● 50-MILE FIELD · GARIBALDI, OREGON
Real places. Current conditions. Honest odds for agates, jasper, minerals, petrified wood and fossils—ranked for today, not copied from a list.
THE LIVE BOARD
Tide timing is balanced against access and travel time. Summer sand cover and crowd pressure count against famous beaches. Short Beach leads because summer sand penalty.
Loose agates, stones, shells and fossils: up to one 1-gallon container per person per day and 3 gallons per calendar year, unless a local restriction is posted. Personal, non-commercial use only.
Read OAR 736-021-0090 ↗Cape Meares · south of Garibaldi
The region’s broadest supported material mix and a cobble-rich pocket beach. It beats more famous sand beaches when rock beds are exposed.
Oceanside · south of Garibaldi
Oregon State Parks itself identifies Oceanside as one of its best winter agate beaches, with unusually varied mineral reports nearby.
Rockaway Beach · north of Garibaldi
The closest proven bet to Garibaldi. It wins short-trip rankings when a visible pebble bed is present, but popularity and summer sand lower its ceiling.
Sand Lake · south of Garibaldi
Named by Tillamook Coast’s own rockhounding guide and less picked than the marquee beaches, so it rises when time allows the drive.
Pacific City · south of Garibaldi
Strong material variety, but long travel, major popularity and cliff hazards prevent a fame-driven top rank.
North Rockaway · north of Garibaldi
Easy access and lower pick pressure than central Rockaway, but location-specific material evidence is thinner, so it never outranks stronger sites on reputation alone.
Oswald West State Park · north of Garibaldi
Real field reports support agates here, but extreme popularity creates an explicit pick-pressure penalty in the smart ranking.
Cape Lookout · south of Garibaldi
A locally endorsed agate bet with far less crowd pressure than Oceanside, but a longer drive and the imminent park closure reduce its current score.
Manzanita · north of Garibaldi
A documented north-coast agate beach with a long search line, tempered by seasonal sand cover and high summer use.
North Lincoln City · south of Garibaldi
Lincoln City actively promotes guided beachcombing for agates, jasper and petrified wood, but the drive and crowd pressure demand excellent conditions.
Pacific City · south of Garibaldi
Lower pick pressure and lots of beach, but weaker site-specific find evidence makes it a deliberate long shot instead of a hype pick.
South Cannon Beach · north of Garibaldi
The Arch Cape–Cannon Beach corridor has winter rockhounding evidence, but this is a condition-dependent backup rather than a guaranteed agate bed.
Neskowin · south of Garibaldi
Worth the long drive when low tide exposes both gravel and the ghost forest, but distance and uncertain summer rock cover make it condition-sensitive.
NO MYSTERY SCORE
Agate Jackpot starts with verified access and material evidence, then recalculates for the moment you are actually choosing where to go.
Closures and collecting rules override every score. Hug Point is visible but cannot rank while its access is closed.
Season, tide trend and exposed-cobble probability matter more than a beach’s name.
Direction, driving time, daylight, walking effort, weather, crowds and pick pressure change the order.
Every card separates official access from field evidence, shows freshness, and invites corrections from the beach.
THE ONE RULE THAT WINS
“Don’t hunt the beach name. Hunt the exposed rock bed.”
Winter storms and outgoing tides uncover the material. In summer, the smartest result may be the closest scout stop—not the most famous beach.
3-STEP FIELD TEST
KEEP THE HUNT ROLLING
Agate Jackpot is free and independent. If it helped you choose a beach, dodge a wasted drive, or add a little adventure to your day, you can help keep it growing.