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[AgateMan713]

Im looking at taking the family down to the john day fossil bed area this coming weekend and was wondering if theres any good rivers or streams in the area to poke around and look for stones ive picked alot of carnelian agates the last few years here locally.so i have a good idea of what it looks like but my identification on the others sucks lol. May also head for the trees of mystery in north california so any info on places along the way to hunt rocks is appreciated. Doubt ill get to pan for any gold but i have a bucket and a shovel to save stuff for later😁.

[rocks2dust]

No collecting in the John Day fossil beds monument itself (without a special permit). If you want fossils, there is a fee dig at the back of the Fossil, Oregon high school (behind the athletic field, there is a booth where you get instructions). Outside of the boundaries is a lot of BLM land to collect on. Some petrified wood and leaf fossils scattered about, but a few places I can recall are now off limits (private now or closed for other reasons). Much land along streams are private land in that area, so be aware of that, though there are also places where the road goes right by the river and allows access. A current BLM map showing ownership boundaries or the latest Central Oregon Rockhounding Map (if you will be going thru Prineville, their BLM office and Chamber of Commerce have them cheap) may come in handy. The rockhounding map mainly covers the areas south of the JDFB National Monument.

[bobby1]

If you're going to the Trees of Mystery they have a great free Indian museum. As you enter the museum go to your far left corner and you will see some stone tools representing the Klamath and Modoc Indians. They came from my dad's collection. I donated them to the museum after he passed away over 20 years ago. There will be some small pointed shaped gray rocks. They are bola weights. How many of you were aware that Indians used bolas to hunt with?
Bob

[AgateMan713]

Pretty sure we are headed to john day.

[Kaljaia]

There's public access to the river in a few places. If you are going to the Hancock field station (well worth the visit) then I believe there's access to the river near it at Clarno. Good gravel bars will be exposed this time of year, but bring a spray bottle as the rocks might be heavily silted. If you're in a high-clearance vehicle and comfortable with sketchy country roads, take Cold Camp road south from outside Antelope. It becomes Gosner (stop near the microwave tower to get Donnybrook thunder eggs, just don't dig in the road) and hooks around south through Cherry Creek to Burnt Ranch, a popular river put-in spot. I don't know if it as gravel bars though. You can get to the Painted Hills that way too. Just don't go near it if it's wet- it goes from compact earth and cobblestone to peanut butter.

Definitely the scenic route!

[AgateMan713]

Might head to white rock and hunt some thunder eggs too

[lapidaryrough]

And skip the      Limb cast dig.   http://www.prinevillechamber.com/vacationing/rock-hounding/

   Sherry give them the old digs.

[Ryaly2dogs]

Responding to Bobby's post of bolos used by local indians in hunting.  Very cool!  I graduated from UC Santa Barbara as a Gaucho (from Argentina) who also used bolos...did not know they were also in use in Oregon.

Thanks for sharing.

David.

[AgateMan713]

Thanks for sharing everyone. Of course i wasnt paying attention to the dates and was wondering why it was hard to locate camping didnt realize it was labor day weekend lol

[rocks2dust]

Not sure that camping will be a problem. Folks getting scared off by the combination of smoke from distant fires and hot temps may result in quite a few no-shows. Just got back from a visit to Prineville today, and there were few people at normally crowded spots like the reservoirs.

[AgateMan713]

How bad are the fires? Thats the last thing i want to deal with.

[rocks2dust]

Most of the wildfires in Oregon this year have been in forested lands, not in rockhounding areas located more in the arid grasslands of central and eastern parts of Oregon. This week has brought some new fires in northern California (both forested and grasslands). None of the Oregon fires are near the fossil beds or the rockhounding areas south toward Prineville. Prineville area had a little haze yesterday (from the Chetco Bar fire), but was clearer than areas nearer the Cascades and west.

Biggest fire in Oregon is the Chetco Bar fire near Brookings on the southern Oregon coast (damp area, but once a fire gets going, that doesn't stop them from getting really big). More smoke across the region has been due from that one + the BC fires than probably all the others combined.

[lapidaryrough]

http://www.oregonlive.com/wildfires/

[AgateMan713]

Thanks didnt want to have to worry about wild fires.im gonna rockhound in the river a bit too i think and look for some agates

[rocks2dust]

Have a great time. Campfires are banned throughout Oregon (even in campgrounds, though propane stove is OK), so be aware of that, bring extra water, and don't park in dry grass. You should be able to find agate and petrified wood in the John Day river, though as Kaljaia said, you'll probably have to scrub off some algae to see what is underneath the stones you find in or near the water. If you do go to dig t-eggs at White Fir and White Rock, the campground at White Rock is high and shady enough to stay cool even on most hot days, though it is fairly primitive (picnic tables, pit toilet and campsites with no other amenities).

Hope you nab some great finds and pics to share.