Glass Floats Lincoln City – Finders Keepers

Glass Floats in Lincoln City – The History

In the early 1900s, Japanese fishermen used glass fishing floats to keep their nets afloat. Over time, due to storms or wear, some of these buoyant glass spheres would separate from the nets. Ocean currents would sometimes carry these glass floats across the Pacific Ocean to the western coast of the United States.

Beachcombers in Washington and Oregon would occasionally find these treasures washed onto shore. By the late 1970s-1980s, they became even more rare to find as the fishermen were replacing glass floats with lighter and cheaper plastic and styrofoam floats.   

Finders Keepers Lincoln City

In 1999 The Lincoln City Visitor’s Bureau began hiding glass floats on its beaches. The specifics of the city-sponsored program have shifted over the years, but today Finders Keepers draws many visitors to Lincoln City with floats being hidden every day of the year by mysterious “float ferries.”

The handmade floats are created by regional glass artists, then hidden somewhere along the seven mile stretch of beach in Lincoln City–from Siletz Bay on the south, to Roads End on the north. 

I found a glass float at Roads End!

We arrived at Roads End in the morning about an hour before low tide. The plan was to explore the tide pools there on the north end of Lincoln City, and later spend some time walking the beaches further south to hunt for a glass float. 

Turned out we didn’t need to make a special float-hunting trip. I found one at Roads End on our walk to the tide pools! I remember the moment I spotted the glass orb–it was such an exciting surprise. 

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this one was laying on the sand in plain sight. As their website says, they use the term “hide” loosely–they do want the glass floats to be found. It seems to me that it’s probably more about being in the right place at the right time than having an eagle eye.

My glass float was etched with a number and the artist who created it, Fernhill Glass, based in Astoria. The pattern and colors remind me of a turtle’s shell, and I LOVE IT!   

Tips for finding a glass float in Lincoln City

I’m not an expert on this, but according to the Finders Keepers website:

• Start at one of Lincoln City’s public beach access points. While I don’t know how far from the access points the float fairies typically go (or if there even is a “typical”), mine was less than 25 meters from the Roads End beach access point.
• Glass floats are “hidden” above the high tide line and below the beach embankment (they will not be found in the beach grass)
• There isn’t one specific time of day floats are hidden, though they are only hidden during daylight hours.

• While glass floats are hidden every day of the year, you can increase your odds by visiting during one of the many special float drops throughout the year, which is exactly what we did. During Father’s Day weekend Lincoln City hid an additional 50 floats, which is when I found mine. You can find a calendar of upcoming special float drop days here: Lincoln City Special Float Drop Days

When we visited Alder House for a glass blowing demonstration, one of the visitors asked about Finders Keepers. Apparently Alder House is commissioned quite frequently to create floats–I believe he said they had already made 500 this year for Finders Keepers. But he also added that finding a float “is like winning the lottery.” 

I’ve seen lots of comments online from people who have been to Lincoln City and never had the good luck of finding a beautiful glass orb on the beach. If you’re set on returning home with one, there are many glass shops in and around Lincoln City where you can purchase one, or some glass studios where you can even make your own.