White River Agate Beds

Maupin, Oregon
๐ŸŒ Land Type: BLM Public Land
๐Ÿ’ฐ Fee: Free
Approximate โ€” check official site before visiting
๐Ÿ“… Season: Spring-Fall
๐Ÿ“Š Difficulty: moderate

BLM area along the White River in north-central Oregon. Known for agate and petrified wood deposits.

๐ŸŒ Visit Official Site โ†’
Agates Petrified Wood ๐Ÿชจ Rockhounding

๐Ÿชจ What You Can Find Here

Agates

Banded chalcedony prized for their colors and patterns. Lake Superior agates, Fairburn agates, and Montana moss agates are especially famous.

Also found at:

Petrified Wood

Ancient wood turned to stone. Arizona's Petrified Forest and Washington's Ginkgo Petrified Forest are world-famous.

Also found at:

๐Ÿ“ Nearby Locations in Oregon

Thunder Egg Capital (Richardson's Ranch)

Madras, Oregon ยท Fee Dig

Oregon's most famous thunderegg collecting area. Richardson's Ranch offers access to multiple collecting sites. Oregon's state rock.

Thunder EggsAgatesJasper

Sucker Creek

Jordan Valley, Oregon ยท BLM Land

BLM area in eastern Oregon known for beautiful agate, jasper, and petrified wood deposits. Popular rockhounding destination.

AgatesJasperPetrified Wood

Sunstone Basin

Plush, Oregon ยท public-BLM

Hunt for Oregon sunstone (state gem) โ€” a feldspar with brilliant copper inclusions. Both free BLM areas and private fee-dig operations available.

Sunstone

Glass Buttes

Burns, Oregon ยท BLM Land

BLM area famous for mahogany, rainbow, and black obsidian. One of the best places in the US to collect obsidian. Bring collecting buckets.

Obsidian

Polka Dot Agate Mine

Nyssa, Oregon ยท Fee Dig

Fee-dig mine known for unique polka dot agate (aka orbicular jasper). One-of-a-kind patterns not found anywhere else in the world.

Agates

Priday Agate Beds

Madras, Oregon ยท Fee Dig

Classic Oregon collecting site for blue agate, plume agate, and thundereggs. Located in the rich agate beds of central Oregon.

AgatesThunder Eggs

โ›๏ธ Recommended Gear

Make the most of your visit to White River Agate Beds with the right equipment.

Rock Hammer

The most essential rockhounding tool. Choose a hammer with both a flat striking face and a pointed pick end.

Typical: $25-45

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Safety Glasses

Mandatory protective gear. Rock chips fly unpredictably when hammering.

Typical: $10-20

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Chisel Set

Cold chisels in 3-4 sizes for precise extraction from matrix rock.

Typical: $15-30

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Geologist's Pick

A heavier crack hammer for splitting hard rock. Essential for hard rock mining areas.

Typical: $35-60

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Sifting Screen

Stackable mesh screens for sifting gravel and dirt. Essential for gem and fossil hunting.

Typical: $20-40

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UV Flashlight

Long-wave UV light for finding fluorescent minerals and Yooperlites.

Typical: $15-35

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