Glass Butte is a rockhounding site managed by BLM that sits about halfway between Bend and Burns on Highway 20. Several varieties of obsidian can be found at Glass Butte, some of which are easier to find than others.

As my first adventure out since COVID-19 locked us all down, I wanted somewhere that wouldn’t be too crowded. I wanted somewhere close that wouldn’t require stopping in a small town. Glass Butte is about an hour drive from home, so we decided to head out on a (hopefully quiet) Monday morning.

I’m also still recovering from my broken leg (which happened the day I got home from the Timberline Trail). Long hikes are still off the table since I haven’t done much more than walking on flat surfaces for the past six months. Slowly and deliberately scrambling around rocky terrain while searching for obsidian seemed like a good way for me to work on strength and flexibility.

Hunting for Obsidian

We searched for several varieties of obsidian at Glass Butte, including black, mahogany, silver sheen, gold sheen, aurora borealis, and snowflake. The effort required to find and extract the obsidian depends on the type and the location. In many places, we found it simply laying on the ground. In others, some work is necessary to dig and break apart to inspect.

I am not going to give details about specific locations because if you are interested in casual obsidian collection you will have no problem finding any here!

There are many more pits than the ones we stopped at, and part of the fun of visiting Glass Butte is driving around and investigating various locations. There are many side roads to explore that aren’t shown on the map above. One location had beautiful leopard obsidian was strewn everywhere on the ground. In another, we found giant chunks of silver sheen spread out like a river. Some locations have pits that have been dug to find the finest pieces and the surface scatter was mostly black obsidian.

Tips for Visiting Glass Butte

If you are coming from Bend, keep your eyes out for wildlife along highway 20. We spied antelope grazing around the edges of the irrigated pastures near Hampton, and hawks perched on fence posts watching the desert for critters.

I think it is best to time a visit to Glass Butte for shoulder seasons. While the main dirt road into the Buttes is pretty smooth and well-graded (at least on my visits), side roads are rough and can deteriorate quickly, especially in the snow and rain. In the summer, the heat could be intense and make collecting that dark obsidian painful! Even yesterday when the air temperature never reached 70º, the sun made it feel much hotter.

Watch your tires and toes! Obsidian chunks and flakes are scattered everywhere. Its prevalence is great for collecting, but it also means you can hardly escape it underfoot. Good tires, a spare, and a patch kit are absolutely necessary, and if you venture off of the main road you’ll need 4×4 with clearance, too.

Since this is BLM land it is off-leash dog friendly, but be very careful with your pup’s feet! My two guys have pretty well-toughened paw pads, but I still checked in with them regularly since they were running all over the place. Similarly, the humans (especially the tiny ones) will want tough footwear. Remember, you’ll be walking on what is essentially broken glass. Flipflops won’t do you any favors.

Familiarize yourself with rockhounding rules and etiquette (pdf). Personal collecting is allowed; commercial is not without a special permit.

Resources

This map of Oregon rockhounding sites is very helpful. We actually discovered another interesting and beautiful location based on this map that is not included in any of the rockhounding books!

As an amateur (at best) rock hounder, I’ve found these books to be helpful when it comes to understanding how to look for rocks and what equipment might be necessary.