Gray Whale Programs at MacKerricher State Park

California State Parks announces weekend whale talks at MacKerricher State Park! Talks will take place from January 5 through March 17, 2013.  Knowledgeable docents will talk about the annual gray whale migration and about other marine mammals seen along the Mendocino coast.  Programs are scheduled to begin every Saturday and Sunday at 11:00 a.m., from January 5, through March 17.  Whale programs are scheduled for January 5 & 6, 12 & 13, 19 & 20, 26 & 27; February 2 & 3, 9 & 10, 16 & 17, 23 & 24; March 2 & 3, 9 & 10, 16 & 17.

Talks will begin near the visitor center at the main entrance to MacKerricher State Park.   Docents will provide binoculars and a spotting scope to help visitors study whales and other fascinating wildlife found near MacKerricher’s shores.  After meeting at the MacKerricher visitor center, groups will then drive to Laguna Point, where you will walk out to look for whales. 

A rare, reconstructed Gray whale skeleton is on permanent display near the visitor center and entrance station. The skeleton is a composite of two whales that beached on the Mendocino coast, two years apart.   

About The Whales

Migrating gray whales, numbering more than 20,000 individuals, pass by the Mendocino coast in winter and spring.  Gray whale calves weigh about 1,500 pound at birth.  Mother gray whales’ milk has 52% fat content.  A gray whale calf will gain between 60 and 70 pounds a day while nursing.  A full grown gray whale can weigh up to 45 tons, as much as a fully loaded tractor-trailer rig.

The main entrance to MacKerricher State Park is located approximately three miles north of Fort Bragg, California on Highway 1.  Turn in when you see the MacKerricher State Park sign, and park near the entrance station and visitor center.

For more information contact call (707) 961-0471 or (707) 813-1370.