It’s whale watching season and if you’re looking for something less pricey than a charter boat tour, here’s how you can watch the action for free in the winter.

Humpback and gray whales migrate through the Pacific Ocean water from Alaska to Mexico and in March and April they travel back north.

You can easily skip the expensive boat tour and see them at certain points along the coast.

In the Julia Pfeiffer Burns state park in Big Sur, California the end of the overlook trail is a great spot to watch the whale migrate.

San Simeon state park in San Luis Obispo County has plenty of whale watching spots along the boardwalk that runs parallel to Moon Stone beach in the state of Washington.

The whales pass right by the town of Westport, WA on the Olympic peninsula. It’s about two and a half hours from Seattle.

Volunteers will help you spot the whales at the Lewis and Clark interpretive center in Ilwaco, Washington and in Oregon volunteers from the Oregon parks and recreation department are stationed at 28 different locations along the coast to help visitors see the great whales.

Looking for more inexpensive, responsible activities? Check out our Responsible Travel section.

Looking for more advice? Click here for more Free Daily Travel Tips.