Pe Ell: Agate & Carnelian Rockhounding in Lewis County, Washington
- Minerals reported
- 6
- Elevation
- 380 ft
- Best months
- Year-round
The Washington Geological Survey's gemstone report records that hundreds of pounds of agate have been taken between Adna and Pe Ell, in the heart of Lewis County's carnelian-agate country. Carnelian, the local red-orange chalcedony, occurs with agate, jasper, and dark petrified wood in the stream gravels. Most of the surrounding Willapa Hills is gated private timberland. Reported finds include agate, carnelian, chalcedony, geode, jasper, and more. Below: coordinates, access notes, nearby spots, and trip-planning links.
Plan your visit
Generally open to casual rockhounding
- County
- Lewis County
- State
- Washington
- Nearest road
- Jones Road
- Postcode
- 98572
- Coordinates
- 46.57368, -123.30347
Coordinates are approximate. Confirm the exact ground in the RockHoundR app, where land overlays show which agency manages the area.
Land & collecting status
Generally open to casual rockhounding
Most public-tagged spots sit on BLM, U.S. Forest Service, or other federal land where reasonable hand collecting of common rocks and minerals is allowed. Confirm posted rules and active mining claims before you dig.
Access note: The Pe Ell area is mostly private timberland where collecting is banned and roads are gated, so the practical legal route is loose agate on Chehalis River gravel bars below the ordinary high-water line, reached through a public access point. Avoid the rail-trail right-of-way and any posted timber land.
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 Pe Ell
Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)
Conditions here are workable year-round, with typical highs from 49°F in winter to 76°F in summer.
Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, GRAYS RVR HATCHERY station (18 mi away), adjusted for elevation.
Geology at Pe Ell
This spot sits on McIntosh Formation, mapped as marine sedimentary rocks that formed roughly 56 to 34 million years ago. Concretions and geodes typically weather out of sedimentary beds like these, standing out as rounded, heavier-or-lighter-than-expected lumps.
- Mapped unit
- McIntosh Formation
- Age
- 56–34 Ma (Eocene)
- Rock types
- marine sedimentary rocks
- Elevation
- 380 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.
Today's weather
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Get the appSources & 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:
- Washington Geological Survey (DNR)
- Stonerose Interpretive Center, Visit & rules
- BLM Spokane District
- Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules
Found at Pe Ell
Each name opens all spots that produce that material; the encyclopedia link opens the full ID and field guide.
Nearby rockhounding spots
Other rockhounding spots within driving distance of Pe Ell.
- DotyLewis County, Washington · 5 mi awayAgate, Carnelian, Chalcedony
- McCoy Farm near AdnaLewis County, Washington · 8 mi awayCarnelian, Petrified Wood
- Willapa HillsPacific County, Washington · 11 mi awayAgatized Fossil Shell
- LebamPacific County, Washington · 12 mi awayAgatized Fossil Shell, Chalcedony
- Green CreekPacific County, Washington · 15 mi awayAgate, Carnelian, Chalcedony
- CentraliaLewis County, Washington · 21 mi awayAgate, Carnelian, Chalcedony
- Newaukum River gravelsLewis County, Washington · 21 mi awayGeode, Nodule
- ToledoLewis County, Washington · 24 mi awayGeode, Nodule
Across the state line from Pe Ell
Pe Ell is close enough to the Washington border that the next-closest rockhounding spots are in a neighboring state. Worth knowing if you are already on the road.
- Pacific Ocean beachesClatsop County, Oregon · 43 mi awayBloodstone, Jasper, Agate
- Nehalem River gravelsClatsop County, Oregon · 49 mi awayAgate, Carnelian, Jasper
- Clear CreekColumbia County, Oregon · 53 mi awayPlume Agate, Carnelian, Jasper
- Columbia River shoreColumbia County, Oregon · 59 mi awayThomsonite
- Ocean beachTillamook County, Oregon · 68 mi awayAgate, Jasper, Bloodstone
- Wilson RiverTillamook County, Oregon · 69 mi awayAgate, Carnelian, Jasper
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