Sunstone Public Collection Area
Oregon
Find: Sunstones
GPS: 42.72335, -119.86045
Nearest city: Bend, OR
Recommended Vehicle: High Clearance 4x4
Summary:
I visited this spot in Winter, which apparently very few people do. It was a couple hours worth of driving through some beautiful snowstorms in the High Desert of Oregon to get here.
Eventually, I arrived at the location which was marked with signs from the BLM. It’s pretty cool. There’s some active mining sites for sunstones that have some commercial value nearby, but you can find some great stuff in the public area. Some people suggest digging a couple feet down to unearth larger ones, but I found some decent ones on the surface.
You will want a vehicle with high clearance to access this spot. It’s in a very remote portion of Oregon with no amenities and the road to get in here was ungraded when I visited in 2022.
Video Guide
Check out the video for a better look at what can be found when exploring this spot.
If I could only bring 3 tools…
Classifier
If I were here in the warmer months, I would try and dig. A classifier is helpful for sorting diggings more easily.
Geology Pick
A geology pick is useful for flipping over embedded stones and prying them out of the ground.
Flat Chisel
A short D-Handle shovel is my preference for digging. It seems like those who find larger sunstones here tend to dig for them, but your experience may vary.