south to Malibu, where the mile-long round trip from Zuma Beach to the lookout atop Point Dume is good viewing spot.

Festival information: (805) 897-3187, www.sbwhalefestival.com.

San Pedro: The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium has coordinated whale-watching cruises for years. But hikers can see plenty by touring the museum’s tanks and shell collection, then walking three miles from nearby Cabrillo Beach west along the bluffs to White Point Park.

Museum information: (310) 548-7562, www.cabrilloaq.org.

Point Loma: At Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego, you can hike two miles round trip on Bayside Trail and look out to sea from the enclosed whale-watching station at the end of Point Loma. (The Point Loma peninsula is south of Mission Bay, east of Coronado.) Speakers and programs are scheduled for the park’s Whale-Watching Weekend, Jan. 18 and 19, the peak time for viewing here.

Information: (619) 557-5450, www.nps.gov/cabr.

See more of John McKinney’s tips at www.thetrailmaster.com.