Rockhounding

The weather in southern Idaho appears to be clearing by Friday, and plenty of sunshine is on the way for the following several days. Maybe now is a good time to load up the travel trailer and enjoy a few nights with a chair parked by the fire and a couple of afternoons of rockhounding with family and friends.

It's been a spell since I've traveled through this part of Idaho that offers Bruneau Dunes State Park a short drive to the east, and the Oregon border less than an hour west.

The town was founded in 1877, and following years of failed attempts to unearth gold, silver was soon discovered in the area, which brought thousands of prospectors to the central Idaho site.

Remember to pack your rockhounding supplies and plenty of water. The region is made up of mostly desert landscapes, and the summer months can be brutal without shade in southern Idaho.

Southern Idaho is rich in precious and nonprecious stones. Garnet, jasper, amethyst, and a good number of other rocks, crystals, and minerals are scattered throughout the desert, lava beds, and buttes that are just a short drive from the Magic Valley

The Bruneau landscape blends into the Owyhee Uplands Back Country, which is where you'll eventually stumble across the Pole Creek Wilderness, which extends into the eastern Oregon border.

Smoky quartz is an almost transparent combination of minerals that some believe possesses healing properties.

There's an area called Rabbit Springs between Twin Falls and Jackpot that contains clusters of fluorescent thundereggs.

Please remember to research the area you plan to rock hunt at prior to arrival to make sure it's not prohibited.

The one thing we do not lack in Idaho is rocks. If rockhounding is your thing, there is no better place to be than here.