Agate Beach County Park, Bolinas, Marin County, CA

Parking lot with bathrooms located at the end of Elm Rd, on Ocean pkwy. Along the beach can be collected jasper, petrified whale bone, abalone shells, jade and agate.

This location is well know for its 'oil agates'. These agates are described as being "water clear agates containing interesting, black, spot-like inclusions" (Mitchell, 144). Some believe these black spots are inclusions of oil in the agate though I have not seen any reliable sources or scientific information to back this up. At one time large golf ball sized agates could be collected here but now most agates are pea sized, with the largest being the size of a dime. I had seen one or two quarter size agates collected in late 2013. For best collecting walk along the beach as the tide is going out and focus on areas with larger accumulation of pebbles. The agates are easier to see when wet, so stick to the waters edge for easiest collecting. You can easily fill a sandwich bag with small oil agates in an hour or so here. I have seen 3"-4" pieces of petrified whale bone collected here, jade and jasper as small pebbles. Marin Counties Dept. of Parks web site currently (2014) states that the collecting of rocks, shells and any other marine life is prohibited. I have never seen this enforced...

'Oil Agates' Collected 01.01.2014 
Chalcedony, Var: Agate
Agate Beach County Park, Bolinas, Marin County, CA 













Sources:

         Mitchell, James R. Gem Trails of Northern California. Baldwin Park, CA: Gem Guides Book, 1995. Print.