Where to Find Quartz in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania quartz comes from two settings: Appalachian metamorphic belt veins, and the famous skarn pockets of the Pennsylvania-Maryland line. Herkimer-style doubly-terminated quartz turns up around the Chestnut Hill quarry near Easton and in scattered Lehigh County dolomite quarries. Smoky and milky quartz vein material is common on roadcuts through the Reading Prong and the Susquehanna highlands. The most famous Pennsylvania quartz locality is Ellenville-style sceptre quartz near the New Jersey border, and the Chickies Rock area in Lancaster County yields tabular and acicular quartz crystals in altered quartzite. Most active collecting today depends on quarry permission or fee access.

Map of 32 quartz collecting spots in Pennsylvania

Best counties for quartz in Pennsylvania

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

Every quartz spot we track in Pennsylvania

Sorted by county. Coordinates open in Google Maps.

SpotCountyMineralsCoordinatesAccess
GettysburgBaltimore PikeAdams County39.8037, -77.2128Public
Morrison CoveSportsmens Access RoadBedford County40.2437, -78.3852Public
Sherman ValleyCypher RoadBedford County40.0764, -78.2732Public
Crystal CaveValley RoadBerks County40.5256, -75.8424Public
ClaysburgRocky Acre RoadBlair County40.3412, -78.4193Public
HautoLake DriveCarbon County40.8536, -75.8876Public
Mt. PisgahGalen's RevengeCarbon County40.8714, -75.7454Public
LemontRock RoadCentre County40.8505, -77.8226Public
AvondaleBaltimore PikeChester County39.8244, -75.7726Public
Brookdale MineAnna Louise LaneChester County40.1011, -75.5208Public
East BradfordSouth Creek RoadChester County39.9240, -75.6487Public
KnauertownSaint Peters RoadChester County40.1837, -75.7315Public
WillowdaleNorth Mill RoadChester County39.8661, -75.7352Public
CarlisleShatto DriveCumberland County40.2203, -77.2154Public
Little Rocky RidgeKettle Sale Haul RoadCumberland County40.0335, -77.3257Public
White RocksKuhn RoadCumberland County40.1327, -77.0887Public
Blue HillSycamore Mills RoadDelaware County39.9467, -75.4236Public
Crum CreekParkridge DriveDelaware County39.9227, -75.3642Public
East Branch Naamanm CreekBroomall StreetDelaware County39.8252, -75.4456Public
MarpleSouth Feathering LaneDelaware County39.9380, -75.4162Public
PhiladelphiaBoy Scout BridgeDelaware County40.0130, -75.3895Public
Aughwick CreekCovert RoadHuntingdon County40.1511, -77.9492Public
MapletonHares Valley RoadHuntingdon County40.3796, -77.9507Public
LancasterWest Quarry RoadLancaster County40.1347, -76.0609Public
KunkeltownKunkletown RoadMonroe County40.8469, -75.4525Public
StroudsbrugCherry Creek Crossing Loop TrailMonroe County40.9905, -75.1347Public
BridgeportRiver RoadMontgomery County40.0987, -75.3272Public
Easton5th StreetNorthampton County40.7472, -75.2871Public
McAdooSilver Brook RoadSchuylkill County40.8899, -75.9768Public
DerryMill StreetWestmoreland County40.3488, -79.2681Public
LigonierWestmoreland County40.2744, -79.2973Public
HarrisburgPleasant View RoadYork County40.1651, -76.8443Public

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 Pennsylvania FAQ

Where can you find quartz in Pennsylvania?+
The mapped spots concentrate in Chester County County, Delaware County County, and Cumberland County County. Known collecting areas include Chestnut Hill (Northampton County), Chickies Rock (Lancaster County), and French Creek mines (Chester County). Every spot on this page appears on the map above with coordinates and access notes.
How many quartz spots are mapped in Pennsylvania?+
32 spots across 17 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 Pennsylvania?+
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. 32 of the 32 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 Pennsylvania

Hunt quartz in Pennsylvania 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.

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