Where to Find Quartz in New York

New York has 9 mapped collecting spots that report quartz, spread across 6 counties. The largest share sits in Clinton County with 2 spots. 6 of the spots are on land mapped as publicly accessible, and 3 are fee-dig sites.

Standout quartz spots in New York

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

Sprakers
Montgomery County
The Sprakers roadcuts and quarry ground expose the same Little Falls Dolostone that hosts Herkimer diamonds, and the site is a long-known free alternative to the fee mines for finding doubly-terminated quartz.
Long Island South Shore Beaches
Suffolk County
Storm waves concentrate almandine garnet into purple sand streaks along Long Island's south shore barrier beaches, a display that resets with every blow.

Best counties for quartz in New York

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

Every quartz spot we track in New York

Sorted by county. Coordinates open in Google Maps.

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
Arnold Hill Mine	Clinton County	Jasper Magnetite Martite Quartz	44.4894, -73.6272	Public
Lyon Mountain	Clinton County	Aegirine Albite Apatite Augite Biotite Calcite Chlorite Epidote +10 more	44.7227, -73.8541	Public
Ancram area lead minesEast Ancram Road	Columbia County	Barite Galena Sphalerite Pyrite Quartz	42.0167, -73.5667	Public
Diamond Mountain MiningNY 5S	Herkimer County	Garnet Epidote Quartz	43.0150, -74.8740	Paid / fee
Treasure Mountain MineKing Street	Herkimer County	Quartz Fluorite Calcite Galena	43.0240, -74.9800	Paid / fee
Diamond Acres MineStone Arabia Road	Montgomery County	Herkimer Diamond Quartz	42.9621, -74.4752	Paid / fee
SprakersErie Canalway Trail	Montgomery County	Herkimer Diamond Quartz	42.8942, -74.4838	Public
Long Island South Shore BeachesWilliam Floyd Parkway	Suffolk County	Almandine Garnet Quartz Jasper	40.7341, -72.8616	Public
FairhavenProuty Road	Washington County	Pyrite Bornite Chalcopyrite Quartz Calcite	43.4893, -73.2619	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 New York FAQ

Where can you find quartz in New York?+

The mapped spots concentrate in Clinton County, Herkimer County, and Montgomery County. Every spot on this page appears on the map above with coordinates and access notes.

How many quartz spots are mapped in New York?+

9 spots across 6 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 New York?+

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. 6 of the 9 mapped spots here sit on land marked public, and 3 are fee-dig operations where you pay for access and keep what you find. Always confirm current rules with the managing agency before you dig.

Where else to find quartz

More minerals to hunt in New York

Hunt quartz in New York 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.