Ashwood: Geode Digging in Jefferson County, Oregon

Plan your visit

Permission required before collecting

County

Jefferson County

State

Oregon

Nearest road

Northeast Trout Creek Road

Postcode

97711

Coordinates

44.73582, -120.75422

Coordinates are approximate. Confirm the exact ground in the RockHoundR app, where land overlays show which agency manages the area.

Land & collecting status

Permission required before collecting

Requires landowner or agency permission before any collecting. Do not enter without explicit authorization.

Public-land rules vary by agency, season, and field office. The RockHoundR app pulls live BLM, USFS, NPS, and tribal overlays so you can see exactly which agency manages the ground at this spot.

Best time to visit Ashwood

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: January to November. Typical highs run 89°F in midsummer and 45°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 28°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, ANTELOPE 6 SSW station (6 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Ashwood

This spot sits on John Day/Clarno Group; Clarno Formation, mapped as intrusives, plagioclase clinopyroxene orthopyroxene or hornblened less olivine phenocrysts; lithology: basaltic andesite andesite bit range from olivine basalt to dacite, volcanic breccia, angular to subangular andesite basalt fragments fragments; lithology: basaltic andesite andesite bit range from olivine basalt to dacite; matrix: andesite basalt freshly erupted ash, mafic flows, lithology: basaltic andesite andesite bit range from olivine basalt to dacite, andesite flows, and basalt flows that formed roughly 56 to 23 million years ago. Volcanic rock like this is classic geode and thunderegg country: gas cavities in the old flows can line themselves with quartz or agate over time.

Mapped unit

John Day/Clarno Group; Clarno Formation

Age

56–23 Ma (Eocene to Oligocene)

Rock types

intrusives, plagioclase clinopyroxene orthopyroxene or hornblened less olivine phenocrysts; lithology: basaltic andesite andesite bit range from olivine basalt to dacite, volcanic breccia, angular to subangular andesite basalt fragments fragments; lithology: basaltic andesite andesite bit range from olivine basalt to dacite; matrix: andesite basalt freshly erupted ash, mafic flows, lithology: basaltic andesite andesite bit range from olivine basalt to dacite, andesite flows, and basalt flows

Elevation

2,490 ft

Geologic mapping via Macrostrat and the underlying state geological survey maps (CC BY 4.0). Bedrock at the surface can vary within a mapped unit.

Sources & verification

Spot details combine the public RockHoundR location dataset, normalized mineral labels, agency land-status checks in the app, and community submissions. Coordinates are approximate until verified in the field.

State guidance last verified: April 1, 2026

• BLM Oregon/Washington, Rockhounding & mineral material
• Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI)
• Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, beach collecting rules
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules