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Rockhounding in Oregon

Oregon offers two very different trips. In the high desert, BLM's Oregon Sunstone Public Collection Area lets anyone collect the state gemstone for free. On the coast, agates can be picked off the ocean shore as souvenirs within a small daily and yearly limit set in state rules.

This guide is for general education only. It is not legal advice. Collecting rules change and differ by parcel. Before you dig, confirm land ownership and current regulations with the land manager (BLM, US Forest Service, state lands, state parks, or the fee-dig operator). National Park Service units generally prohibit collecting. Respect mining claims, tribal lands, and private property — when in doubt, do not collect. Last verified 2026-10-28.

Where to dig in Oregon

Only sites whose land manager or operator publishes them for collecting. For recorded mineral occurrences across Oregon, see the rockhounding map; an occurrence is not permission to collect.

Oregon Sunstone Public Collection Area

Public collecting area · BLM Lakeview District Office

Sunstones are feldspar crystals that formed in lava from an eruption 13 to 14 million years ago and weather out loose at the surface in Rabbit Basin. Orange posts mark the boundary; private mining claims surround the area and several lie inside it, and collecting on them without permission is not allowed.

Finds: Oregon sunstone

Access: No fee, but no trade or commercial collecting. Remote: a pit toilet, picnic tables and shade only; camping is allowed anywhere in the area. Reached from Plush on county and BLM gravel roads.

Manager's page →Show on map →

Access and fees can change. Verify on the manager's official page before you go.

Oregon ocean shore

Public beach · Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

The whole ocean shore is a state recreation area, and agates loose on the beach may be collected as souvenirs within the daily and yearly limits under Oregon rules below.

Finds: Beach agates

Access: Some parks charge day-use parking; marine reserves and protected areas have their own collection rules.

Manager's page →

Access and fees can change. Verify on the manager's official page before you go.

Oregon rules

Oregon ocean shore

Agates and other loose non-living items such as shells, stones and fossils may be taken from the ocean shore as souvenirs for personal, noncommercial use. Each collector uses their own container. Larger amounts need a special-use permit, and marine reserves and protected areas have their own rules.

  • Agates, stones, shells and fossils: one gallon per person per day, three gallons per calendar year.
  • Cobble: five gallons per day, 10 gallons per year. Sand: five gallons per day, 20 gallons per year.

Source: OAR 736-021-0090, Ocean Shore State Recreation Area rules (rule text as presented to the Commission, Feb. 27, 2024); Statewide FAQ: Can I collect driftwood, shells, or agates from the beach?

Oregon state parks

Digging up or removing rock or fossil material from a state park needs written permission from park staff. Small souvenir quantities of agates and other rocks are allowed for personal use under the same limits as the ocean shore.

Source: OAR 736-010-0055, Park Resources (permanent order effective Mar. 12, 2025)

Federal land rules that apply in Oregon

The same federal regulations apply in every state. The full explanation is on rockhounding rules on public land.

Bureau of Land Management land

On BLM public land you may collect reasonable amounts of rocks, mineral specimens and semiprecious gemstones for noncommercial purposes, generally without a permit. This does not apply on developed recreation sites, in areas that are closed and posted, where there are active mining claims or other authorized mineral uses, or where the mineral estate is privately owned. BLM can close or limit collecting in specific areas through its land use plans.

  • Noncommercial only: the collector is not selling the items for a business or financial gain.
  • No explosives, motorized or mechanical devices to aid collecting, except metal detectors.
  • A permit may be needed if you use certain equipment, cause more than negligible surface disturbance, or camp longer than the posted limit.

Source: 43 CFR § 8365.1-5, Property and resources; Public Collection of Rocks, Mineral Specimens, and Semiprecious Gemstones on Public Lands for Noncommercial Purposes: FAQ (Feb. 28, 2024)

BLM national monuments and wilderness

Collecting reasonable amounts for noncommercial purposes is generally allowed on BLM land inside national monuments and wilderness areas, except for rocks and minerals that a monument's proclamation, law or plan names as monument objects. In designated wilderness you may use non-motorized hand tools only, with minimal surface disturbance.

Source: Public Collection of Rocks, Mineral Specimens, and Semiprecious Gemstones on Public Lands for Noncommercial Purposes: FAQ (Feb. 28, 2024)

Petrified wood on BLM land

BLM land is open to free collecting of petrified wood unless a Federal Register notice says otherwise, within fixed weight limits, for personal use only.

  • Up to 25 pounds plus one piece per person per day.
  • No more than 250 pounds per person per calendar year; quotas may not be pooled.
  • No explosives or power equipment.
  • It may not be sold or bartered to commercial dealers.

Source: 43 CFR § 3622.4, Petrified wood collection rules

Fossils on BLM and National Forest land

Casual collecting covers common invertebrate and plant fossils only: a reasonable amount for personal, noncommercial use, picked from the surface or dug with non-powered hand tools, with negligible disturbance. It is allowed on BLM land and National Forest land that is not closed to it. National monuments within the National Forest System are closed. Fossils outside that definition, such as vertebrate bones and teeth, need a permit.

  • BLM: up to 25 pounds of common invertebrate and plant fossils per person per day; a larger slab may be taken with hand tools to keep an embedded fossil intact.
  • Fossils from National Forest land may not be sold, including casually collected ones.
  • No casual collecting of any fossil on National Park Service or Fish and Wildlife Service land.

Source: 43 CFR §§ 49.800–49.810, Casual collecting of paleontological resources; 36 CFR §§ 291.11–291.12, Casual collecting on National Forest System lands

National Forest land

Forest Service mining rules list collecting mineral specimens with hand tools, gold panning, metal detecting and non-motorized hand sluicing among activities that need no notice of intent when they cause no significant surface disturbance. Forest Service rules also prohibit damaging or removing any natural feature, and individual forests set their own closures, so ask the ranger district before you collect.

Source: 36 CFR § 228.4, Plan of operations and notice of intent (National Forest mining rules); 36 CFR § 261.9, Property (National Forest prohibitions)

National parks and other NPS units

National Park Service rules prohibit possessing, removing or disturbing minerals, rocks, cave formations and fossils in park areas. Possessing or using a metal detector is prohibited too, unless it is broken down and packed away.

Source: 36 CFR § 2.1, Preservation of natural, cultural and archeological resources (National Park Service)

Mining claims

BLM says collecting is generally not allowed where there are active mining claims. Claim boundaries are not always marked on the ground, and some designated collecting areas have private claims around or inside them. Search the BLM Mineral & Land Records System, or ask the field office, before you dig.

Source: Public Collection of Rocks, Mineral Specimens, and Semiprecious Gemstones on Public Lands for Noncommercial Purposes: FAQ (Feb. 28, 2024); Sunstone Collection Area; Mineral & Land Records System (MLRS)

Artifacts and historic sites

Removing or disturbing archaeological, historic or cultural resources is prohibited on BLM, National Forest and National Park land. Leave arrowheads, tools and old structures where they are.

Source: 43 CFR § 8365.1-5, Property and resources; 36 CFR § 261.9, Property (National Forest prohibitions); 36 CFR § 2.1, Preservation of natural, cultural and archeological resources (National Park Service)

Abandoned mines, desert heat, flash floods, and wildlife are real hazards. Share a trip plan, carry water, and never enter unstable workings.

Rockhounding in Oregon FAQ

What can you find rockhounding in Oregon?

At the sites in this guide, the land managers list Oregon sunstone and beach agates.

Where can you rockhound in Oregon?

This guide lists 2 sites that land managers or operators publish for collecting: Oregon Sunstone Public Collection Area (public collecting area) and Oregon ocean shore (public beach).

How many agates can you take from Oregon beaches?

Up to a one-gallon container per person per day and three gallons per calendar year, for personal, noncommercial use; each person must use their own container.

Is it free to collect sunstones in Oregon?

Yes, at BLM's Oregon Sunstone Public Collection Area there is no fee, but you may not collect for trade or commercial purposes, and the private claims around and inside the area are off-limits without permission.

Sources

We cite primary sources (federal regulations, state rules, and land-manager sites). Third-party listicles are not used as citations.

Last verified 2026-10-28. Corrections welcome: if a rule or site has changed, tell us and we'll re-verify.

Oregon's official state rocks & gems →Found something? Identify it →