Where to Find Lead in Nevada

Lead in Nevada is dominantly galena and cerussite from the old silver-lead camps. Eureka in Eureka County was a major producer of argentiferous galena, and its dumps still carry massive lead-silver ore alongside anglesite blooms. The Pioche district in Lincoln County produced galena from the Treasure Hill and Bristol-Pioche workings, and oxidized lead minerals (cerussite, pyromorphite, mimetite) are common on the surface. Smaller historic camps at Belmont, Tybo, and Tuscarora carry similar mineralogy. Most Nevada lead specimens collected today are oxidized and brittle, so handle cerussite specimens carefully.

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

Standout lead spots in Nevada

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

Goldfield
Esmeralda County County
Goldfield is one of Nevada's strongest mineralogical districts because Mindat documents a high-sulfidation quartz-alunite gold system with native gold, native silver, pyrite, alunite, tellurides, and several type-locality minerals. Its value for rockhounding research is the intensely altered volcanic-hosted setting, although the historic mine landscape demands careful attention to claims and mine hazards.

Best counties for lead in Nevada

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

Every lead spot we track in Nevada

Sorted by county. Coordinates open in Google Maps.

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
EastgateBuffalo Canyon Road	Churchill County	Gold Lead Silver	39.2629, -117.8772	Public
Silver Hill area	Churchill County	Copper Gold Lead Silver	39.7035, -118.2478	Public
Crescent PeakCrescent Peak Road	Clark County	Turquoise Copper Gold Lead Molybdenum Silver Vanadium	35.4739, -115.1279	Public
JeanReimann Road	Clark County	Hydrozincite Antimony Cobalt Copper Gold Lead Nickel Palladium +4 more	35.8421, -115.4761	Public
SearchlightCoyote Mine Road	Clark County	Copper Gold Lead Silver	35.4969, -114.9243	Public
Elko County	Elko County	Copper Gold Lead Silver Platinum Zinc	41.1093, -115.9811	Public
BasaltGrand Army of the Republic Highway	Esmeralda County	Copper Gold Lead Silver Zinc	38.0048, -118.2187	Public
Esmerelda CountyWeepah Road	Esmeralda County	Gold Lead Platinum Silver Zinc	37.8913, -117.5281	Public
Goldfield	Esmeralda County	Alum Pyrite Quartz Copper Gold Lead Manganese Silver +1 more	37.7087, -117.2227	Public
Lone MountainCrow Springs Road	Esmeralda County	Copper Gold Lead Silver Zinc	38.0718, -117.4847	Public
TokopCat Trail	Esmeralda County	Copper Gold Lead Platinum Silver	37.3038, -117.2534	Public
EurekaSpring Valley Road	Eureka County	Arsenic Copper Gold Lead Silver Zinc	39.5004, -115.9936	Public
Mineral Hill	Eureka County	Copper Lead Silver Zinc	39.4914, -115.9858	Public
Mt. HopePony Express Trail	Eureka County	Lead Silver Zinc	39.7880, -116.1663	Public
GolcondaMidas Road	Humboldt County	Gold Copper Iron Lead Manganese Tungsten Zinc	40.9429, -117.4300	Public
McDermittCordero Mine Road	Humboldt County	Copper Lead Silver Gold Purple Agate	41.9186, -117.8127	Public
WinnemuccaRailroad Canyon Access Road	Humboldt County	Copper Gold Silver Zinc Lead Platinum	40.9340, -117.6572	Public
AustinBig Creek Road	Lander County	Gold Silver Copper Lead	39.4873, -117.0831	Public
Battle MountainCopper Canyon Road	Lander County	Arsenic Copper Gold Lead Silver Zinc Antimony Platinum	40.5326, -117.1152	Public
Sulphur	Lander County	Antimony Copper Mercury Gold Lead Silver	40.6025, -117.2465	Public
CalienteGreat Basin Highway	Lincoln County	Gold Silver Lead Copper Manganese	37.6916, -114.5241	Public
PiocheBurke Tunnel Road	Lincoln County	Copper Gold Lead Manganese Silver Tungsten Zinc	37.9219, -114.4558	Public
MinaGarfield Flat Road	Mineral County	Copper Gold Lead Magnesium Silver Tungsten	38.3455, -118.1848	Public
ThorneOld State Route 839	Mineral County	Gold Lead Silver Thulite	38.6189, -118.5064	Public
BeattyBroadway	Nye County	Cinnabar Opalite Copper Gold Silver Lead Mercury Platinum	36.9015, -116.8362	Public
Broken HillsQuartz Mountain Road	Nye County	Gold Lead Silver	39.0453, -117.9758	Public
GabbsBrucite Street	Nye County	Copper Gold Silver Lead Mercury Tungsten	38.8658, -117.8983	Public
Las Vegas (lead area)Johnnie Mine Road	Nye County	Lead Silver Zinc	36.4628, -116.0490	Public
TonopahSilver Circle	Nye County	Copper Gold Lead Silver Platinum Mercury Tungsten	38.0723, -117.2225	Public
Humboldt Lake Area Mining DistrictReservation Road	Pershing County	Antimony Lead Silver	40.0806, -118.3871	Public
Pershing CountyAmerican Canyon Road	Pershing County	Antimony Copper Gold Silver Lead Mercury Platinum Tungsten	40.2784, -118.0935	Public
Virginia CityGeiger Grade Road	Storey County	Copper Gold Lead Mercury Silver	39.3202, -119.6402	Public
White Pine County	White Pine County	Copper Mercury Platinum Silver Tungsten Gold Lead Manganese	39.7601, -115.5180	Public

Lead in Nevada FAQ

Where can you find lead in Nevada?+

The mapped spots concentrate in Esmeralda County County, Nye County County, and Clark County County. Known collecting areas include Eureka district (Eureka County), Pioche district (Lincoln County), and Belmont (Nye County). Every spot on this page appears on the map above with coordinates and access notes.

How many lead spots are mapped in Nevada?+

33 spots across 13 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 lead in Nevada?+

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. 33 of the 33 mapped spots here sit on land marked public. Always confirm current rules with the managing agency before you dig.

More minerals to hunt in Nevada

Hunt lead in Nevada 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.