Our membership continues to update this page with information on rock hounding, rock collecting, and rock and mineral research and guideline information in the Pacific Northwest, specifically Washington. Oregon, Idaho, Northern California, and British Columbia, Canada.
If you would like information on rock clubs in our area, please see our Rock Club list.
If you would like information on our events, field trips, and educational programs, please see our calendar and events category.
If you would like to see a non-profit, non-commercial site added to this list, or you find a link not working right, please contact us.
This club supports the rock hounding code of ethics and following rules. We encourage all who inspire to go rock hounding as they read this list of resources to do the same.
AFMS rock hounding code of ethics: American Federation of Mineralogical Societies – Code of Ethics
The Tualatin Valley Gem Club promotes legal rock hounding only. Please see the following as guidelines.
- Rockhounding on Public Lands Oregon/Washington BLM
- ORS 358.920 – Prohibited conduct – 2013 Oregon Revised Statutes for archaeological public and private land
- ORS 390.235 – Permits and conditions for excavation or removal of archaeological or historical material – 2013 Oregon Revised Statutes
- NPS: Explore Nature – Geologic Resources – Permits
- US National Park System Laws for Collecting, Rockhounding, and Gold Panning – 36 C.F.R. § 2.1(a) and § 2.5(a)
- American Federation of Mineralogical Societies – Uniform Rules
- Federal Public Lands & Rockhounding – Gator Girl Rocks
Rockhounding Resource Websites
Rockhounding supplies, Lapidary equiptment and rockhound site listing DVD and more at ore rockon rock hounding
Publicly Accessible Rockhounding Sites
Oregon
- Forest Service – Public Rockhouding Sites in the Deschutes National Forest
- Thundereggs on Richardson’s Rock Ranch in Madras, Oregon
- Rockhounding in Prineville, Oregon | Crook County Chamber of Commerce
- Sunstone Collection Area Details Oregon/Washington BLM
- Rock Hounding in Bend Oregon and Central Oregon
- Rockhounding Oregon: A Guide to the State’s Best Rockhounding Sites – Facebook
Washington
Museums, Parks, Educational Facilities, and Discovery Centers
If you will be rock hunting or collecting in any of these areas, or hiking and camping, please respect the rules for each public and private location.
- Rice Northwest Rock and Mineral Museum | The museum for rocks and minerals in the Pacific Northwest in Hillsboro, Oregon
- Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI)
- Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum
- Thomas Condon Paleontology Center – John Day Fossil Beds National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)
- USGS Earthquake Hazards Program
- Devils Punchbowl State Natural Area – Oregon State Parks and Recreation
- Crater Lake National Park – U.S. National Park Service
- U.S. National Park Service Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve
- Washington State Historical Society, Tacoma, Washington
- Maryhill Museum of Art, Washington State
- Baker Heritage Museum – Baker City Oregon
- Washington Minerals – mineral localities of Washington state
- Washington State Mineral Council
- Pacific Science Center, Seattle, Washington
- Burke Museum, Seattle, Washington
- Western Washington University’s Geology Department
- School of the Environment – Washington State University
- Mount Rainier National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
- North Cascades National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
- Olympic National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
- Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument – Washington State
- Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Washington State
- Wallowa-Whitman National Forest – Recreation
- Washington State Parks Portal, Washington State
- Crater Rock Museum – Central Point, Oregon
- Geological Surveys and Associations-Earth Sciences & Map Library-University of California, Berkeley
- UCMP – University of California Museum of Paleontology
- University of Oregon Department of Geological Sciences
Geology Maps
- USGS EarthExplorer
- USA | Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center
- USGS National Geologic Map Database
- The National Map by the USGS
- Oregon Geologic Data Compilation (OGDC) – Introduction
- Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science (CEGIS)
- USGS The National Map: Elevation
Geology Educational Materials and Resources
- Department of Geology and Mineral Industries Learn More About Oregon’s Geology
- Cascadia Meteorite Laboratory of Portland State University
- Mineralogy Database – Mineral Collecting, Localities, Mineral Photos and Data
- NARG – North America Research Group
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)
- USGS Mineral and Environmental Resources
- Geologic time scale – University of California Museum of Paleontology
- USGS Mineral Resources Program
- The Geological Society of America
- Mineralogy Database by WebMineral
- USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and Data
- Geology of Oregon/Washington BLM
- USGS Geologic Hazards Science Center
- USGS – U.S. Geological Survey
- USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory
- Department of Geology and Mineral Industries Learn More About Oregon’s Geology
- Oregon Geology – Learn more about Oregon Geology – Geologic sightseeing
- Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI)
- USGS Earthquake Glossary
- Volcano teaching resources
