Yearly, pods of these air breathing marine animals migrate past Gold Beach on their journey south from the Bering Sea to their calving grounds in Baja Mexico. This migration starts in the fall, with whale sightings near Gold Beach as early as November. These majestic animals are inspiring to watch as they surface to breathe on their long ocean voyage. While whale watching is a unique attraction at Gold Beach during the winter, year-round sea lion and bird watching is found right at the mouth of the Rogue River. Here, sea lions and pelicans gather to feed in the bountiful waters of the estuary.
Pelicans make extraordinary plummeting dives to catch fish.
Sea lions congregate in their amusing way, a delight to all members of your family. Nearby offshore islands serve as rookeries for these, and other marine animals. The Rogue River Canyon offers bird watchers many opportunities to view eagles, osprey and other wildlife in an abundance unknown in most areas so accessible. Here, in hollows and cracks that catch the receding sea water, denizens of the tide pools live out their lives, sometimes safe beneath the waves, at other times pounded by the ocean's fury. Yet it is in this harsh environment the sea's spectacular beauty unfolds, close enough to explore.