Whale Watching in Southern California

Whale watching season in California pretty much lasts year round, with gray whales migrating from November through April, and blue whales visiting from May through November. Humpback whales also join in the migratory path from about June/July to September. Well, we're approaching the end of May and that means that the blue whales are currently swimming along the California coast as I blog! The best part is that you don't have to charter a boat in order to see these blue whales and even dolphins swimming in their migratory path. Of course, if you prefer a much more up-close-and-personal experience of a whale or dolphin sighting and are willing to pay up for the services of chartering a boat, these services are readily available at most harbors as well. We've comprised a list of the best places to whale watch for those of you (including myself) who are at the edge of your seats dying to get out to Southern California for some of the best whale sightings. 

Ventura- Gray whales have been spotted here from December to March. Blue whales are best seen from the months of July to September, along with humpback whales as well as minke whales and orcas. 

Malibu- At Point Dume State Beach and Preserve, the bluffs and cliffs that stretch out to the ocean and the close proximity from the parking to the edge of the land makes this location one of the best to whale watch in this area of Los Angeles. This 63-acre preserve is located on the northern end of Santa Monica Bay and is open from sunrise to sunset. Other wildlife run around this preserve which gives you the feeling that you are surrounded by nature from land to sea.

Rancho Palos Verdes- The Point Vicente Interpretive Center is a popular location for many whale watchers to congregate, especially during the gray whale migration period. There are volunteers from the American Cetacean Society who conduct their annual gray whale count as well as answer questions from whale watchers in the field of their expertise. Palos Verdes Peninsula is known to be one of the best whale watching posts close to Los Angeles. The best times to see whales here are during December/January and March/April. 

Long Beach- This is the prime location to set off for whale watching cruises and boat tours. Tours can range from as low as $10 per person to high end amounts for private charters. Although going out to the pacific increases your chances of seeing big pods of whales, November through March is generally the best time for gray whale sightings, and peak summer months are the best for watching blue whales. Being farther out in the ocean also increases your chances of seeing orcas and dolphins as well.

Santa Catalina Island- Getting to Catalina requires taking a boat from one of the coastal harbors (San Pedro, Long Beach, and Marina del Rey). If you're up for spending some bigger bucks, you can always take one of the helicopter services flying out of Long Beach, or even a private aircraft landing at the "Airport in the Sky". Catalina Island offers many water activities that take you a off shore enough to see whales as well as other sea animals. 

Newport Beach- the area surrounding Newport Bay are known to be some of the most fertile waters in California. The migration of gray whales in the winter months and the large influx of blue whales during the summer and fall has bestowed upon Newport the title of a world class year-round whale watching destination. Many whale watching cruise services and boat tours are also available at this location. 

Laguna Beach- At Crescent Bay Point Park, the Japanese garden-esque feel and a coastal bluff that has seating areas and protective railing allows for a 180 degree view of the Pacific Ocean. Not only are you able to sight whales swimming along the coast but be sure to also look down for a slew of sea lions that are hanging out on the rocks.

Dana Point- This is by far one of the best locations for whale watching as they have been dubbed the "Whale Capital of the West" and even has a Festival of Whales every march when the migration season begins. Many believe that Dana Point is the reference "landmark" for whales and is a famous gathering area for these pods. As the whales tend to migrate along the coast and hug the shore, this rounding point juts out in the ocean just enough to see this wonderful spectacle year-round. Many cruises and boat tours also leave from the Dana Point Harbor, although whales can be seen from the shore as well.

San Diego- At Cabrillo National Monument located on the tip of the Point Loma Peninsula, there is a designated Whale Overlook section past the lighthouse that provides a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean. Look for whale spouts beyond the kelp forest in the southern direction and talk to the rangers at the visitor's center for their expert knowledge on whale watching. 

Always keep in mind that whales, dolphins, and other sea creatures can easily be seen off the coast of Southern California beaches. These few locations above are just some of the many to choose from when exploring the west and the whale's migratory path, so be sure to research all of your options and budget accordingly for the best vacation out there. Just remember that SunTrax.com has plenty of Southern California beach packages that will jump start your vacation at low costs! Have a great time enjoying nature's wonders, but be sure to keep that sunscreen on at all times (we all know how Southern California sun can be...)!

We want to hear from you!

As SunTrax is getting revamped for the summer season that's headed our way, we would like to ask our Trax-a-holics for destination suggestions! If you have a favorite beach that isn't featured on our site but know it should be on there, please feel free to comment here, tweet us, fb us, or email us at info@trax.com- we are opening up suggestions to launch more destinations that are catered to you and ones that you feel are deserve to be on the site next. There is a certain process that we go through here at Trax before launching our beach destinations, and that includes a ton of research (we do this so you don't have to!) so please bear with us if it seems to take a bit longer for your favorite destination to be featured on site. We are definitely working hard and as quickly as possible to bring you the best beach vacation packages, but we can always use your help in deciding which big stretch of sand and water to tackle next!

ski season slowly coming to a close

It feels like I just posted the anticipated opening dates of resorts not too long ago, and already MONTHS have flown by (literally, almost 5 months!) and ski resorts are starting to post their season closing dates. I know some of you avid snow lovers are still trying to squeeze in that last bit of skiing/snowboarding that is available, and the deals are still a-plenty! The end of the ski season is one of the best times to go, with shorter lines, better lodging and lift ticket deals, and sometimes resorts even offer free lift tickets right before they close! Take advantage, and make sure to double check the closing date of the resort you're thinking of going (before you go of course).

Check out onthesnow.com for their list of all of the North American ski resorts and their projected closing dates:
http://www.onthesnow.com/projected_closing_all

continuing the spring break ideas...

Younger students, high school students and below (K-12), most likely are starting their spring break this week or next (some even later in April). Here is a list of great Spring Break 2011 destinations for families (especially if you have younger children in the household):

http://travelwithkids.about.com/od/springideas/ss/spring_break_id.htm

They suggest a wide range of beach destinations to cities and ski resorts! They have some fairly great ideas, and number three is actually Washington, DC (right by where we are- stop by and say hello if you come this way)! Plan out the best location based on activities, costs, and whether there will be a swarm of college spring breakers at that same location. Be sure to check out the post below for ideas on how to pack for this upcoming trip!

Spring Break Season!

Many of us are probably at work, sitting behind our desk, and reading this on the computer on which we do our work for about 8 hours a day (possibly longer, in which case I feel for you). But the small percentage of our population that has the freedom to wander during this winter-to-spring transitional season is officially on, or about to begin, SPRING BREAK. Yeah many vacationers (in the older age groups) dread this time of year, with young college kids wreaking havoc and painting the town red, especially if you're at the same vacation destination (myrtle beach, cancun, puerto rico, vegas, to name a few), but for many others it's a great excuse to take some vacation days and ride that bandwagon to reap some spring break deals. For the party population, the high school, college, and grad students who are out and about, it's time to forget (quite possibly literally) all about the midterm that might not have gone too well, strip off the bulky/heavy winter clothing, and hit the road to the blue waters and cases and cases of beer. Regardless of where you're going this spring break, and what type of traveler you may be this time of year, here is a link to a site that gives helpful hints on what to pack for spring break:

Spring Break Style Guide

Keep in mind that suntrax.com has awesome packages to the beach, but don't forget about snowtrax.com and awesome ski deals during spring break season as well (doesn't always have to be the sand and sun to have a great spring break trip- sipping hot cocoa in a fireplace lit winter cabin is just as awesome)! Be sure to play around with the quality tags in "compare destination" searches, and also adjust filters on the left side of the results page to create the perfect spring break for you and your family/friends!

Update!

HA! Bet'ya thought we forgot about this space huh? NEVERRR! The Trax Team has been soooo busy trying to bring new changes to our site, and also to get SunTrax up and running for beach season! That's right, it's almost BEACH SEASON! So that brings me to ask all of our avid readers a huge favor- could you please comment and let us know or tweet us what you think needs to be changed about SunTrax to make it better for you? Destination suggestions, website functionality suggestions, design ideas, etc. Anything would be greatly appreciated! We respond, so hit us up! Thanks in advance :]

Meanwhile, ski season is winding down (awwwwwwwwwwwww). It's okay though, because this is where all the late season specials start to kick in! That's already on top of the super low rates that most hotels offer towards the end of season! If you or your children are on Spring Break from school, or you just need to get away from work- a LOT of resorts are still reporting bluebird days and a TON of snowfall! It's never too late, until... well... it's too late. lol. Catch ya on the next run!

The Progress of SnowTrax

If you've kept up with www.snowtrax.com I'm sure you've noticed there have been a lot of updates to the site. We just wanted to help point out some of the cool functionalities that we've added to the site that you may have not noticed just yet:

1. Lift Tickets! We have added lift tickets for quite a few resorts on our website. Matt has been working tirelessly to get us these direct deals with resorts all across North America- some of which include Steamboat Springs, Whistler Blackcomb, Jackson Hole, Vail Resorts (Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, A. Basin, Heavenly), etc. If you're looking up a resort and don't see a lift ticket add-on function, please feel free to comment or send us your suggestions as to which resorts we should work on getting a direct deal with next!

2. Specials! Tons of lodging specials are being circulated around email groups, twitter, and facebook as we continue to receive our amazing rates and offers from our direct deal properties. They have been showering us with holiday promos and last minute specials, so be sure to follow our twitter, like our facebook, and join our snowtrax club mailing list! That outta ensure that you'll NEVER miss out on any of our key steals!

3. Deals Map! If you see the deals link at the bottom of our website, that leads you to a world map showing all of the most recently searched destinations and their prices. Go ahead, play around with the map, and you'll be surprised to see where people are trying to go and, even more jaw-dropping, the prices that people are getting for their dreamscape!

4. Social Networking! SnowTrax and SunTrax are BOTH up on twitter and facebook! Be sure to follow and retweet to your following fan base to help spread the awesome deals SnowTrax and SunTrax have to offer. twitter name: snowtrax, suntrax. After you've done that, definitely be sure to check out our facebook fan page for SnowTrax and SunTrax (friend us too while you're at it- SunSnowTrax). "Like" us to be able to unlock your way into super cool competitions with even cooler prizes!

SnowTrax went through all these transformations in a matter of months! Imagine the possibilities (which are endless!) for Snow and SunTrax in the next few years!!! We always look forward to bringing you the best ski and beach packages possible, but we also value interacting with you on different levels so be sure to check us out on our various social networking sites and please comment on here with any suggestions/comments/questions- we'll be sure to answer and accommodate you to the best of our abilities.