Hunting for Opals in the Volcanic Hills | Rockhounding Idaho

I head to the Owyhee Valley in Southwestern Idaho after getting GPS Coordinates from a stranger. The Owyhee Valley is a region near Boise full of volcanic rocks of many varieties.
I end up finding quite a bit of Opal while essentially going out aimlessly up a hill. This was an my only Idaho rockhounding I got to do before being driven down into Utah by the cold.
Want to get in touch?
email me: [e-mail]
#opal #rockhounding #boise

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Quick note: This is NOT Graveyard Point. It’s 15 miles away or so in the Owyhee Valley of Idaho. I was editing 2 vids at once and got mixed up. Sorry!

[@nancyanny]

I am getting out to Graveyard Point sometime this summer, can't wait, and this was a great vid, thanks so much!! Enjoyed your narration.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

@@nancyanny thank you very much! Graveyard point and this whole Oregon/Idaho border area is fantastic. You’ll have a blast!

[@2HighNoon]

The “frozen grub” is actually a praying mantis pod of eggs. Those hatch out baby mantis in the spring. ✌️

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

That’s NOT the place I ever expected to find a praying mantis. That’s the fun fact of the week! Merry Christmas

[@thehorde9798]

Good job praying mantis egg sack is what it is.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

@@thehorde9798 I would have never guessed Idaho was where you’d find a mantis tbh. Blows my mind!

[@maz4rine1269]

@@ThirdPlanetRocks was there fire in the opal?

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

@@maz4rine1269 From the outsides of the smaller pieces… nah. I would describe it more as a color gradient from blue to yellow to orange.

[@rockfoots]

God made tailgates so you don't have to scratch up your hood. Just found this channel. You're in my back yard, and I'm liking what I see so far.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

You’re 100% correct. But my grandpa also gave me this SUV and told me to beat the hell out of it! 😉 Lol thanks for watching - an AWD truck is hopefully my next big life purchase.

[@ColoradoPracticalShooters]

Hell yea dude I appreciate a fellow explorer of minerals. I'm in Colorado and would be happy to show you some of my favorite spots.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

No way, that’s super generous. I likely won’t be in colorado anytime soon unfortunately, though. If you keep up with the channel, I’ll send you a message if I end up there when it’s warm!

[@Whooboy400]

Lived in idaho all my life and there are so many places that I've never been to. Looking up gold mining the snake river channels and your vid popped up on the screen. You gave me insights as to what to look for in the crags of volcanic upheaves close to home. Awesome video!

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Well thank you for that and for hanging out and watching! I’m definitely planning to return to Idaho asap.

[@mKierstenk]

Did you ever end up gold mining the snake?

[@Whooboy400]

@@mKierstenk no but I'm running a thought through my head about how to put a sluice box on the bottom of the river bed and raking the bed to loosen up the sand and silt channeling it down the sluice to the ripples. Crazy I know but it would require fabricating an enclosed sluice, putting on a wet suit goggles and a snorkel. I think environmentalists would boob and cry if I ran a suction dredge on the snake. Also right now the snake is closed from below centennial park in twin all the way up to the minidoka dam.

[@kwaichang368]

Been there many times, love it out there, great video so much to see. There is lots of petrified wood there, green opals, agates galore, and blue topaz near that area. Good luck on your next hunt. Thanks, Clinton

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Hey Clinton - thanks for watching, it’s a beautiful spot out there with so much variety. It’s near the top of my list for places I’d like to return to. Green Opal especially sounds wild to find. Thanks for watching 🤠

[@JhonDiamond2021]

Happy Opal Hunt in the Volcanic Hills. Very interesting hunt friends. you are amazing. Greetings from Indonesian agate hunters.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Indonesia? That’s amazing. I’ve seen a few Indonesian agates posted online for sale recently. So much variety!

[@Archangel4Truth]

New Sub today I use to Rock Hound until my back was destroyed by a hit n run auto accident. I miss it very much but I still enjoy watching channels like yours to remind of the good ol days...

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Sorry to hear that… it’s brutal when an injury takes away a hobby. Thanks for watching, I hope it brings you as close as possible to the adventure 😌

[@Archangel4Truth]

@@ThirdPlanetRocks very true...

[@richardprophet3110]

Thank you my family has something to do this coming spring and I do know where you where. Hunted those hills for years didn't know what I was looking at that's so cool.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Put the young ones to work and send them up the hills - quite the climb! Glad you enjoyed 😎

[@leuserstoneschannel]

I hope the search for rocks goes smoothly and gets satisfactory results, best regards🙏👍👌

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

I fell into a literal rattlesnake hole yesterday. Going just how I like it! 😅 Thanks for watching!

[@kaylynnhammond725]

I was just there today and came across your vid. I was trying to figure out if the stuff we brought home today was actually opal! Thanks for the info

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

There’s a good chance it is - lots of it out there! Hope it was warm

[@upnorthadventureswithccc]

This was fun to watch :) All your adventures to get to the best agates and opals😊

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Thanks for keeping up and watching! I’m trying to get better at editing and eliminating the rambling 😂

[@upnorthadventureswithccc]

@@ThirdPlanetRocks I like your rambling, it is interesting to me :)

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

@@upnorthadventureswithccc doctors gave my rambling a name… ADHD haha

[@illmsg77]

I'm another one who saw you on Reddit and subscribed. I'm in Las Vegas and search for rocks all over the place around here. I suggest Gemfield over in Goldfield, you'll find some amazing jasper. Good luck in your travels man and I look forward to more of your content, I'm digging it, no pun intended.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

I appreciate the recommendation! I’m going to have to come back towards Vegas as I’m currently down near NM. I’ve got a lot more to edit and post. Thanks for sticking around 👊🏻

[@agatebeauties]

Awesome adventure! Great finds as well.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Thank you, I loved it out there in idaho

[@V27RV]

Awesome man Love ur content..anything with opals is always a winner

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Even these low grade dusty ones? 😉 Thank you!

[@V27RV]

@@ThirdPlanetRocks Especially those low grade dusty ones A carvers challenge to reward once carved and polished

[@dirtydogprospecting]

Opal is definitely #1 on my bucket list... And I moved down here from Coeur D' Alene....lol

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

CDA was so beautiful when I went through there. I loved the looks I’d get from the Range Rover drivers when they saw my beat up SUV park next to them 😂

[@sandrakisch3600]

Loved this video. ❤️

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Thanks for watching! I’m working on another currently that will hopefully be a similar style to this one ⚒️

[@thecrystalhunters]

Awesome video! That place is sweet 🙌

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Hope you’ve got AWD! 😬

[@aloharay]

yes that is a fun spot when weather is better

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Also a place I’d love to have more than just 1 day in

[@armhungry2464]

I have no idea what your talking about but this is super entertaining

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Well thank you! Most of the time I have no idea what I’m talking about either lol

[@brianbecraft8258]

Watup Griffin🤷‍♂️😎😁 I just subscribed I love rocks I love opals I love backwoods exploring and crystal hunting 😉

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Yo Brian! 👊🏻 This particular spot of Idaho had an amazing amount of different things to hunt for, highly recommend!

[@hotimportknight]

Me and my dad have mining claims right around there, I recognized Jordan Valley in the picture. We dredge for gold, but for years I've picked up what I think is colorless opal, chalcedony or something. It glows light blue under water, and we find golf ball (size and texture lol) nodules all the time in hard packed river gravel. I'm working on finding a way to cut some and try to see what the banding looks like, but it mostly seems clear to off-white banded layers... I also have a big chunk of red jasper, some fire opal, although not much. Every night I drag myself up the canyon with my pockets full of glassy golf balls. Some are fossil coral, possibly replaced with that silicate, it feels glassy. There is a lot of volcanic geology in that area, and you can tell most of these stones we find are rounded pockets filled in with silicate. If you're in the area still we're on our way out for a few months in July. It's extremely remote, but endless rocks in the river gravel. and we end up breaking through hard packed gravel that hasn't saw light in who knows how long. The translucent ones are easy to spot in tailings.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

You had me at “dredge” and “extremely remote”. That sounds like an incredible opportunity. I would love to bring a couple glassy golf balls of my own (from Arizona) and see how they compare. They’re chalcedony and I pulled them from the host rock after locating the source. I’d be willing to bet what you find in your dredge sluices(?) is quite similar! Do you have an email address I can get in touch with you at?

[@2HighNoon]

Dude you need to mine fire opal in southern oregon this spring too. Trust your gonna love it.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

I wish I could! I’ll be back in the Midwest by then, but I’ve got more traveling planned through work. Will involve a bit of luck to get sent out to Oregon though!

[@2HighNoon]

@@ThirdPlanetRocks get ahold of me if/when you do and I’ll see what we can do about some opportunities. ✌️ safe travels.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

@@2HighNoon that’s super generous of you - I’ll take you up on that if I can get sent to OR next year. Thanks man!

[@GF_Burke]

JV! Nice man;)

[@dennismckown4951]

Idaho is also known as the Gem state, if you go north around Moscow you'll find garnets. use to be a lady known as the Garnet Queen, would take people to places where you could find garnets and for a fee she would polish them up for you

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

That’s so cool. Love hearing about stuff like that from locals - best way to find a good adventure. Thank you! 🙏🏻

[@dennismckown4951]

i never had a chance to look for gems in Idaho i ended up purchasing faceted gemstones from JTV. still have them. the jobs i had prevented me from rockhounding. you get to travel all over looking for raw gemstones.@@ThirdPlanetRocks

[@diggingwithdavid5732]

That thing you called a grub is actually a praying mantis eggs.

[@omearamd]

You're really close to several opal claims, there is some blue opal, clear contra luz, and rarely you'll get lucky and find a precious piece. Recommend bringing a 5 lb sledge and a chisel, those little rock hammers don't help much with getting opal in that area. :)

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Yeah I had no idea really what I’d find out there. The guy I talked to mentioned Opal and some claims up over the hills. I kinda went out there with no expectations. Definitely would love to come back to a more well-known spot with some chisels

[@dreamlookautodetailingauto3353]

Nice specimens there! Guess your not too worried about your cars piant job? 😉

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

@@dreamlookautodetailingauto3353 safe to say it’s not quite a priority 😂

[@Ontario_Rockhound]

Cool trip!

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Thanks! The cold chased me out of Idaho quicker than I hoped. LOTS to do there if you have any interest in geology

[@brianbecraft8258]

Been going to opal mines in Nevada for 22 years with my brother 🔥😎

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Jealous! Can’t imagine your collection

[@michaelprue9024]

Cool video bud. Did any of that Opal have a play of color in it ? Hard to tell in the video. Good luck in your adventures.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Thanks Michael - It has some degree of color, but nothing spectacular. I’d definitely call it low grade. Some slight variation in color from orange to blue

[@huaywunni]

Good

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Very good indeed

[@nobodyisprfct]

I always or at least 95 percent of the time I go rock hounding I have cows with me as company😂

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

The most cows I’ve ever seen was out in Oregon of all places. And I grew up near farms in Wisconsin

[@mrfxm55]

Use hardness tests to determine what your finds are. On the go. Pocket knife is hardness 5. Quartz is hardness 6to6.5 in hardness knife can't scratch it. I mean cut a groove in it. This helps you determine what is opal for instance hardness 4to5 fingernail can scratch a 4. You can buy a set of hardness picks or use the knife blade and discover what hardness different materials have.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Opal varies in hardness, and inconveniently close with both a knife and quartz. With opal’s hardness ranging anywhere from 5-6.5, scratching with a knife or quartz won’t tell much, unfortunately. But yeah, normally this would be good advice for other minerals.

[@cliftonnewens8678]

Those "grubs" are preying mantis egg pouches

[@nancyhainline2517]

Be careful licking rocks. I used to do it and learned that some are toxic. Spit on them, but don't lick them...

[@russelllary4023]

Like to be there finding opals have a great time

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

This whole region had so much to explore, loved it here

[@ReillyButler]

This is actually on my way to Boise from glass butte! What the best dirt road to take in? I don’t wana get lost or accidentally go on somebody’s property

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

That’s exactly the route I took. I spent the night out in Leslie Gulch in the winter too, which was wild. Only car out there in 8in of fresh snow.

[@paddiman772]

A few of the "translucent" yellow-brown pieces could be opal. I have some gorgeous Oregon Opal, and more from other sites in the USA. Rocks and Min. are my passion. Keep looking, and keep studying the subject so you can become more knowledgeable.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Yeah I had no idea what I’d even find (if anything) at these coordinates I got. Opal was essentially my best guess after a couple geoscience classes in college + what I’d seen in rock shops. Thanks for watching!

[@erikjali3160]

Фантастические пейзажи, очень красиво!

[@haydenquakenbush8626]

A vug is just a hole in a rock, some people only call holes that have crystals vugs, but i've always just heard vug meaning a void in a rock.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Yeah I don’t really get too hung up on names. I mainly just try to get a solid ID on what I find, typically with help from the comments

[@MikoBuiza]

It looks aquamarine almost 😯

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

It’s got a bluish tint for sure. I would be stunned if I ever got the chance to find raw aquamarine

[@MikoBuiza]

@@ThirdPlanetRocks its my favorite gemstone!! I've heard there's one mining in mount eagle of Colorado which in my bucket list to go one day!

[@redeyestones3738]

I've gotten my hands on more than a couple parcels of Spencer opal. They all have such thin color bars, that it's not even worth the time to make em into triplets. I guess there's something for everyone, and everyone has different interests. But never understood why ppl would go so far out of their way to find this kind of material. What do you do with it? Is its value worth your time, or are you strictly a collector?

[@rosemaryadamson5176]

Why are you Rock hounding in the Winter. July August best time for Ida Ore

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Because I was living in an SUV and happened to be there. Make the most of what you got

[@user-uj1bm3de9h]

Are there GPS coordinates for this site?

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

I don’t post coordinates if the spot is given to me by someone, especially locals. Hope you understand!

[@NguyễnLê-w3b]

rất thu vi

[@GF_Burke]

If you want some really easy Opal, just outside of marsing. Bring back bags.... just white. no host rock.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Kinda near Marsing Murphy Road? Not from the area, just looking at a map.

[@GF_Burke]

@@ThirdPlanetRocks Sommer Camp Rd. ya just up the hill, like you head'n to JV from marsing.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

@GF_Burke nice. Definitely trying to get back out there in the future. Appreciate it!

[@GF_Burke]

@@ThirdPlanetRocks ey. CoyoteWroks and I , do bits. He's more of the old homestead finds, I'm more of the panning rock-hound.

[@sketchywhaler]

There is blue in the area.

[@LaurieGeePea]

What you're calling opal is something here in California we call chert. It is a sedimentary rock made of microcrystals.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

I’m going to respectfully disagree with you here. We’ve got plenty of chert in my native Wisconsin. There’s numerous opal claims nearby to the site and all of this was found in conjunction with rhyolite, which is a very common pairing. Chert is more commonly found by carbonates like limestone, etc. I think the context clues given by the region and surrounding productive claims leans me to double down and call this opal.

[@GF_Burke]

Get some BF2 tires to play out here if you want to run that rig.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

I wish I had the $ to slap something like that on. It’s my grandpas old truck and I converted it into a bootleg RV to travel in. In Thunder Bay, ON now!

[@stephenfowler4115]

Those aren't grubs. They're praying mantis egg cases

[@donblevins1181]

the area is called treasure valley the mountains to the SW are the owyhee mt's, graveyard point is south of homedale. and yes there are oples there

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

I can see why! I barely got a chance to explore due to the weather. There’s a lifetime worth of cool finds out there. This was just one peak!

[@loompy1440]

I can give you some Idaho locations man 👍 graveyard point is super popular locale. There’s some kind of special agate there

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

No way! What’s the best way to get in touch? Graveyard Point was definitely picked over!

[@KelliGrayoffroad]

Grave yard point sees TONS of people after BLM fixed the road after the Soda fire. Now you can access that area from both Graveyard and Succor Creek. But with a capable vehicle, those mountains are full of hot spots. Literally grew up at the base of Graveyard point. And still run those roads 35 years later.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

@kelligray8837 just seeing your other comments now! Up in Canada and internet isn’t a luxury I always have. Any alternative spots to check out nearby Graveyard point that might get less traffic?

[@pnwagate]

oh hell ya this is my kinda stuff right here !

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Looks like it - you’ve got a sweet carnelian in your profile pic!

[@pnwagate]

@@ThirdPlanetRocks carnelian are my favorite! i run a lil online gems and minerals business in oregon, so im stoked to see your adventures!

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

@@pnwagate dude that’s way cool. Idk that I’ve found anything worth more than a few bucks. It’s all about the adventure and beating the hell out of this SUV for me! Haha

[@pnwagate]

@@ThirdPlanetRocks ya dude thats awesome cant believe ive never seen your channel ! im gonna be binge watching all your episodes shortly lol.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

@@pnwagate I was too nervous to hop in front of the camera for a while - that’s why you’re just now seeing it! I’m glad you’re digging it so far 😎

[@gagelabarber3224]

yoo! iv been finding what I believe is opal here in Arkansas idk if its valuable but so cool

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Nice! I couldn’t tell you much about Arkansas besides there being quartz everywhere. Didn’t know you guys had opal

[@blackrockcrystalco]

All that was natural erosion, i dont think to many people are taking that opal, as it appears to be low grade potch. While there is some good potch out there, typical people are in search of gem opal, which is translucent, and the highly prized color of play (sometimes called fire opal, tho techincally fire opal is just red gem opal).

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

I suppose we’ll never know how good it truly was, because one thing is certain - whether it was erosion or someone getting eager with a prybar… it’s gone 🤷‍♂️ I’m hoping to get out to OR again at some point in search of the fire Opal you mentioned! Thanks for watching 👊🏻

[@harleykid73]

That mystery piece looks like smoky quartz.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Very possible! I’d grab it and do a scratch test but unfortunately that rock is in a storage unit in a random town I found in New Mexico lol

[@affordablewebsiterescue]

Lots of Rhyolite

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

The Owyhee Valley rhyolite was beautiful stuff with lots of color. Thanks for watching 👊🏻

[@kevinhuntley8975]

@ 2:26 that is a praying mantis egg case

[@ManuelGarcia-ww7gj]

Aussies lick their samples to find out if it is real opal or not. Have you tried that?

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Not until reading this comment… It tastes like dirt and glass 🤠😂

[@ManuelGarcia-ww7gj]

@@ThirdPlanetRocks Hmm, must be peculiar to opals in Australia.

[@zgreen9673]

Not a grub, that is a preying mantis egg sac, contains hundreds of babies.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Yep, that’s been the consensus in the comments! Hopefully they’ll hatch after I set them back down. Thanks for watching 👊🏻

[@mgyver3]

no its a butterfly pupa inside ive opened one

[@michellepernula872]

I could be wrong but none of that is opal, Looks more like iron quartz...not opal.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Not all opals are white/black with rainbow opalescence like you’d see coming from places like Coober Pedy in Australia, for example. I think this would most likely be lower grade pieces of what’s called “spencer opal”.

[@dennismckown4951]

at least you did your exploring in colder weather, otherwise you would of run into rattlers on your climb up the hill

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Don’t worry, I fell into a snake hole in Arizona about a month after this lol

[@dennismckown4951]

i once stumbled over a pit where the snakes gather to keep warm during the winter. thank the gods i never fell in, actually ran all the way home, after seeing that. mom told me once shed been chased by a blue racer. dont think rattlers are that fast, but wasnt taking any chances.@@ThirdPlanetRocks

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

@@dennismckown4951 oh a snakeball? We get those here in Wisconsin but we have small nonvenomous snakes outside of some uncommon rattlesnakes up north.

[@dennismckown4951]

@@ThirdPlanetRocks once saved my brother from stepping on a 6 ft rattler, resting in the sun, in Texas. my stepfather came out and caught and popped its head against the rock wall. at the time i didnt know you could eat rattlers, but my father skinned it, cooked it and fed it to the dogs think he loved those dogs more than he loved mom. i think eating snakes is one of those foods you "dont" want to know what it is when it "tastes like chicken."

[@alfoyt5023]

That was not a grub it was a mantis egg case

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Yep, that’s what the consensus has been. That’s so cool. Idaho is NOT where my mind thought to find a mantis!

[@freedomforusa1658]

Praying mantis egg.

[@jacobhoffman2553]

you need to cut them, and polish with a tumbler, then its worth somethin

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

That’s kinda what I’d figured. Even then, they don’t have the clarity or opalescence you’d see in a valuable stone. There definitely have to be some nice stones in that region though. The entire Owyhee Valley of Idaho was a spot I wish I had more time in. Cold as hell this time of year!

[@jacobhoffman2553]

@@ThirdPlanetRocks they do, break those big peices up, you might be surprised at what can be found in the middle... when i was younger i had a little sand tumbler lol toss a handfull of what looks like crap in there and see what comes out... i seen a guy build a water wheel on a creek and put a tumbler on it... very clever leave things in there for a year

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

@@jacobhoffman2553 that’s sweet. I still don’t have a saw or a tumbler and I’m a long ways from home. But once I settle down, I think that’s a good idea for the opal. Otherwise the pieces I’ve got don’t really have much use

[@louisevad6091]

Rattle snakes live in there

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Glad I didn’t stick my big head in there 😂

[@louisevad6091]

@@ThirdPlanetRocks probably would be ok. They aren’t that active this time of year. I always wanted to go rock hunting but thought someone would shoot me for claim jumping. Being older now I just walk the central Oregon coast for agates. Good luck to you

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

@@louisevad6091 get out there and go for it! I spend nearly all my time on National Forest/BLM land, and I rarely (if ever) come across a claim. The burden is on the claim owner to make the claim visible. Central OR has many great spots to find rocks that are physically accessible. Glass Butte or the Sunstone Collection Area come to mind Happy hunting 😌

[@KelliGrayoffroad]

You'll see more claims on the Graveyard side then the Old opal mine side although the actual opal mine site itself has a claim but most open areas around it don't. 😉 out here most are marked with a T post or a white post while the claim info is located at the base. Just helpful info for your adventures out here 😀

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

@kelligray8837 I appreciate all of your comments. You’ve got a lifetime of knowledge on the area! Hoping I get the chance to return

[@louannmadden2906]

Those are egg sacks of praying mantis.

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

Yep, that’s what the consensus has been! Fascinating stuff. I would’ve never expected to find their eggs in the cold like that!

[@billmccaslin4198]

This is Bill from the future your pic is cheating on you and is going to leave you alone in the desert .

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

LOL this took me a couple seconds but yes, my pick eventually left me 😅

[@SinCityDeliveries]

Reddit

[@ThirdPlanetRocks]

👽