Rockhounders: this one’s for you! Oceanside, Oregon, is an adorable coastal town with a rocky pastime (wink, wink). Agates, green and red jasper, petrified wood, and so many other notable rocks are scattered across Tunnel and Oceanside Beach, and finding them is a heck of a lot of fun. Here’s everything you need to know for a successful Oceanside, Oregon, rockhounding adventure!

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At a Glance:

Location: Oceanside, Oregon

Native Lands: Tillamook

Present rocks: Agates, jasper, quartz, petrified wood, and zeolites.

Rockhounding limit: One 1-gallon bucket per person per day. No more than 3 gallons per year.

Best time to rockhound in Oceanside, Oregon: Winter

Getting There

From HWY 101 in Tillamook, turn onto OR-131 W/3rd St. and follow it past Netarts and up to Oceanside, Oregon. At the fork, hang left to drive into downtown Oceanside. Pass Roseanna’s on the left, the surf shop on the right, and take a left into Oceanside Beach State Recreation Site’s parking lot. You’ve arrived!!

What is rockhounding?

I’m glad you asked! Rockhounding is the process of collecting, you guessed it, rocks. But we’re not just talking about any rocks–you have to know what you’re looking for. Here’s a quick overview of what to look for at Tunnel and Oceanside Beach.

What Rocks Can You Find in Oceanside, Oregon?

Agates

Agates come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, each with their own personalities. They’re made of chalcedony and often flaunt a banded pattern. You know those thinly sliced colorful banded glass-like stones you used to find in drug or toy stores? Those are agates! I found a lot of white, cloudy agates with some orange tones colored by iron. If you find a purple or blue one, hold onto it! Those are rare!

Agates are formed in the gas bubbles of volcanic rock. HOW COOL, RIGHT?!

Common: Clear/white

Rare: Purple/blue

Jasper

Jasper is opaque chalcedony and you’ll find a ton of it on these beaches! Especially green jasper, which stands out beautifully among dark gray and black PNW rocks.

Common: Red

Rare: Blue

Quartz

This is where it gets tricky. Quartz is a hard white or colorless mineral made of silicon dioxide, and is easily mistaken for agates, especially when you’re picking up raw rocks (not polished) and can’t see the intricacies of each stone. Don’t get me wrong, they’re gorgeous too!

Petrified Wood

A tree tree falls and is buried under mud, volcanic ash, or other material for millions of years. Those minerals begin to crystallize, changing the wood’s cellular structure and creating a stone-like material. This is petrified wood! Look for smooth, rounded, reddish brown rock. It may even have a rough bark side.

Zeolites

Zeolites are porous rocks formed when volcanic ash or rock interacts with groundwater. They have many shapes, colors, and forms, but if I had to give an identifier, I’d say they look like salt crystals with beautiful structures.

Rockhounding Regulations

If you’re thinking, “Wait, is this legal? What about LNT? We’re supposed to leave what we find!”

1) I love you!!!! Thank you SO much for keeping LNT a priority in every adventure. You’re the best.

2) This is one scenario where keeping what you find is allowed (with a few exceptions, of course!). Always check regulations to ensure rockhounding is allowed in your intended rockhounding area.

Oregon’s Secretary of State (ORS 390.660) says that a person may remove small amounts of natural products or souvenirs–including agates, other rocks, driftwood, and other non-living items–from state recreation areas without a permit as long as there aren’t any previously existing restrictions in place. But, just like crabbing, fishing, etc, there are restrictions on the types of products you may remove, how much of them you can remove, and when you can remove them.

Agate Collection Resctrictions

Current agate collection is limited to one, 1-gallon bucket of agates per person per day, and no more than 3 gallons of agates per person per year.

Pro tip: Just because the limit is 3 gallons per year, it doesn’t mean you need to take home that many! I’m still all about LNT and disturbing our natural areas as little as possible. A little handful is plenty.

Bonus: Oceanside Beach Tunnel

There’s a manmade tunnel at the north end of Oceanside Beach with a scary sign that reads “Caution: Falling Rocks” erected after a rockslide trapped a few unlucky Rockhounders in 2020. Adventurers: proceed at your own risk!

This tunnel is the length of an Oregon city block. The first half is rectangular and reinforced with cement (seen in the photo below). The second half is raw and rugged (check out the photo above). The ocean echoes in a spooky way. Watch your footing! You’ll find yourself stepping over large rocks and pieces of driftwood washed in by high tide waves. You’ll want some type of light–it’s dark in there!

Tunnel Beach, as mentioned above, is only accessible via this tunnel. It also allows visitors and rockhounders to reach Lost Boy Cave and a few other beaches to the north. If you’re willing to brave the cave, wild beaches await! It truly feels like you’re in coastal wilderness out there.

History of the Oceanside Beach Tunnel

The Rosenberg family bought 160 acres and moved to what they eventually named Oceanside in 1921 with the intent to build "one of the finest beach resorts on the Pacific coast," according to a 2008 account of Rosenberg-Whitlock family history. They built a resort, a dance hall turned skating rink, a grocery store, a bath house, and more. All those weathered away with time, but their 1926 tunnel project became an Oceanside landmark for both locals and visitors to enjoy.

The Rosenbergs hired a miner to blast a hole through Maxwell point, and in 1926 the tunnel officially connected Oceanside beach with other beaches to the north, including Lost Boy Cave, and Short Beach and Radar Road, where a WWII Infantry Signal Corps was stationed. Several sources claim the tunnel was put to use by the U.S. military patrolling for Japanese ships and planes during World War II. Wild, right?

Enter The Tunnel at Your Own Risk

There are a few potential risks to take into consideration before full sending it.

The tunnel is below the high tide line, which means water gushes through this cave during high tide and could potentially strand adventurers on the other side if their not careful. Enter the cave as the tide is going out so you’ll have plenty of time to experience the beaches. You do NOT want to be stuck on the other side when the tide comes up. Those ocean waves are ferocious. You know those logs you hopped over on your way in? Guess who’s the culprit? I don’t know about you but I do not want to be stuck in there with a massive log being washed down the narrow cave in my direction. Yeeesh.
The coast is an ever-changing landscape and landslides are common. 14 people were trapped in 2020 from a landslide. There were no casualties, thank goodness! I don’t mean to scare you, just know that this is a risk you’re taking when you enter the tunnel.

How to Check the Tides

Visit https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ and enter your intended destination (or the closest town to it). NOAA doesn’t offer tide tables for Oceanside, so Netarts is our next best option.

There are two high tides and two low tides in a single 24-hour period. The box to the right has a nice summary of all four and exactly how high or low they are (measured in feet).

To be as safe as possible, head into the tunnel after high tide but before low tide. In this case, anytime between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m. is ideal. Avoid being on the other side of the tunnel as the tide is coming in. It’s a ticking clock!

You’ll see plenty of adventurers risking it–don’t assume that they know something you don’t. Trust the tide charts and set a “return” alarm. It’s not worth the risk!

Best Restaurants in Oceanside

There are two, technically three places to grab a bite to eat in Oceanside, Oregon, and all offer a little something different, which is nice!

Blue Agate Cafe

Named totally appropriately, in my opinion, the Blue Agate Cafe looks like a diner–and I suppose it is in a sense–but their food far exceeded that of any diner! I had house-made crab cakes and a scone and I died a happy breakfast death. Food coma was real. Really, really good friends.

Roseanne’s

Dinner with a view, Roseanne’s is a cozy oceanside restaurant with a diverse menu. I’d go with the seafood if it were me, but they also offer burgers, salads, sandwiches, and more!

Oceanside Surf & SUP

I know what you’re thinking: “Why is this in the restaurant section?” Oceanside Surf & SUP is a full service surfboard, bodyboard, kayak, SUP, and wetsuit rental business with a little cafe on the far right side with some sandwiches and light snacks! If you’re looking for a latte, this is the (only) spot.

Best Things to Do Near Oceanside, Oregon

Agate hunting and a sick, spooky tunnel isn’t enough? Jokes, jokes ;) You know me, I like to fit as much as I possibly can into a single day, and there’s so much to see in this area!

Cape Meares Lighthouse + Octopus Tree

Remember that fork in the road where you turned left into Oceanside? Continue straight to check out Cape Meares State Park’s super cool inactive lighthouse with an incredible view. It’s just a short walk down a paved path from the parking lot, or scale a fenced trail on the south side of the cape for epic views down to the lighthouse. Keep an eye out for whales, puffins, and massive sea lions!

Then, find the bathrooms and head down the accessible trail to the famed Octopus Tree. No one knows how it took this shape–most trees have a single trunk, but the Octopus Tree is an exception. Check it out if you have time!

Tillamook Creamery

Where my cheese lovers at? I’m such a huge fan of Tillamook cheese (and omg… their ice cream is next level). If you are too, you do NOT want to miss the Tillamook Creamery! Order some fried cheese curds and an ice cream cone (duh) and watch their entire cheese-making process. It’s a blast.

Short Beach

Rumor has it you can find agates at Short Beach, but I didn’t have much luck. What I did love about this beach was the impressive manmade waterfall. It’s just a couple minutes north of Oceanside on the way to Cape Meares, and if you have the time, it’s worth a stop!

Cape Lookout State Recreation Area

Oceanside is on the Three Capes Scenic Loop, which means Cape Lookout and Cape Kiwanda are both within reach! Similar to the other lookouts, Cape Lookout has two beautiful beaches and a few epic hikes. The Cape Lookout Trail is about a 5-miles out and back trail along a peninsula nearly 400’ above the water in some areas. Between old growth forests, epic views, and wildflowers in the spring, and whale watching, this trail truly has it all. Note that it may be closed in some places due to storm damage. Respect all signs and never wander off trail!

Cape Kiwanda

Cape Kiwanda is in Pacific City, Oregon, and features impressive sandstone formations that survived against all odds–it’s a miracle they’re even there to this day!

It’s an awesome year-round adventure–in the summer, visitors often try their balance with a surf sesh or soak up some quality West Coast rays, but the winter is where Cape Kiwanda, Oregon, truly comes alive. It offers some of the best storm watching on the entire coast! Read more about Cape Kiwanda here.

Oceanside Oregon Hotels

Oceanside Oceanfront Cabins

I called one of these Oceanside Oceanfront Cabins home for my night in Oceanside. They’re simple, comfortable, roomy, relatively inexpensive, and literally across the street from Oceanside State Recreation Area (aka, the ocean!!). Do make sure you let the front desk know what time you’re arriving. I received a call at 3 p.m. while on a hike asking where I was and why I hadn’t checked in yet. I guess I’m not used to such hospitality!

Oceanfront Cottage by Vacasa

Bedrooms: 3
Beds: 5
Sleeps: 8
Baths: 2

I saw two women having coffee on this deck the morning I walked down the beach and it looked lovely! A sign said “rent this cabin” so you know I looked it up! The Oceanfront Cottage a beautiful 3-bedroom getaway as close to the ocean as you could possibly get. If you stay here, let me know how it goes!

Little Luxe Retreat

Bedrooms: 1
Beds: 1
Sleeps: 3
Baths: 1

If you don’t need to be smack on top of the ocean, consider this adorable Little Luxe Retreat a few streets back. Don’t worry, it’s still just a short walk to the beach! Bonus: there’s a hot tub. Sign me uppppp.

Three Arch Inn

The Three Arch Inn sits right above the surf shop and cafe in downtown Oceanside. Every room has a crazy good view of the ocean with slightly varied amenities. If you don’t need a full on vacation rental and want to save a few $$$, this hotel is a great option!

Leave No Trace

Always remember to leave no trace! Let’s leave these gorgeous Oregon destinations better than we found them. If you’re curious how you can become a more sustainable adventurer, read up on the seven Leave No Trace principles here.

How to Find Agates in Oceanside, Oregon