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Editorial guides to rockhounding by state and region.
State guides add seasonal tips and curated highlights on top of our full state listings.
Updated Arizona rockhounding guide — BLM Black Hills & Round Mountain fire agate, Florence agate, Apache Leap, Diamond Point quartz, Petrified Forest ban, State Trust Land rules, Phoenix day trips, and heat safety.
Updated California rockhounding guide — Oceanview tourmaline fee digs, BLM Mojave collecting areas, benitoite claim checks, state park vs BLM rules, beach MPAs, LA day trips, and heat seasons.
Updated Colorado rockhounding guide — Mount Antero aquamarine, Lake George amazonite, Devils Head topaz, Florissant ban, mining-claim checks, altitude safety, and Denver Front Range planning.
Updated Idaho rockhounding guide — Spencer Opal fee digs, Emerald Creek star garnets (2026 early closure), Graveyard Point access warnings, BLM/IDL rules, Boise day trips, and statewide map.
Updated Michigan rockhounding guide — Petoskey stone beaches, Lake Superior agates, Keweenaw copper country, state-land 25 lb/year rule, NPS no-take parks, and Traverse City day trips.
Updated Montana rockhounding guide — Gem Mountain sapphire fee digs, Crystal Park quartz, Yellowstone River bars, why Yogo isn’t open public digging, state trust/NPS rules, and Helena day trips.
Updated Nevada rockhounding guide — Virgin Valley private opal fee digs, BLM Garnet Hill, Black Rock reality check, Las Vegas/Reno day-trip honesty, claims, and desert heat.
Updated Oregon rockhounding guide — White Fir & Whistler thunderegg beds, BLM sunstone near Plush, Glass Butte obsidian, Succor Creek, Newport beach agate, rules, seasons, and maps. Richardson’s digging is closed.
Updated Washington rockhounding guide — Walker Valley geodes (north access only), Ellensburg blue access reality, Ginkgo park ban, Gifford Pinchot permits, Seattle day trips, and statewide map.
Updated Wyoming rockhounding guide — Sweetwater and Seminoe agate, Red Desert / Eden Valley wood, BLM petrified-wood limits, vertebrate fossil bans, Red Gulch look-only tracks, and remote-road planning.
Arkansas crystal mines open to the public — Crater of Diamonds, Mount Ida quartz fee digs, diamond hunting tips, seasons, and weekend staging.
Where to find geodes in Tennessee — Livingston and Crossville creek beds, Cumberland Plateau limestone, Cooper Gem Mine, and safe nodule-splitting tips.
Rockhounding Georgia map guide — Hogg Mine aquamarine, Jackson Crossroads amethyst, Graves Mountain minerals, Ball Ground pegmatites, seasons, and Atlanta day trips.
Indiana geodes guide — Warsaw Formation geode belt, Fairfax limestone geodes, Falls of the Ohio fossils, and Indiana rockhounding map tips.
Rock hunting in Kentucky — Kentucky agate country, Livingston Gem Mine, Lane County geodes, and Cumberland Plateau collecting tips with map links.
Missouri rockhounding guide — Ste. Genevieve geode belt, Mozarkite road cuts, Old Mines galena, Joplin Tri-State minerals, seasons, and St. Louis day trips.
Ohio rockhounding guide — Warsaw Formation geodes, Flint Ridge flint, Hocking Hills concretions, Lake Erie beach agates, seasons, and Columbus/Cincinnati day trips.
Pennsylvania rockhounding guide — Delaware Water Gap Devonian fossils, Chester County pegmatites, York County zeolites, McAdoo pyrite, seasons, and Philly/Harrisburg day trips.
Tennessee rockhounding guide — Cumberland Plateau geodes, Cooper Gem Mine, Elmwood calcite specimens, Ben Lomond garnet, seasons, and Nashville/Knoxville day trips.
A regional guide to rockhounding in Utah—Dugway geode beds, Topaz Mountain, trilobite quarries, and practical tips for west desert collecting.
Rockhounding in Virginia — Morefield Gem Mine amazonite digs, Vesuvius amethyst, Fairy Stone State Park staurolite rules, Mid-Atlantic staging, and map links.
Where to find mica in the U.S. — Black Hills pegmatites, New England sheet-mica districts, Maryland and Carolina localities, plus ID and access tips.
Compare Herkimer diamond mines in New York — Ace of Diamonds vs Herkimer Diamond Mines fees, tools, seasons, outdoor beds, and how to dig double-terminated quartz crystals.
Where to find obsidian in America — Arizona Apache Tears, Southwest perlite flows, and how to collect volcanic glass safely on National Forest land.
Where to find turquoise and jade in America — Royston and Burro Mountains turquoise, Trinity Alps nephrite, and Alaska jade localities with access notes.
Where to find geodes in Ohio — southern Warsaw Formation creeks, Geode State Park vicinity, Flint Ridge chert, and Lake Erie striped cobbles.
Each state hub shows the current total with links to every location in our directory.