(May 17, 2019 / Author: Tim Bondy) On May 17, 2014, I headed out with the local rockhounding club to search for Twin Buttes Petrified Wood in the desert southeast of Bruneau, Idaho in Owyhee County. Cinnamon colored petrified wood is what we were after and this place is known for colorful specimens. Being south of Bruneau, in the Owyhee Desert, it’s pretty much in the middle of nowhere. The best description would be about 0.5-0.7 miles south Twin Buttes.
Featured Image Info: May 17, 2014 / 42.731492, -115.742300 / https://photos.app.goo.gl/yyCRjYkua2MKk2NR8
Getting There is Half the fun or Half the Frustration
Head southeast out of Bruneau, Idaho on the paved Hot Springs Road. Turn right or south on the bridge over the Bruneau River to a gravel road called Blackstone Grasmere Road. Continue heading south to an unnamed dirt road that will lead you just south of Twin Buttes. If you have a good app or paper maps, you should be able to figure where to turn.
Hint: Petrified Wood is Easy to Find
Finding petrified wood in this area isn’t difficult. But finding the area where there is a good and abundant amount of wood may be a little more challenging. Walking the sides of the buttes in this area is the way to find the stuff.
Specifics on Where to Find the Best Owyhee Petrified Wood
One can dig for this petrified wood or take only the “low hanging fruit” right off the surface. Either way, the stuff is pretty colorful. A lot of the petrified wood is embedded in the rock but easily picked out in small sized pieces. My suggestion is to look along the 3,260 feet contour line for the best stuff. The laws of gravity obviously mean anything below 3,270 feet might show signs of wood also. Use your topo map or GPS unit for better results.
There’s Also Jasper and Maybe Thundereggs
There is quite a bit of jasper to be found out in this area. The best quality seems to be just above the petrified wood layer. I like the red jasper but found precious little of it on this trip. The reddish-brown jasper can be quite beautiful and almost gem quality. Again, very small amounts of this “gemy” stuff were found.
I did find what looked like thundereggs above the 3,300 foot contour or at least egg-shaped rocks. Broke a few open but they were solid gray all the way through and also very, very hard. It’s possible others egg shaped rocks could have goodies in them. You’ll only find out if you do the footwork yourself.
Other Stops on This Trip
On the way down to Twin Buttes, we stopped at a known agate hunting spot. The agate at this place was pretty common for the Owyhee’s and is white with black fossil looking inclusions. There are better spots off Highway 51 that are also easier to get to if you wish to gather this type of agate.
The butte covered in white and ashy dirt just off Blackstone Grasmere Road got my attention while heading home. It was a rockhounding bust other than collecting a boatload of cheatgrass seedpod spikes in my socks and boots. I don’t recommend a visit here but if you must, plug 42.760729, -115.757492 into your GPS and explore all you want.
Bruneau River where it crosses Highway 78 was my last stop. I went out of my way to hit this water source for my dog. She likes to bathe a little when it’s hot and she has been walking through the sagebrush steppe. Must feel good to get some of that itchy stuff off her. Although, she likely picked up a few ticks in the tall grass along the river it was worth it.
Links
- Google Photo Album from this story: https://picasaweb.google.com/112532322025941965882/20140517?authuser=0&feat=directlink
- Map of the general area we were in: http://www.acme.com/mapper/?ll=42.74544,-115.76354&z=14&t=T&marker0=42.74544%2C-115.76354%2C6.4%20km%20SW%20of%20Hot%20Spring%20ID
Originally published elsewhere on May 24, 2014.
Published on this website on May 17, 2019.
Thanks,
~ signed ~
Tim Bondy
Freelance Writer & Citizen Journalist
In some conifer forests, you can’t cedar wood for the trees.