Where to Find Agate in California
California agate is a Mojave Desert specialty. The Wiley's Well district in Riverside County yields red, plume, and brecciated agate near the Hauser geode beds, and the Cady Mountains in San Bernardino County produce flame agate and chalcedony nodules. The Lavic field east of Barstow adds red-and-black plume agate in basalt amygdules. Along the coast, the Trinidad and Agate Beach areas in northern California yield tide-worn carnelian and small banded agate after winter storms. Most desert agate is float on basalt and rhyolite slope wash; coastal agate concentrates in storm-cut gravel lenses.
Spot list checked against source data on April 1, 2026.
Every agate spot we track in California
Best spotEl Paso MountainsKern County, CaliforniaPublic access · Agate, Opal, Jasper +2- Best spotGem HillKern County, CaliforniaPublic access · Agate, Chalcedony, Jasper +2
Castle Butte FoothillsKern County, CaliforniaPublic access · Agate, Chalcedony, Chert +2- Crescent City BeachesDel Norte County, CaliforniaPublic access · Agate, Chalcedony, Jasper +2
- Agate Area (Klamath River)Siskiyou County, CaliforniaPublic access · Agate, Bloodstone, Jasper +1
Agate BeachHumboldt County, CaliforniaPermission required · Agate, Jasper, Brecciated Jasper +1- Fandango PassModoc County, CaliforniaPublic access · Agate, Chalcedony, Jasper +1
- Jenny CreekSiskiyou County, CaliforniaPublic access · Agate, Carnelian, Petrified Wood +1
- Unnamed Location (LA County)Los Angeles County, CaliforniaPublic access · Agate, Chalcedony, Jasper +1
- Area around Goose LakeModoc County, CaliforniaPublic access · Agate, Chalcedony, Jasper
- Deep CreekModoc County, CaliforniaPublic access · Agate, Opalized Wood
- Horse Canyon Agate BedsKern County, CaliforniaPublic access · Agate, Fossilized Horse Bone
- Poplar BeachSan Mateo County, CaliforniaPublic access · Agate
Standout agate spots in California
Hand-picked from the full list above, with the reason each one earns a trip.
El Paso Mountains
Kern County
The El Paso Mountains stand out because BLM identifies the area as a place where rock hounds find material among dark volcanic mesas, red buttes, and fossil-bearing badlands.
Gem Hill
Kern County
Gem Hill is a focused Kern County silica locality, with Mindat recording agate, chalcedony, iris agate, jasper, petrified wood, native gold, and uranium minerals nearby.
Best counties for agate in California
Ranked by the number of mapped agate spots. County links open the full rockhounding page for that county.
Before you go
Read the agate identification guide so you know what a keeper looks like in the field: Agate in the encyclopedia.
Agate in California FAQ
Where can you find agate in California?+
How many agate spots are mapped in California?+
Is it legal to collect agate in California?+
Where else to find agate
More minerals to hunt in California
Hunt agate in California with the map in your pocket
RockHoundR puts these spots on an offline map with BLM and Forest Service overlays, geology layers, and a log for your finds.
