A reader sent me a bunch of rock hounding maps and thought I'd offer them to other folks. I haven't been to most places on the map so head out there at your own risk. The maps look old but there is enough detail to get you close to these rock hounding places.


View or Download the map:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TPzPXubDfJGQDqDJySgw526nfPzJLJ6NInd71d_5HkY/edit?hl=en_US


Map #1 Includes:
- Succor Creek State Park area, Oregon ( 43.507209, -117.132446)
- Graveyard Point area, Idaho ( 43.566189, -117.023519
- McBride Creek area, Idaho ( 43.280840, -116.938668)

The maps legend indicates you could find:

• Agates with Saginite.
• Petrified Wood.
• Opalized Wood.
• Wangdoodle Opal.
• Queenstone.
• Leaf Imprinted Fossils.
• Jasper.
• Thunder Eggs.
• Animal Fossils...I think these are illegal to collect.

General Area Rock Hounding Map #1 Covers is shown below

View Larger Map



Use Map with Caution
I have no idea where these maps came from and no idea how accurate they are. They look genuine but old so use the information in combination with good maps, respect mining claims and private property. In short, do your research and above all be a good steward of our public lands.

Rock Hounding Data and Information Wants to be Free and Accurate
With this map and the maps I'll be placing on the BondyWeb.Com in the coming weeks, I'd like to improve upon them. You can help. You can be part of making this crazy hobby more enjoyable, more social and less frustrating. How? If you have a GPS unit that can record your travels:

1. Save the file and send them to me.
2. I'll overlay your travel on USGS “topo” maps.
3. I'll put the location where you found your cool rocks on the map.
4. I promise to make these new improved maps “open source”, free and easily available.

I know rock hounds are no different than fishers and hunters. We think (and maybe know) keeping your best fishing holes or secret hunting spots a SECRET keeps them uncrowded and the riff raff away. But sometimes it's important to give back and build a database of freely open and accurate maps we can all use. Let's start with this map.

Feedback Appreciated
If you head out for a day of rock hounding, please let me know what you found. Better still would be pictures and GPS coordinates so I could improve these maps. Leave a comment or use my Contact Us link if you wish.

Thanks,

Oolite? What the heck is that? It's not a new beer or some kind of new fad diet food. Read on to find out.



The BLM has a “new” interpretive site south of Grand View on Mud Flat Road. This geologic information site is pretty cool and there is a walking trail on site also.

While hiking and enjoying the great Idaho outdoors, sometimes it's nice to actually understand the area to gain a better appreciation of what I'm seeing.

1. The Big Picture


What it says:

• Extending across southwest Idaho between the Owyhee Mountains and Boise Front is the broad valley of the western Snake River Plain. Evidence indicates that the Plain began as a continental rift about 12 million years ago. Here, the earth's crust was pulled apart, northeast to southwest, and was stretched thin like taffy.
• As crustal extension progressed between 11 and 9 million years ago, the Owyhee Mountains and the Boise Front responded by rising to their present height along faults bordering the rift. Now a valley, the Plain became a basin for Lake Idaho. Some 200 miles long and 35 miles wide, Lake Idaho drained south into Nevada.
• Thousands of feet of sediment were deposited on the Lake's bottom over its 6.5 million years of existence, interrupted at times with layers of basalt and volcanic ash (tuff) from eruptions of adjacent volcanoes.
• Geologist think that 2 to 4 million years ago, water from melting glaciers caused Lake Idaho to overflow to the west.. Captured by the Snake River, the waters drained out in a massive flood that gouged Hell's Canyon. The sediments left behind from Lake Idaho are known as the Chalk Hills and Glenns Ferry Formation.

2. Shoofly Oolite


What it says:

• The natural sculpture garden is a section of the Glenns Ferry Formation called the Shoofly Oolite. Oolite is sedimentary limestone composed of tiny ooids, which form when calcium carbonate precipitates in concentric layers around individual grains of sand. The Shoofly Oolite is one of the largest freshwater lakebed oolites known in the world.
• Most other examples of ooid formation and deposition are found in wave-agitated sea waters or on the beds of much saltier lakes. Wave action that varied with the seasons, the weather, and the types of sediment in the water washed the ooids back and forth in the shallows on the southwestern side of Lake Idaho, depositing them from 2 to 40 feet thick on steeper benches near the shore.
• Erosion carried away softer siltstone and volcanic tuffs but left the more resistant oolite to weather above the mudflats. Small, isolated deposits are exposed discontinuously across the 40 miles between this spot and Murphy. In some places, the upper surface of the oolite has been sculpted into hummocks, small arches, and intriguing shapes.
• Beach sands of varying thickness underlie the oolite. Siltstone, deposited by lake waters, forms the stratum above it. Rivers and fans at the base of the adjacent mountain slopes later deposited a veneer of alluvium over the lake deposits.
• The physical and chemical properties of the Shoofly Oolite provide the foundation for the unique set of plants and fossils found here. Few other lands in Idaho support such a rich suite of rare species in such a small area.

3. Vegetation of the Shoofly Oolite


The 5 Rare Plants in the Shoofly Oolite Formation

• Mulford’s Vilkvetch (Astragalus mulfordiae)
• Snake River Milkvetch (Astragalus purshii var. ophiogenes)
• Packard’s Cowpie Buckwheat (Eriogonum shockleyi var. packardiae)
• White-margined Wax Plant (Glyptopleura marginata)
• White Eatonella (Eatonella nivea)

While the information on the sign indicated these plants are rare, in my experience only the White Eatonella seems to be the only “rare plant” in the Owyhee's. Your mileage may vary.

Coordinates for the BLM Oolite Interpretive Site on Mud Flat Road: 42.837189, -116.122149


Thanks,

The Idaho Fish and Game folks are looking for your opinions. If you fish or call yourself an “Idaho Angler”, you can take a rather longish survey to help shape what our streams, rivers, reservoirs and lakes will look like in the future.

Survey Link:  https://fishandgame.idaho.gov/ifwis/portal/form/public-2011-idaho-angler-opinion-survey

It took me about 5-10 minutes to complete the Fish and Game survey but I think it's worth the time and effort. Head over to the link above and do your part to improve your Idaho fisheries.

Thanks,

As summer is starting to wind down, we decided to try our luck at some rock hounding above Atlanta, Idaho before the snow starts flying. It turned out to be one of the most scenic and relaxing trip we've ever taken. While the rock hounding wasn't stellar, we found some cool rocks and the motherload of all motherloads. It's not what you think, but read on anyway.

ATV'ing from Outside of Rocky Bar, Idaho
We got a late start out of Mountain Home and headed up to Rocky Bar. From there we headed up James Creek Road about 1 mile to a great little spot to park the truck. It was about 2:00PM by the time we unloaded the ATV and headed up towards James Creek Summit. With temperatures in the low 80's, crystal clear skies and no wind, the ride was wonderful.

From Rock Hounding and Scenic Motherload

Finding Waterfalls and The Creeks
Steel Creek parallels this road for a few miles and there was still water flowing but these creeks were mostly choked in thick brush and are hard to access. Four miles from Rocky Bar the road crosses Elk Creek. The Elk Creek waterfall, located just off the road was flowing strongly and this scenic wonder almost made the whole trip worthwhile in itself. From the Elk Creek waterfalls, the road climbs steeply towards James Creek Summit.

Smoky Quartz to the Middle Fork of the Boise River
Last week I hiked and rock hounded a good portion of the road from Rocky Bar and up towards James Creek Summit. Some locations held promise for finding good rocks but for the most part, this area is located in the infamous Idaho “leaverite shield”. Once we past James Creek Summit we set our sights on some serious rock rounding.

From Rock Hounding and Scenic Motherload

We spent a good amount of time searching in and around the small creeks from the Summit down to the Middle Fork of the Boise. We found some fabulous smoky quartz in most of the locations we stopped. Additional searching, hiking and getting dirty will be required on the next trip up to this area. While we brought home some specimens that required additional examination, there wasn't anything in our rock bag that hasn't already make it into our growing backyard rock quarry.

From Rock Hounding and Scenic Motherload

Finding the “Scenic Motherload” in the Middle Fork
We decided to explore a small logging trail off of James Creek Road. This ATV trail/very rough dirt road headed into an area with many signs telling us it was a “Federal Mining Claim” area. The trail deadended at the Middle Fork of the Boise River. It took us about 3 seconds to decide we found “the motherload”. But this motherload was something more valuable to us than gold...it was a platinum “5 star picnic lunch spot”.

Our picnic spot sported a close up view of the blue-green Middle Fork, a white sand beach and glorious view of the rugged mountain surrounding the area. Not only that, but there was a small pool of calm water that was perfect for swimming and cooling off. And the water temperature was just about perfect.

From Rock Hounding and Scenic Motherload

After a nice dip in the Middle Fork of the Boise River, we dined on home cooked roasted chicken, cheddar cheese, stale bagels and cold filtered water while sitting with our feet in the stream. The food wasn't world class, our drinks weren't served in fine crystal goblets and we were not in the bug-free sterile environment of a 5 Star restaurant. But...I challenge anyone, anywhere to offer us a more enjoyable and better tasting meal than we experienced right there on the Middle Fork of the Boise River.

From Rock Hounding and Scenic Motherload

Rocky Mountain Wildflower Dessert
As we headed back towards Rocky Bar, the shadows started lengthening and the air actually had a cool crispness to it. It was like we were seeing the all this scenery for the “first time again”. The roadside, hillsides and the stream valley all the way up to James Creek Summit were filled with wildflowers. It was a perfect way to top off great day in the Boise National Forest.

Comments Are Highly Encouraged
Some people lurk in the depths and some people speak up. My readers would certainly like to hear what you think about the James Creek Road area and the Middle Fork of the Boise River for rock hounding or recreation.

Getting stalked on a hike in the Owyhee Wilderness is unnerving even if I never saw a thing. Read on for more about this hike.



(January 17th, 2012) This hike was located on the very edge of the The Little Jacks Creek Wilderness in the Owyhee's of Idaho just off Mud Flat Road. I had a longer hike planned but a few things got in the way. Even though it was a short hike, the scenery and solitude was outstanding.

The Kicking a Plott Hound Creek Hike
I parked at the Poison Creek Picnic Area on Mud Flat Road (42.756916, -116.297625) and my Plott Hound Addie and I headed southeast up an unnamed creek bed. My intended route was to take me up and around a minor peak before heading back to the car on the far side of the mountain. It wasn't an overly ambitious plan at around 3 miles.



Heading up the self named “Kicking a Plott Hound Creek” was interesting. There were some cool rocks...white rocks with spots of smoky quartz embedded in them. And the creek bed was rather rough and tumble with plenty of small cliffs to scramble up. I probable kicked my dog Addie about 20 times heading up these cliffs. One moment she was on top of the cliff and the next she was right on my heels where she'd get a boot to the nose. Addie the Plott Hound did not seem to mind though.



On a higher saddle, the creek bed shallowed out as it wandered up to its source on the south side of my first destination peak. This is also where strong southerly winds started howling. Moving out of the creek bed we began our trek up the peak. It certainly did not look all that steep as I headed towards a lone pine tree near the top. But coming down the same area it felt pretty darn cliff-like.

I did not have the lungs nor the will to walk to the exposed peak. The lone pine was quite high enough and brutally cold in what I estimated to be steady 30 mph winds. The sweat I worked up on the uphill leg began chilling me to the bone. But the view from this high vantage point made the effort completely worth it.



I was cold so I suspected my dog was rather chilly too. She doesn't have a very thick coat of fur so I got on the downwind side of the lone pine and sat in a small hollow in direct sunshine. Sure enough it was quite pleasant. Warm enough to take off my jacket and drink some water. I fed the dog some treats and a whole quart of water right there.

While enjoying the break, my ever vigilant dog locked on to something down in the valley we just came up. She stared long and hard down there and issued a series of low growls. Something I've never seen her do.



Stalked or Not Stalked - I'll Never Know
My plan was to head around to the south side of the mountain and head back to the car. The winds were ripping and I did not feel like dealing with it. Plus my dog was spooked about something in the general direction we came up. I wanted to know what it was, so we headed back down the way we came.

I'm not a complete idiot, so figuring my dog would be safer, we kept to the high ground. If it was something like a mountain lion or possibly a stray wolf, at least I might spot the creature by staying high. So we cross-sloped along the side of the peak. And my dog stayed higher than me...obviously still somewhat spooked.

I never saw a darn thing all the way back to the car. And I looked! That doesn't mean whatever was down there didn't see us. But who know, it could have been a badger that spooked Addie.

GPS Track Map of this Owyhee Wilderness Hike

View Larger Map

Hike Stats:
Total Hiking Mileage: 1.75
Elevation Gain/Loss: 719 feet
Average Slope: 14.7% and my thighs are telling me it might have been even steeper.
Road Mileage from Mountain Home: 44.3 miles
Link to More Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/tim.bondy/KickingPlottHoundCreekHike?authuser=0&feat=directlink

The Land We Hiked
All land on this hike was part of the Little Jacks Creek Wilderness established in 2009. I don't know when the “wilderness rules” went into effect for this area, but I suspect cattle grazing isn't an acceptable practice here. I'm also not a “scatologist”, but the numerous cow patties I encountered appeared to be “not so old”.

From Kicking Plott Hound Creek Hike

Overall, the land appeared to be fairly healthy but cheat grass was quite abundant in places. While I have mixed emotions on creating more wilderness in Idaho, I figured the Owyhee Wilderness would give me a cow patty free place to hike. As you can see, this wasn't the case. Hopefully in the coming years, this geologically interesting wilderness will eventually return to a more natural state. There's plenty of land in the Owyhees to accommodate hikers and ranching.

The “Call to Action” Section
My call to action is to leave a comment and or question. Gotta be people out there who want more or who could use an answer to a question about this area. Got some answers? I asked a few question in this article...let's hear from you too.

Thanks,

This easy to moderate hike roughly followed Lincoln Creek through the usual scenic beauty of the Boise National Forest about 3 miles south of Rocky Bar. Heading west from the primitive campgrounds on NFSR 158 I gradually climb along side Lincoln Creek. Then I headed up NFSR 157 and 157S4 to complete the “out” section of this out and back hike. Some great views along this hike.

National Forest Service Road 158 is an Easy Hike

The Hike
We parked just off NFSR 158 and started hiking up this well used dirt road. The road heads west and climbs gently toward the headwaters of the creek. While not as wild as other places I've been recently, it's still a nice hike. At about the 1.5 mile point of the hike, we turned onto NFSR 157.

Approximate Area of the Hike

View Larger Map

NFSR 157 looked and felt a little more primitive than Road 158 and the scenery started getting a little more dramatic. We actually found some water up near the headwaters of Lincoln Creek off Road 157. After walking for about 7/10th of a mile, you get the opportunity to hike on NFSR 157S4.

Getting Wild
NFSR 157S4 is where this hike gets interesting. It runs along a ridgeline high above Spring Creek (see my hike report) and the horizon really opens up. The views to the southwest through the north reveals sweeping panoramic views from the Trinity Mountains to Steel Mountain.

I'm pretty sure 157S4 is an old logging road and it sure doesn't get many visitors. Nature is doing its best to retake this road but it will be many years before that will happen. Definitely not a road for a full size vehicle but an excellent place to hike.

We didn't make it to the end of 157S4 on this hike but far enough to know we will be back in the future. After 1 mile, the heat started getting to my dog Addie, so we has lunch and drank most of our water and headed back.

My Dog Addie is Heat Intolerant
After the last few hikes with my Plott Hound (mixed with something) I started worrying she couldn't handle long hikes or the higher elevations. I realize that for every mile I hike, she runs 5-10 times this distance. But after only 3 miles on this hike she sat down and refused to go any further.

After drinking all of her water and a goodly amount of my water, Addie was ready to get back on the trail. She started slowing down around the headwaters of Lincoln Creek where she found a pretty deep mud puddle. After taking a nice mud bath and cooling off, she hit the road running. Not too long after that, she found another nice shallow stream and took another bath.

After these 2 baths, Addie was like a mad dog chasing everything that moved like normal. I'm pretty sure this dog can run for miles and miles but just cannot handle heat. This is the reason I'm interested in hikes that have a good source of water along most of the route.

Rock Hounding Lincoln Creek and 157S4
This hike didn't show much promise except in small pockets and even then the rock hounding wasn't great. There was one place on 157S4 where I thought I found some thundereggs but they turned out to be just round rocks.

I spent about 15 minutes searching this small area, breaking these round rocks and hoping to find the typical thunderegg fillings. Each rock peeled liked an onion but the interior and exterior material was identical throughout. My dog enjoyed chewing the smallish round rocks I revealed each time. Good for the hound; bad for the rock hound.

Other Information
- Total Hike Mileage: 6.14 miles
- Elevation Gain/Loss: ~1,741 feet
- Water Availability: The higher you get the less there is in mid-late July. Upper reaches along NFSR 157 is basically dry when it comes to “dog drinking water”.
- Characterization of Hike: Nice hike along a dirt road. Spectacular views in places. Very good hiking adventure.
- Only 4.3 miles of dirt road to drive.
- More Photos from this Hike: https://picasaweb.google.com/tim.bondy/LincolnCreekHikeNearRockyBarIdaho?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Comments:
It's always great to read your thoughts. There's got to be some older type people out there who head to the mountains for some hiking action. I know there are a bunch of youngsters out there too. I also know there are rock hounds out there but getting you guys to loosen up your virtual voice is harder than the rock we find. Comments are OPEN!




P.S. J21st