Rockhounding at Hampton Butte, Oregon — Picture Jasper on BLM Land
ALLOWED
No permit required
Key Conditions
- Surface collection of rocks, minerals, and jasper is allowed in reasonable amounts for personal use (43 CFR 8365.1-5(b)(2)). BLM Oregon/Washington's 2024 Rock Collecting Guide defines a reasonable daily amount as one that fits in a car trunk or partial pickup load and weighs under 250 lbs
- No permit required for personal non-commercial use; commercial collection requires a mineral materials permit from BLM Prineville Field Office
- Surface and near-surface collection only — no mechanized excavation or blasting
- Motorized vehicles must remain on designated roads and two-tracks; no off-road travel
- ARPA applies to any surface material showing signs of prior human use — photograph and leave in place
Most rockhounders driving US-20 across the Oregon high desert stop at Glass Buttes for obsidian and don't slow down at Hampton. That's the reason Hampton Butte remains less picked-over — and the material here is entirely different. While Glass Buttes sits on a vast volcanic obsidian deposit, Hampton Butte produces picture jasper: silicified rhyolite with iron-oxide dendrites, colour banding, and natural patterns that, when cut and polished, look like miniature landscapes pressed into stone.
The butte is administered by BLM Prineville Field Office as open public land under BLM's standard personal-use rules: a reasonable amount, hand tools only, no permit required. The collecting areas are on the eroding hillsides and gullies where frost-action and seasonal runoff continuously expose fresh material from the decomposing rhyolite matrix.
Hampton Butte vs. Nearby Oregon Rockhounding Sites
| Site | Primary Material | Permit? | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hampton Butte (BLM) | Picture jasper, plain jasper | No (reasonable amount, under 250 lb/day) | Unpaved track off US-20; high-clearance preferred | Less visited; best for jasper |
| Glass Buttes (BLM) | Obsidian (4 varieties incl. fire) | No (reasonable amount, under 250 lb/day) | Unpaved CR-5E off US-20; 2WD OK in dry season | ARPA concern — worked obsidian protected |
| Succor Creek (State + BLM) | Thunder eggs, jasper, chalcedony | No (reasonable amount on BLM) | Unpaved; high-clearance strongly recommended | Oregon's premier thunder egg destination |
| Garnet Hill — Ely BLM (NV) | Almandine garnets | No (reasonable amounts; no pound figure published) | 2WD-accessible; screening recommended | Nevada; ~250 mi south |
Limits updated September 2026. Oregon BLM sites follow BLM Oregon/Washington's 2024 Rock Collecting Guide: a reasonable daily amount fits in a car trunk or partial pickup load and weighs under 250 lb. BLM Nevada publishes no pound figure for rocks or gemstones. Contact individual field offices before visiting for current access and road conditions.
BLM personal-use collecting rules — what "reasonable amount" means here
Federal regulation (43 CFR 8365.1-5(b)(2)) lets you collect "reasonable amounts" of rocks, mineral specimens and semiprecious gemstones for noncommercial use. It sets no weight. BLM Oregon/Washington's 2024 Rock Collecting Guide defines a reasonable daily amount as one that:
- fits in the trunk of a car, or
- is a partial pickup load, or
- weighs less than 250 lbs,
- and is for non-commercial use.
No permit, fee or registration is needed for that. A full pickup load, more than one trip, more than 250 lbs, power equipment or any commercial use needs a BLM permit. The often-quoted "25 lbs a day" is the federal limit for petrified wood (43 CFR 3622.4), not for jasper.
Material sold, traded, or resold — at a gem show, online, or to a lapidary dealer — is outside personal-use rules and requires a commercial mineral materials permit from BLM Prineville Field Office, (541) 416-6700, regardless of quantity collected.
Surface collection includes hand tools (rock hammer, chisels). Motorized equipment is not permitted under casual-use rules.
Getting to Hampton Butte
Call BLM Prineville Field Office to confirm current road status before visiting: (541) 416-6700.
When to visit Hampton Butte
Summer (Jun–Aug)
FairRoad reliably accessible. Temperatures regularly reach 90–95°F on the exposed butte by midday. Start before 8am and plan to be done by noon. Afternoon thunderstorms possible in July–August — lightning risk on an exposed butte with no shelter. Early morning is also the best light for evaluating dendritic patterns in flat jasper pieces.
Fall (Sep–Oct)
GoodBest overall window. Cooler temperatures, lower storm risk, and stable road conditions through October. The low-angle autumn light makes colour evaluation in the field easier without the heat penalty. First hard frosts possible in late October at this elevation, which accelerates frost-wedging and may expose fresh material on the hillsides.
Spring (Apr–May)
PoorSnowmelt makes the clay-silt access track unreliable through May. Call BLM Prineville Field Office before attempting the drive — a vehicle stuck in soft track 75 miles from Bend without cell service is a serious situation. If spring conditions are confirmed dry, late May can produce good fresh material from winter frost-action.
Winter (Nov–Mar)
ClosedRoad typically snowbound or muddy and impassable. The high desert plateau at this elevation retains snow and frost longer than the highway corridor suggests. Do not attempt without confirmed current conditions from BLM.
Wet the surface to see what you're actually getting
Dry jasper on a high-desert hillside looks like any other dull brownish rock. The dendritic patterns in picture jasper are invisible until you see a fresh face — either a natural break or a piece you've split with a hammer. A faster field test: pour a small amount of water from your bottle onto a natural flat surface and wait 10 seconds. The water approximates a polished face and makes dendritic patterning, colour banding, and translucency much clearer. The best pieces show strong contrast between dark dendrites and a lighter background when wet. If the surface looks uniform grey or brown under water, it's plain jasper — collectible, but not picture quality.
Pre-trip checklist — Hampton Butte
- Call BLM Prineville Field Office to confirm access road conditions: (541) 416-6700
- Download offline maps before leaving US-20 — no cell coverage at the collecting area
- Pack at least 2 litres of water per person — no sources on-site or nearby
- Bring eye protection — mandatory for any rock hammer work
- Bring canvas or padded bags for specimens — jasper is fragile to impact during transport
- Know the limit: a reasonable daily amount for personal use, under 250 lbs and no more than a partial pickup load (BLM Oregon/Washington Rock Collecting Guide)
- Plan to leave by noon in summer — afternoon heat and thunderstorm risk on an exposed butte
Who Sets the Rules Here
Bureau of Land Management, Prineville Field Office
BLM-administered lands in Deschutes County including Hampton Butte; 43 CFR 8365.1-5(b) allows reasonable amounts of rocks and minerals for noncommercial use, as defined in BLM Oregon/Washington's 2024 Rock Collecting Guide
- FederalArchaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) — 16 U.S.C. § 470aa
Any evidence of past human activity on federal land; applies across all BLM-managed areas including Hampton Butte
Permits & Licenses
| Permit | Required? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Personal-use mineral collection | No | No permit required for a reasonable daily amount collected for personal, non-commercial use. BLM Oregon/Washington defines that as fitting in a car trunk or partial pickup load and weighing under 250 lbs. No fee, no advance registration required. |
| Commercial mineral materials permit | No | Required if collecting jasper or other material for sale, trade, or in commercial quantities. Contact BLM Prineville Field Office, 3050 NE Third St, Prineville, OR 97754, (541) 416-6700. |
Time & Seasonal Restrictions
- Reasonable amounts only (43 CFR 8365.1-5(b)(2)). Under BLM Oregon/Washington's guide, a full pickup load, more than one trip, or more than 250 lbs needs a permit
- No motorized vehicles off designated roads or two-tracks
- Surface collection only — no mechanized excavation, no blasting, no powered equipment
- Commercial sale of collected material requires a BLM mineral materials permit regardless of quantity
- ARPA applies: any piece showing deliberate human modification must be left in place and reported to BLM Prineville Field Office
Equipment Notes
- Rock hammer — useful for splitting float pieces and exposing fresh jasper faces; the material does not surface-scatter as readily as Glass Buttes obsidian and some matrix separation is often needed
- Cold chisels (1/2" and 3/4") for extracting nodules or separating jasper from host rock without shattering
- Eye protection — mandatory when striking rock; jasper chips are sharp
- Canvas or cloth bags for transport — jasper won't cut through fabric the way obsidian does, but padding specimens prevents chipping during the drive out
- Loupe or hand lens (10x) — dendritic patterns and colour banding are best evaluated under magnification before deciding whether to collect a piece
- High-clearance vehicle — the access track off US-20 is unpaved and can be rough; passenger cars manage in dry conditions but high-clearance is strongly preferred
- 2+ litres of water per person — no services within 40+ miles; temperatures reach 90°F+ in summer
What People Find Here
- Picture jasper — the primary material; typically cream, tan, or rust-red background with dark dendritic (iron/manganese) inclusions forming patterns that resemble landscapes, trees, or abstract scenes; quality varies widely across the collecting area
- Dendritic jasper — a subset of picture jasper with particularly clear branching iron-oxide inclusions; the most sought-after variety here; found as float and in decomposing host material on the eroding hillsides
- Plain jasper — red, brown, yellow, and green varieties without strong patterning; abundant and useful for lapidary work even without landscape inclusions
- Thunder eggs — present in limited numbers; smaller and less consistent than the thunder eggs at Succor Creek; look for rounded, knobby-surfaced nodules in the decomposed rhyolite zones
- Chalcedony — occasional waxy translucent material in some rhyolite zones; worth checking if the jasper in an area is high-silica
Penalties for Violations
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| Violation | Statute | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Collecting more than a reasonable amount, or collecting for commercial sale, without a BLM permit | 43 CFR 8365.1-5(b); penalties under 43 CFR 8360.0-7 | Fine up to $1,000 and/or up to 12 months' imprisonment; collected material subject to confiscation |
| Collecting archaeological resources (any humanly modified material) without a permit | ARPA, 16 U.S.C. § 470ee | First offense: up to $20,000 fine and 2 years imprisonment; second offense: up to $100,000 and 5 years |
| Operating motorized vehicle off designated roads | BLM travel management plan; 43 CFR § 8341.1 | Citation; fine up to $1,000 |
Etiquette & Leave No Trace
- Fill any holes you create when extracting nodules or splitting material — exposed pits on a hillside attract complaints that can restrict BLM access
- Pack out everything you pack in — no facilities means no bins; trash from rockhounders is a documented reason BLM sites get closed
- Take a reasonable amount for your own use, not all the good material in a gully. BLM Oregon/Washington treats repeat trips as more than a reasonable daily amount
- If you find what looks like a worked stone tool or shaped artifact, photograph it in place and leave it; report to BLM Prineville Field Office at (541) 416-6700
Nearby Alternatives
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| Site | Distance | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Glass Buttes (BLM) | 50 mi | Obsidian, not jasper — four varieties including rare fire obsidian; same US-20 corridor, same BLM Oregon/Washington reasonable-amount rules; significantly more visited |
| Succor Creek State Natural Area | 160 mi | Oregon's premier thunder egg site; picture jasper also present; more reliable thunder egg density than Hampton Butte |
More Rockhounding Sites Nearby
Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.All 6 rockhounding sites in Oregon
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Hampton Butte different from Glass Buttes?
Both are BLM sites on the US-20 corridor in central-eastern Oregon with the same BLM Oregon/Washington reasonable-amount collecting rules, but the materials are completely different. Glass Buttes (Lake County, ~50 miles east) produces four varieties of obsidian — volcanic glass. Hampton Butte (Deschutes County) produces picture jasper and plain jasper — silicified rhyolite with iron-oxide patterning. The two sites don't overlap in material. Rockhounders who want obsidian go to Glass Buttes; those who want picture jasper come to Hampton Butte.
What is picture jasper and how do I identify a good piece?
Picture jasper is a microcrystalline quartz (chalcedony/jasper) in which iron-oxide and manganese dendrites, or colour banding, create natural patterns that resemble landscapes, tree silhouettes, or abstract scenes when cut and polished. A good collecting piece has clearly defined dendritic patterns on a clean background without excessive fractures — cracks that run through the pattern will split the stone during cutting. In the field, a rough surface tells you little; look for fresh breaks or edges where the pattern is visible, or wet the surface with a few drops from your water bottle to approximate what a polished face will show.
Do I need a permit to collect at Hampton Butte?
No, not for personal use. Federal rules (43 CFR 8365.1-5(b)(2)) allow reasonable amounts of rocks and minerals for noncommercial use. BLM Oregon/Washington's 2024 Rock Collecting Guide defines a reasonable daily amount as one that fits in a car trunk or partial pickup load and weighs under 250 lbs. No fee and no advance registration. A full pickup load, repeat trips, more than 250 lbs or any sale needs a permit.
What is the access road like?
The primary access is via an unpaved track off US-20 near the Hampton community, roughly midway between Bend (~75 miles west) and Burns (~60 miles east). The road is generally passable for 2WD vehicles in dry conditions from June through October; high-clearance is recommended. After any significant rain the track can become soft and impassable — this is high desert clay-silt soil that becomes deeply rutted when wet and then bakes hard. Check current road conditions with BLM Prineville Field Office before making the drive: (541) 416-6700.
Can I use a rock hammer at Hampton Butte?
Yes. Hand tools including rock hammers and cold chisels are permitted for personal-use surface collection on BLM land. Powered or mechanized equipment (drill, jackhammer, excavator) is not permitted under casual-use rules. Wear eye protection whenever striking rock.
Related Guides
Materials Found Here
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Disclaimer
Information is provided for general guidance only. Regulations change frequently. Always verify current rules with the official jurisdiction before relying on this information for legal decisions. Permitted Pursuits is not a substitute for official agency guidance. Report an error.
Sources
- BLM Prineville Field Office — Rockhounding and Mineral Collecting(accessed 2026-05-13)
- 43 CFR 8365.1-5 — Property and resources (collecting 'reasonable amounts' for noncommercial purposes)(accessed 2026-09-25)
- BLM Oregon/Washington — Rock Collecting Guide (2024)(accessed 2026-09-25)
- 43 CFR 3622.4 — Petrified wood: quantity limits(accessed 2026-09-25)
- 43 CFR 8360.0-7 — Penalties(accessed 2026-09-25)
- Archaeological Resources Protection Act — 16 U.S.C. §§ 470aa–470mm(accessed 2026-05-13)
- BLM Oregon — Recreational Rockhounding(accessed 2026-05-13)
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