Where to Find Quartz in Maryland

Maryland has 12 mapped collecting spots that report quartz, spread across 8 counties. The largest share sits in Baltimore County with 3 spots. 11 of the spots are on land mapped as publicly accessible.

Standout quartz spots in Maryland

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

Mallows Bay Park
Charles County
Mallows Bay is best known for the Ghost Fleet, more than 100 scuttled World War I era wooden steamships now protected within a national marine sanctuary and visible just off the shore.
Ocean City
Worcester County
Ocean City's free public beach is Maryland's most accessible ocean rockhounding, where the surf sorts out clear and frosted quartz pebbles, sometimes called Cape May diamonds, that concentrate near the inlet at the south end.

Best counties for quartz in Maryland

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

Baltimore County3 spots
Harford County3 spots
Charles County1 spot
Frederick County1 spot
Howard County1 spot
Prince George's County1 spot
Washington County1 spot
Worcester County1 spot

Every quartz spot we track in Maryland

Sorted by county. Coordinates open in Google Maps.

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
Baltimore CountyScale House Boulevard	Baltimore County	Copper Quartz Garnet Tourmaline Aquamarine Beryl Marble	39.4687, -76.6505	Public
Bare Hills mining districtYellow Trail	Baltimore County	Actinolite Malachite Epidote Feldspar Garnet Moss Agate Pyrite Quartz +3 more	39.3871, -76.6523	Public
GraniteQuarry Trail	Baltimore County	Quartz Garnet Tourmaline Copper	39.3454, -76.8637	Public
Mallows Bay ParkWilson Landing Road	Charles County	Shark Teeth Fossils Quartz	38.4690, -77.2636	Public
Dollyhyde CreekDollyhyde Road	Frederick County	Bornite Pink Calcite Covellite Malachite Quartz	39.4740, -77.2262	Public
CastletonMason-Dixon Trail	Harford County	Quartz Tourmaline	39.6851, -76.2183	Public
FlintvilleFlintville Road	Harford County	Feldspar Garnet Mica Quartz	39.7049, -76.2485	Permission
Reed Mine & Walkens MineWest Jarrettsville Road	Harford County	Chromite Brucite Quartz Serpentine Soapstone	39.6119, -76.4572	Public
MarriottsvilleMarriottsville Road	Howard County	Quartz	39.3488, -76.8997	Public
BeltsvilleBay Hill Drive	Prince George's County	Hyalite Opal Quartz Silicified Wood	39.0646, -76.9285	Public
HancockNational Freeway	Washington County	Fossils Quartz	39.7170, -78.1953	Public
Ocean CityAtlantic Avenue	Worcester County	Quartz	38.4147, -75.0550	Public

Before you go

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

Quartz in Maryland FAQ

Where can you find quartz in Maryland?+

The mapped spots concentrate in Baltimore County, Harford County, and Charles County. Every spot on this page appears on the map above with coordinates and access notes.

How many quartz spots are mapped in Maryland?+

12 spots across 8 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 quartz in Maryland?+

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. 11 of the 12 mapped spots here sit on land marked public. Always confirm current rules with the managing agency before you dig.

Where else to find quartz

More minerals to hunt in Maryland

Hunt quartz in Maryland 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.