Rockhounding, or seeking out and collecting rare and beautiful rocks and minerals, has become a popular hobby and passion over the past few years. But it’s been a thing since, well forever. But in recent times, especially in the Pacific Northwest, it’s grown in popularity, dramatically.
The Pacific Northwest, encompassing parts of the U.S. states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, is a haven for rockhounds due to a combination of geological history, diverse mineralogy, and favorable conditions for the formation and exposure of various minerals and gemstones.
I got hooked on it during COVID times because I saw a YouTube video, fed to me by “The Algorithm”, posted by a young couple who were walking along the Washougal River picking up agates and petrified wood as they went. Their sheer enthusiasm was striking. The next weekend I drove down to the Washougal River (20 minutes from Portland) and guess what? I found some agates! Since then I’ve really jumped into it. There are a lot of really good YouTube Channels on the subject and I’ve learned a ton about the history and geology of the Pacific Northwest.
So, if you are into it, or curious in some way, here are some local spots as well as some additional info I think you might find interesting. If you’re not interested then you probably didn’t read this far into the post.
Rockhounding spots near Portland and Vancouver
- Washougal River
- Finds: agates, jasper, petrified wood
- Location: Camas & Washougal, WA – (about 19 miles northeast of Portland) map
- Willamette River
- Finds: agates, jasper
- Location: Salem to Eugene on the Willamette River
- Oregon Coast
- Finds: agates, jasper, petrified wood, and occasionally fossils
- Location: Various beaches along the Oregon coast, such as Lincoln City, Newport, and Tillamook (about 90-100 miles from Portland)
- Damon Point
- Finds: agates, jasper, petrified wood, and occasionally fossils
- Location: Near Ocean Shores, WA (about 170 miles north of Portland, OR) map
- Clackamette Park (Clackamas River)
- Finds: jasper, agates, and petrified wood
- Location: Oregon City, OR (about 13 miles south of Portland) map
- Lucky Strike Mine
- Finds: Oregon Sunstone, a unique gem-quality feldspar
- Location: Prineville, OR (about 150 miles southeast of Portland) map
Other Popular Rockhounding spots in the Pacific Northwest (partial list)
- Rock N Tomahawk Ranch – Ellensburg Blue Agates (near Ellensburg, WA) map
- Saddle Mountain – petrified wood (near Othello, WA) map
- Oregon Coast – agates, jasper, and marine fossils (many locations between Pacific City & Cannon Beach)
- Greenwater – agates (Greenwater, WA – map)
- Walker Valley – geodes, thundereggs (near Mt. Vernon, OR) map
Essential Resources
- Rockhounding Washington – book by Lars W. Johnson
- Rockhounding Oreghttps://amzn.to/45kuIsaon – book by Lars W. Johnson
- Gem Trails of Washington – book by Garrett Romaine
- Gem Trails of Oregon – book by Garrett Romaine
- Rocks & Minerals of Washington and Oregon: A Field Guide to the Evergreen and Beaver States (Rocks & Minerals Identification Guides) – book by Dan R. Lynch & Bob R. Lynch
- Washington State Rockhounding Location Guide & Map – blog by Mike Rhea
- Nick on the Rocks – videos by Nick Zentner, Central Washington University)
- Downtown Geology Lectures – Geological Sciences – videos by Nick Zentner and Central Washington University)
- Shawn Willsey (Geology professor, author of Geology Underfoot in Southern Idaho)
My favorite YouTube Channels dedicated to Rockhounding and Tumbling
- Currently Rockhounding
- Agate Dad
- The Rougue Rockhound and Prospector
- Agate Ariel
- Michigan Rocks
- Dutchman’s Agates
People ask me what I do with the rocks I find. Mainly, I tumble them, which is an easy, accessible way to polish small and medium-small rocks. This process involves having a tumbler (I wrote an entire post on this subject: What to do with the rocks you find while rockhounding) and tumbling the rocks several times at progressively smaller grits until I reach the desired polish.
Search Amazon for Rockhounding Tools & Accessories
Happy hunting!!
