Agate and Jasper are what you will find here! Another nice place to spend with your family, in the foothills of the Cascades. It is light digging to hard rock digging. Float (material laying on the surface) can also be found if you feel like hiking. Be careful of removing rock on talis slopes, it could start a rock slide! See Washington State Mineral Council for field trips and more information.

This is where you can find garnets. A really nice hike for a family on a hot summer day. Bring a small bucket, short handled shovel, small pick and a quarter inch screen, You remove gravel from the creek and screen out the garnets! This is best done in a sunny area of the creek, garnets show up easier in the sun. See Washington State Mineral council for field trips and more information.

The Little Naches River is a nice place to hang out for the day. But the Thundereggs are about 5 miles up a gravel road but well worth the drive. I didn’t know that there were Thundereggs in Washington, until I went with my wife on a field trip there. The one thing about Thundereggs is you need to cut them (don’t break them open with a sledge hammer). They range in size from a quail egg to a beach ball. See Washington State Mineral Council for field trip information.

Japan Law Twin Crystals (some people call them Hearts) and loads of quartz crystals. This area is recommended for experienced collectors only. Do something stupid here and you die. The dig site has been worked since the 60s, and is by Mt. Si just north of Northbend. Back in the day you could drive most of the way in and it was free access. Now it’s $165 for a key for the gate. The road stops at the wilderness area border. The old roadbed is now a walking roller coaster; they dug 15 ft. deep trenches for a quarter mile. After the trenches you cross a creek and follow what remains of the old and heavily overgrown road. Once you have reached the base of Mt. Teneriffe it’s time for the hard part. Straight up the mountain (faint trail) at times you need both hands for climbing (there is limited fall hazard at this point). When you reach the dig site you are on the side of the mountain; and if you slip and fall here you will, at best, need to be airlifted out. But if you like crystals this is the place.

Everywhere you look are crystal vugs (pockets) and seams. You will be HARD ROCK digging in a small manmade cave. Have a flashlight for looking into deep vugs. Last time I was there I was looking into a vug and found a heart crystal four inches across! Problem was it was five ft. inside and the vug was only 6 or 7 inches in diameter; so close but yet so far (it would take days to get it out). There are crystal chunks just laying around from other rockhounds; most are looking for hearts and it’s a long way back to the truck.

Years ago when my buddy, David, and I first went in; David tried taking two five gal. buckets full of crystal chunks and all he could stuff in his backpack. We both found out real quick there is a limit to how much material you can take out. Somewhere on the side of that mountain, behind a tree is a five gallon bucket of crystals. The hike in takes about 90 min. going at a good pace. Coming out is a whole different story.

Fossil leaves and fresh mushroom picking. When I went here on my first field trip, I really wanted a mushroom fossil. Silly me the mushrooms are in the woods by the dig site and if your on a field trip, there are people who will show you which mushrooms to pick and eat ( See Washington State Mineral Council for field trip info). The leaf fossils and matrix are soft and if you leave them to dry in the sun, they will turn to dirt! When you get them home let them dry indoors. When they are dry spray on a clear coat, the fossils show up better.

Petrified wood is what you will find at Saddle Mt. The best time to go is in the spring, when the wildflowers are blooming and the temperature is tolerable. Otherwise there’s not much to see and it can be extremely hot in the summer. Although you do have a nice view of the Columbia River from the west side of Saddle Mt. (you are east of the river). Petrified wood can be found near the surface in loose material (I found a 150 lb. log tip about 16 inches down – see in pictures below) or you can dig to a depth of 6-7 ft. in hard clay material. Tools you need: shovel and pick. Excavator would be nice, but not legal! There is a limit to how many pounds of petrified wood you can bring out on a daily basis. See Washington State Mineral Council for field trip and more information.

You’ll find geodes with agate and quartz crystals and amethyst (rare) at walker valley. You are digging in a hardrock quarry, which is occasionally a working quarry. With the help of their dynamite and heavy equipment new material is exposed, which makes it easier to find things. Otherwise you will need a sledge hammer, pry bars and chisels ect.. You can also look in the Talis slope for easy pickings. See Washington State Mineral Council for field trip information.

Chert and misc crystals. The dig site is a Hard rock quarry (sometimes Active, if there is Equipment there Please respect the owners and stay away) See Washington state mineral council for field trip

These Concretions are found in the Taylor river. They are eroding out of a clay bank along the side of the river. When my son and I first found the site, the concretions on the bank were on pedastals from rain erosion! Wish I would have had a camera. These specimens are the way mother nature made them. Except for the 2 that were painted by my daughter. It is just a short hike down the river from the road.

The main things we found at this location was lots of quartz crystal and agate. Interesting specimens.