Where to Find Rutile in North Carolina

North Carolina rutile occurs in two main settings. The Spruce Pine pegmatite belt in Mitchell County carries rutile as needles and bladed groups in quartz and feldspar, sometimes as included sagenite in clear quartz. Buck Creek in Clay County produces opaque red-brown rutile crystals in chromite-bearing dunite. The Cranberry iron district in Avery County hosts rutile with titaniferous magnetite in metamorphosed gabbro. Smaller showings turn up along the Brevard fault zone roadcuts. Most field rutile is dark red-brown and stubby; transparent gem-grade material is rare and concentrated in the Spruce Pine pegmatites.

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

Standout rutile 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 rutile in North Carolina

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

Every rutile spot we track in North Carolina

Sorted by county. Coordinates open in Google Maps.

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
Emerald Hollow MineEmerald Hollow Mine Drive	Alexander County	Emerald Aquamarine Sapphire Garnet Smoky Quartz Topaz Amethyst Citrine +3 more	35.9137, -81.0829	Public
Hiddenite (area 2)Duncan Lane	Alexander County	Aquamarine Beryl Quartz Rutile Emerald Hiddenite Calcite Dolomite +2 more	35.9136, -81.0740	Public
Piney CreekNC 93	Alleghany County	Manganese Rutile	36.5560, -81.2943	Public
Anson CountyWhite Store Road	Anson County	Gold Calcite Garnet Galena Pyrite Siderite Rutile Sphalerite	34.9570, -80.1227	Public
Hall Creek and Silver CreekLor Road	Burke County	Corundum Diamond Pyrope Garnet Rutile Tourmaline	35.6357, -81.8257	Public
Clubb MountainAlexis Lucia Road	Gaston County	Corundum Lazulite Kyanite Damourite Gold Garnet Hematite Magnetite +2 more	35.4014, -81.0817	Public
Crowder's MountainBackside Trail	Gaston County	Barite Chalcopyrite Corundum Gold Bearing Galena Gold Garnet Hematite Limonite +5 more	35.2326, -81.2749	Public
Fox MountainFox Mountain Road	Iredell County	Rutile	35.9978, -81.0001	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
Higdon MountainForest Drive	Macon County	Actinolite Chalcedony Chromite Corundum Enstatite Magnetite Opal Quartz +5 more	35.1484, -83.2907	Public
Little Scaly MountainLittle Scaly Mountain Road	Macon County	Asbestos Corundum Rutile Serpentine Vermiculite	35.0320, -83.2548	Public
Poplar SpringsNoah Hayes Road	Surry County	Rutile Limonite Quartz Spodumene	36.3164, -80.8336	Public
White Plains	Surry County	Beryl Columbite Quartz Rutile Tourmaline	36.4549, -80.6003	Public
Henderson PointDeer Tick Lane	Vance County	Quartz Rutile Sillimanite	36.5417, -78.3563	Public
BurnsvilleRay Mine Trail	Yancey County	Albite Amazonite Apatite Aquamarine Autunite Beryl Emerald Fluorite +8 more	35.8883, -82.2747	Public

Before you go

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

Rutile in North Carolina FAQ

Where can you find rutile in North Carolina?+

The mapped spots concentrate in Macon County County, Alexander County County, and Gaston County County. Known collecting areas include Spruce Pine pegmatites (Mitchell County), Buck Creek (Clay County), and Cranberry district (Avery County). Every spot on this page appears on the map above with coordinates and access notes.

How many rutile spots are mapped in North Carolina?+

17 spots across 11 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 rutile 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. 17 of the 17 mapped spots here sit on land marked public. Always confirm current rules with the managing agency before you dig.

Where else to find rutile

More minerals to hunt in North Carolina

Hunt rutile 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.