RockHoundR

Rockhounding in Oregon

Updated October 2026

181 mapped spots for rock hunting and rock collecting across 28 counties. Oregon has a lot of good rockhounding in a compact area: high desert, Owyhee country, Cascade foothills, and the coast. Common finds include thundereggs, agate, jasper, obsidian, opal, and petrified wood, with many public BLM areas open to recreational collecting.

Where is the best rockhounding in Oregon?

The best rockhounding in Oregon is at Opal Butte in Morrow County (hyalite opal), Warm Springs Reservoir in Harney County (agate, chalcedony), and Succor Creek General Area in Malheur County (agate, chalcedony). In total, 181 mapped collecting spots across 28 counties produce agate, jasper, and petrified wood, each listed below with its land access.

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Every rockhounding spot in Oregon

Oregon rockhounding photos

Representative spot and material photos from locations in this state, shown where verified public image records are available.

5 photos

Top minerals found in Oregon

Counts reflect how many spots in this list mention each mineral.

Notable areas: Glass Buttes obsidian, Lake County thundereggs, Sweet Home petrified wood, and Owyhee jasper are common Oregon targets.

Geology behind Oregon rockhounding

Oregon's rockhounding comes from three main settings: the Cascade volcanic arc, the Basin and Range high desert in the southeast, and the Coast Range and Klamath terranes. The Owyhee Plateau has Miocene rhyolite flows, ash beds, and lake deposits that produce thundereggs, plume agate, picture jasper, and common opal. The Cascades add basalt, obsidian at places like Glass Buttes and Burns Junction, and zeolites. Central and eastern Oregon lake beds preserve petrified wood, including material near Sweet Home and the John Day basin.

Best regions to focus your search

Owyhee & southeast high desert

Plume agate, Owyhee picture jasper, common opal, and thundereggs. Long approach drives on dirt roads, high-clearance recommended outside of dry weather.

Central Oregon (Glass Buttes, Prineville, Madras)

Obsidian in many color varieties at Glass Buttes, plus Priday Ranch and Richardson's thundereggs, jasper, and agate. Several established dig sites sit in this part of the state.

Cascade range

Zeolites, agate, jasper float in stream gravels, and quartz crystal pockets in volcanic flow rock. Heavily roaded by USFS, snowbound in winter.

Willamette Valley & Coast

Petrified wood near Sweet Home (Holley Blue agate area), beach agates and jasper from the Pacific coast beaches. Coast collecting is by hand only and tide-dependent.

Best season

May through October is the usual window for the high desert and Owyhee. Winter can mean snow and muddy clay roads. Coast agate hunting is strongest after winter storms, roughly November through March, when fresh gravel is exposed.

What to bring

Rock hammer and chisels, safety glasses, sturdy boots, gloves, sun protection, plenty of water, full-size spare tire and a jack rated for your vehicle, paper maps or offline maps, and a way to call out (cell coverage is spotty east of the Cascades). Long pants are worth it for sagebrush country.

Local collecting history

Oregon rockhounding grew out of early-20th-century claim work in Owyhee and Lake counties. The thunderegg became the state rock in 1965, tied to the agate-filled rhyolite nodules found around Priday Ranch and nearby ground.

Rockhounding near major Oregon cities

Day-trip range. Each section lists the closest mapped rockhounding spots within about 150 miles of the city. Most are inside a 2 to 3 hour drive.

Rockhounding near Portland

See all →

6 closest spots to Portland, OR.

  • CamasClark County · Gold12 mi15 min drive
  • Brush PrairieClark County · Gold16 mi20 min drive
  • Columbia River shoreColumbia County · Thomsonite20 mi25 min drive
  • WashougalClark County · Moss Agate, Amethyst21 mi26 min drive
  • Lake Merwin Area CarneliansCowlitz County · Agate, Carnelian32 mi40 min drive
  • Clackamas RiverClackamas County · Petrified Wood, Cinnabar32 mi40 min drive

Neighboring states with rockhounding

Geology rarely respects state borders. These states share mapped rockhounding country with Oregon, useful when Oregon is the start, not the whole trip. Each card links to the closest county across the line.

Rockhounding by county in Oregon

County pages are linked once we have at least 3 mapped spots for a focused guide with coordinates, mineral notes, and nearby spots.

Top picks in Oregon

13 best spots

Hand-picked standouts from the Oregon list, chosen for unusual mineralogy, documented public access, or both. Each card links to coordinates, access notes, and what to look for.

Fee digs and gem mining in Oregon

9 places in Oregon where you pay to dig and keep what you find. Prices and seasons change, so check with the operator before you drive out.

  • Lucky Strike MineCrook CountyThunderegg
  • Priday Agate BedsJefferson CountyAgate, Chalcedony, Jasper
  • Richardson's Rock RanchJefferson CountyThunderegg
  • Outlaw Rocks Mining CompanyKlamath County
  • Spectrum Sunstone MineKlamath CountyOregon Sunstone
  • Double Eagle MineLake CountySunstone
  • Spectrum Sunstone MineLake CountySunstone
  • Blue Mountain MineMalheur CountyJasper
  • Wheeler High School Fossil BedsWheeler CountyFossil

Gem mining in Oregon, on its own map →

Rock and mineral clubs in Oregon

15 clubs in Oregon. Clubs run field trips, shows and workshops, and many trips go to private claims you can't reach alone.

All 15 Oregon clubs →

Oregon rockhounding FAQ

Is rockhounding legal in Oregon?+
Yes. Casual hand collecting is allowed on most BLM and U.S. Forest Service land in Oregon under the BLM recreational mineral collecting policy. National parks (Crater Lake, John Day Fossil Beds), Oregon State Parks, and tribal land are closed to collecting. Always check the local BLM district office before a trip.
What's the daily and annual rockhounding limit on BLM land in Oregon?+
On BLM land in Oregon you may collect up to 25 pounds of rock, mineral specimens, semiprecious gemstones, or invertebrate fossils per day, plus one piece, with an annual cap of 250 pounds per person. Petrified wood is treated separately under the same 25 lb/day, 250 lb/year cap and may not be pooled with other rock weight.
Can I collect agate from the Oregon coast?+
Yes, Oregon's public ocean beaches are open to small-scale, hand collecting of beach agates, jasper, and fossils on the wet sand and gravel bars under OPRD rules. State park uplands above the wet sand are closed. Mechanical digging and removal of intact petrified-wood logs are not allowed.
What rocks and minerals can you find in Oregon?+
Oregon spots in this list commonly produce thundereggs, agate, jasper, obsidian, petrified wood, and common opal. Regional names to know include Owyhee picture jasper, Holley Blue agate, Plush sunstone, and Sweet Home petrified wood.
Where can I dig sunstone in Oregon?+
The Plush sunstone area in Lake County has the Sunstone Public Collection Area managed by BLM Lakeview, a free, open dig site for hand collecting. Surrounding ground includes private fee-dig mines (Dust Devil, Spectrum) with deeper material. Bring a screen and water.
How many rockhounding sites are in Oregon?+
RockHoundR currently lists Oregon rockhounding spots across many counties, a mix of well-known public dig sites and lesser-known locations. The app keeps your private finds saved alongside the public ones.
Where can I go rock hunting in Oregon?+
Rock hunting, rock collecting and rockhounding are the same hobby under different names. 181 spots are mapped in Oregon, 90 of them with public access. Curry County, Crook County, and Malheur County have the most.
Is there gem mining or pay-to-dig in Oregon?+
Yes. 9 fee digs are mapped in Oregon, where you pay to dig and keep what you find: Lucky Strike Mine, Priday Agate Beds, Richardson's Rock Ranch, Outlaw Rocks Mining Company, and 5 more. Prices and seasons change, so check with the operator before you drive out.
Where can I dig for crystals in Oregon?+
24 mapped spots in Oregon report quartz, amethyst, or smoky quartz, mostly in Curry County, Douglas County, and Coos County. Each one is in the list on this page with its land access.
Can you find geodes in Oregon?+
Yes. 11 mapped spots in Oregon report geodes, mostly in Malheur County, Jefferson County, and Lake County.
Where can I go gold panning in Oregon?+
9 mapped spots in Oregon report gold, mostly in Josephine County, Douglas County, and Linn County. Check for mining claims before you pan: working someone else's claim is not allowed.
Where can I go fossil hunting in Oregon?+
26 mapped spots in Oregon report fossils, mostly in Harney County, Lincoln County, and Curry County. On federal land you may keep common shells, corals and plant fossils. Bones and teeth of animals with a backbone are protected.

Map every Oregon spot in the app

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