Where to Find Kyanite in North Carolina

Kyanite in North Carolina occurs in the high-grade metamorphic belt of the central Piedmont and along the Blue Ridge front. Crowders Mountain in Gaston County is the type locality for the local kyanite-bearing schist, although most of the mountain sits inside a state park closed to collecting. Henry Knob, just across the South Carolina line, and the Sandhill area near Salisbury (Rowan County) yield blue-gray kyanite blades up to ten centimeters in mica schist. Smaller occurrences turn up along the Brevard fault zone roadcuts. North Carolina kyanite is typically sky-blue to slate-gray and bladed, with sharp pinacoid terminations.

Spot list checked against source data on April 1, 2026.

Standout kyanite spots in North Carolina

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

Burnsville
Yancey County County
Ray Mine gives North Carolina a rare free public pegmatite locality, with Mindat documenting aquamarine, beryl, amazonite, muscovite, rutile, tourmaline, and other Spruce Pine district minerals. Its strength is the combination of a historically worked mica mine and Forest Service surface-collecting access, provided current closures and mine hazards are respected.

Best counties for kyanite in North Carolina

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

Every kyanite spot we track in North Carolina

Sorted by county. Coordinates open in Google Maps.

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
Bullhead MountainArbor Lane	Alleghany County	Garnet Kyanite Magnetite	36.4574, -81.0302	Public
CranberryTrilium Creek Run	Avery County	Epidote Garnet Hematite Kyanite Unakite	36.1346, -81.9826	Public
Lookout MountainEast Ridge Trail	Buncombe County	Kyanite	35.6377, -82.2878	Public
Clubb MountainAlexis Lucia Road	Gaston County	Corundum Lazulite Kyanite Damourite Gold Garnet Hematite Magnetite +2 more	35.4014, -81.0817	Public
AlexisMount Zion Church Road	Lincoln County	Kyanite Lazulite Rutile	35.4107, -81.0886	Public
Cowee CreekSheffield Farms Road	Macon County	Garnet Ruby Sapphire Corundum Beryl Hornblende Kyanite Pyrite +3 more	35.2721, -83.3936	Public
FranklinLyle Mill Road	Macon County	Amethyst Bronzite Epidote Fibrolite Garnet Jasper Kyanite Quartz +6 more	35.2261, -83.3606	Public
PenlandSouth NC Highway 226	Mitchell County	Kyanite	35.9550, -82.1071	Public
Sink Hole Mine and other area minesNC 80	Mitchell County	Blue Beryl Apatite Garnet Kyanite Thulite	35.9757, -82.1766	Public
Hager's Mountain	Person County	Kyanite Pyrophyllite	36.4626, -78.9721	Public
Bryson CityEast Deep Creek Road	Swain County	Allanite Garnet Magnetite Moonstone Quartz Pyrite Feldspar Mica +2 more	35.4436, -83.4402	Public
BurnsvilleRay Mine Trail	Yancey County	Albite Amazonite Apatite Aquamarine Autunite Beryl Emerald Fluorite +8 more	35.8883, -82.2747	Public
Celo RidgeUpper Brown's Creek Road	Yancey County	Sapphire Feldspar Garnet Kyanite Mica	35.8640, -82.2253	Public
North Toe RiverLower Doe Bag Road	Yancey County	Kyanite Corundum Sapphire	35.9533, -82.1974	Public

Before you go

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

Kyanite in North Carolina FAQ

Where can you find kyanite in North Carolina?+

The mapped spots concentrate in Yancey County County, Macon County County, and Mitchell County County. Known collecting areas include Henry Knob (Gaston County), Sandhill schists (Rowan County), and Brevard fault roadcuts (Transylvania County). Every spot on this page appears on the map above with coordinates and access notes.

How many kyanite spots are mapped in North Carolina?+

14 spots across 10 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 kyanite in North Carolina?+

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. 14 of the 14 mapped spots here sit on land marked public. Always confirm current rules with the managing agency before you dig.

Where else to find kyanite

More minerals to hunt in North Carolina

Hunt kyanite in North Carolina 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.