Hunting for Opals in the Volcanic Hills | Rockhounding Idaho

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: thirdplanetrocks@gmail.com

50 Comments

  1. HotImportKnight on August 8, 2023 at 11:44 am

    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.

  2. rockfoots on August 8, 2023 at 11:44 am

    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.

  3. LouAnn Madden on August 8, 2023 at 11:45 am

    Those are egg sacks of praying mantis.

  4. [GF] Burke on August 8, 2023 at 11:45 am

    JV! Nice man;)

  5. Laurie Gale on August 8, 2023 at 11:48 am

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

  6. paddiman772 on August 8, 2023 at 11:48 am

    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.

  7. Michelle Pernula on August 8, 2023 at 11:49 am

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

  8. Sandra Kisch on August 8, 2023 at 11:50 am

    Loved this video. ❀️

  9. armhungry on August 8, 2023 at 11:51 am

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

  10. Stephen Fowler on August 8, 2023 at 11:51 am

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

  11. Manuel Garcia on August 8, 2023 at 11:52 am

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

  12. THE CRYSTAL HUNTERS on August 8, 2023 at 11:53 am

    Awesome video! That place is sweet πŸ™Œ

  13. Red Eye Stones on August 8, 2023 at 11:57 am

    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?

  14. Erik Jali on August 8, 2023 at 11:57 am

    ЀантастичСскиС ΠΏΠ΅ΠΉΠ·Π°ΠΆΠΈ, ΠΎΡ‡Π΅Π½ΡŒ красиво!

  15. gage LaBarber on August 8, 2023 at 11:59 am

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

  16. Al Foyt on August 8, 2023 at 12:00 pm

    That was not a grub it was a mantis egg case

  17. Miko Buiza on August 8, 2023 at 12:02 pm

    It looks aquamarine almost 😯

  18. pavina story on August 8, 2023 at 12:02 pm

    Good

  19. LOOMPY on August 8, 2023 at 12:02 pm

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

  20. Brian Becraft on August 8, 2023 at 12:05 pm

    Been going to opal mines in Nevada for 22 years with my brother πŸ”₯😎

  21. [GF] Burke on August 8, 2023 at 12:07 pm

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

  22. [GF] Burke on August 8, 2023 at 12:08 pm

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

  23. jakesgemsandminerals on August 8, 2023 at 12:09 pm

    oh hell ya this is my kinda stuff right here !

  24. Fx M on August 8, 2023 at 12:09 pm

    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.

  25. dennis mckown on August 8, 2023 at 12:11 pm

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

  26. Black Rock Crystal Co on August 8, 2023 at 12:12 pm

    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).

  27. Trevor Franson on August 8, 2023 at 12:14 pm

    I know homie did not just give that hunting spot away πŸ˜­πŸ˜­πŸ˜­πŸ˜‚

  28. Michael O'Meara on August 8, 2023 at 12:15 pm

    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. πŸ™‚

  29. Archangel 4 Truth on August 8, 2023 at 12:17 pm

    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…

  30. dennis mckown on August 8, 2023 at 12:17 pm

    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

  31. bill Mccaslin on August 8, 2023 at 12:18 pm

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

  32. Lost Ways Detecting and Treasure Hunting on August 8, 2023 at 12:18 pm

    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

  33. Louis EVAD on August 8, 2023 at 12:19 pm

    Rattle snakes live in there

  34. Richard Prophet on August 8, 2023 at 12:19 pm

    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.

  35. UP NORTH ADVENTURES WITH CCC on August 8, 2023 at 12:21 pm

    This was fun to watch πŸ™‚ All your adventures to get to the best agates and opals😊

  36. Third Planet Rocks on August 8, 2023 at 12:22 pm

    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!

  37. Clifton Newens on August 8, 2023 at 12:22 pm

    Those "grubs" are preying mantis egg pouches

  38. ZGREEN on August 8, 2023 at 12:26 pm

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

  39. Leuser Stones Channel on August 8, 2023 at 12:29 pm

    I hope the search for rocks goes smoothly and gets satisfactory results, best regardsπŸ™πŸ‘πŸ‘Œ

  40. V27 on August 8, 2023 at 12:30 pm

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

  41. Kevin Huntley on August 8, 2023 at 12:31 pm

    @ 2:26 that is a praying mantis egg case

  42. Russell Lary on August 8, 2023 at 12:32 pm

    Like to be there finding opals have a great time

  43. Don Blevins on August 8, 2023 at 12:33 pm

    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

  44. Amy Brice on August 8, 2023 at 12:34 pm

    That mystery piece looks like smoky quartz.

  45. Nicholas Richter on August 8, 2023 at 12:34 pm

    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.

  46. Hayden Quakenbush on August 8, 2023 at 12:35 pm

    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.

  47. Dirty Dog Prospecting on August 8, 2023 at 12:36 pm

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

  48. Christopher on August 8, 2023 at 12:38 pm

    Are there GPS coordinates for this site?

  49. Forest Harkness on August 8, 2023 at 12:38 pm

    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!

  50. Brian Becraft on August 8, 2023 at 12:38 pm

    Watup GriffinπŸ€·β€β™‚οΈπŸ˜ŽπŸ˜
    I just subscribed I love rocks I love opals I love backwoods exploring and crystal hunting πŸ˜‰

Leave a Comment