Where to Find Gold in Oregon

Oregon has 8 mapped collecting spots that report gold, spread across 5 counties. The largest share sits in Douglas County with 2 spots. 2 of the spots are on land mapped as publicly accessible.

Spot list checked against source data on April 1, 2026.

Standout gold spots in Oregon

Hand-picked from the full list below, with the reason each one earns a trip.

Quartzville Recreational Mining Corridor
Linn County
Quartzville Creek runs through a designated recreational mining corridor on BLM public land east of Sweet Home, where a stretch of the Wild and Scenic River is withdrawn from mineral entry but left open to casual prospecting.

Best counties for gold in Oregon

Ranked by the number of mapped gold spots. County links open the full rockhounding page for that county.

Every gold spot we track in Oregon

Sorted by county. Coordinates open in Google Maps.

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
Sixes River Recreation AreaSixes River Road	Curry County	Gold Agate Jasper	42.8045, -124.3077	Check locally
Cow Creek Gold Panning & Rockhounding AreaCow Creek Road	Douglas County	Gold Agate Jasper Serpentine	42.8296, -123.6180	Check locally
Island Creek Day Use AreaCow Creek Road	Douglas County	Gold	42.9124, -123.4812	Public
Orofino Mine areaForest Road 100	Grant County	Agate Jasper Gold	44.7479, -118.4768	Permission
Old MinesGalice Road	Josephine County	Arsenopyrite Azurite Calcite Chalcopyrite Chrysocolla Galena Gold Malachite +1 more	42.5693, -123.5953	Permission
Streams around Oregon CavesCaves Highway	Josephine County	Agate Chalcedony Gold Jasper Petrified Wood Rhodonite	42.1077, -123.4085	Permission
Quartzville Creek at Boulder Creek BridgeQuartzville Drive	Linn County	Gold Quartz Calcite Chalcedony Agate Jasper Andesite Basalt +2 more	44.5654, -122.4096	Check locally
Quartzville Recreational Mining Corridor	Linn County	Gold Agate Jasper Quartz	44.5575, -122.4166	Public

Before you go

Read the gold identification guide so you know what a keeper looks like in the field: Gold in the encyclopedia.

Gold in Oregon FAQ

Where can you find gold in Oregon?+

The mapped spots concentrate in Douglas County, Josephine County, and Linn County. Every spot on this page appears on the map above with coordinates and access notes.

How many gold spots are mapped in Oregon?+

8 spots across 5 counties. The RockHoundR app keeps the same spots on an offline map with public land overlays, geology layers, and your saved finds.

Is it legal to collect gold in Oregon?+

Hand collecting of common rocks and minerals in small amounts for personal use is generally allowed on BLM and U.S. Forest Service land, with limits set by the local field office. National parks, most state parks, and tribal land are closed to collecting. 2 of the 8 mapped spots here sit on land marked public. Always confirm current rules with the managing agency before you dig.

Where else to find gold

More minerals to hunt in Oregon

Hunt gold in Oregon with the map in your pocket

RockHoundR puts these spots on an offline map with BLM and Forest Service overlays, geology layers, and a log for your finds.