Where to Find Epidote in Virginia

Virginia has 9 mapped collecting spots that report epidote, spread across 7 counties. The largest share sits in Albemarle County with 3 spots. 9 of the spots are on land mapped as publicly accessible.

Standout epidote spots in Virginia

Hand-picked from the full list below, with the reason each one earns a trip.

Troutdale
Grayson County
The Troutdale area sits on the Blue Ridge basement where unakite, the pink-and-green epidote-feldspar granite that is one of Virginia's signature lapidary stones, weathers out along creeks and cuts alongside epidote and red jasper.
Loudon County
Loudoun County
The Triassic diabase and basalt of the Culpeper Basin in Loudoun County host a classic Virginia zeolite suite, with prehnite, stilbite, natrolite, and datolite lining vugs and fractures.

Best counties for epidote in Virginia

Ranked by the number of mapped epidote spots. County links open the full rockhounding page for that county.

Every epidote spot we track in Virginia

Sorted by county. Coordinates open in Google Maps.

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
Moormans RiverSugar Hollow Road	Albemarle County	Epidote Jasper	38.1287, -78.6902	Public
Red Hill QuarryRed Hill Road	Albemarle County	Epidote Microcline Unakite	37.9617, -78.5989	Public
ShadwellMilton Road	Albemarle County	Green Quartzite Unakite Epidote	38.0110, -78.4079	Public
LynchburgStage Road	Campbell County	Virginia Greenstone Calcite Kyanite Pyrite Ankerite Magnetite Rutile Epidote	37.3910, -79.0400	Public
TroutdaleHazelwood Road	Grayson County	Epidote Red Jasper Unakite	36.6750, -81.4035	Public
Loudon CountyCochran Mill Road	Loudoun County	Calcite Datolite Epidote Natrolite Stilbite Diopside Magnetite Prehnite +1 more	39.0819, -77.5219	Public
Rose RiverOld Blue Ridge Turnpike	Madison County	Unakite Epidote Jasper Blue Quartz Smoky Quartz Quartz Black Chert	38.4849, -78.3233	Public
IdaIda Road	Page County	Azurite Chrysolite Cuprite Epidote Jasper Malachite Hematite	38.6089, -78.4201	Public
Tye River GapTye River Turnpike	Rockbridge County	Epidote Unakite Beryl Quartz	37.8869, -79.1565	Public

Before you go

Read the epidote identification guide so you know what a keeper looks like in the field: Epidote in the encyclopedia.

Epidote in Virginia FAQ

Where can you find epidote in Virginia?+

The mapped spots concentrate in Albemarle County, Campbell County, and Grayson County. Every spot on this page appears on the map above with coordinates and access notes.

How many epidote spots are mapped in Virginia?+

9 spots across 7 counties. The RockHoundR app keeps the same spots on an offline map with public land overlays, geology layers, and your saved finds.

Is it legal to collect epidote in Virginia?+

Hand collecting of common rocks and minerals in small amounts for personal use is generally allowed on BLM and U.S. Forest Service land, with limits set by the local field office. National parks, most state parks, and tribal land are closed to collecting. 9 of the 9 mapped spots here sit on land marked public. Always confirm current rules with the managing agency before you dig.

Where else to find epidote

More minerals to hunt in Virginia

Hunt epidote in Virginia 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.