Rockhounding Guides
Field-tested rockhounding guides: federal and state rules, gear that earns its weight, and where to dig legally without a permit.
Beginner
Land Access
11 min readBLM Rockhounding Rules by State: A Complete Guide to Collecting on Public LandWhat you can collect on Bureau of Land Management land, daily and annual limits, and where to check the rules for each state.Read guide →
9 min readNational Forest Rockhounding Rules: Where Casual Collecting Is AllowedU.S. Forest Service rules for rockhounding, gold panning, and mineral collecting — by region and ranger district.Read guide →- 7 min readFossicking Licences & Permits by State (Australia)What you need to fossick legally in every Australian state and territory: licences, Miner's Rights, permits, and designated fossicking areas.Read guide →
- 7 min readUK Rockhounding Rules & Access: Where You Can Legally CollectHow rockhounding access works across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland: private land, foreshore and beaches, the Scottish Fossil Code, and protected sites.Read guide →
- 6 min readCan You Take Rocks From BLM Land? The Short Answer and the LimitsYes, casual collecting of common rocks and minerals is allowed on most BLM land. What counts as casual, the limits that apply, and what is off-limits.Read guide →
Where to Hunt
8 min readWhere to Rockhound Without a Permit in the United StatesStates and federal areas where you can collect rocks and minerals legally with no permit, plus the limits to know.Read guide →
10 min readEvery U.S. State Gemstone, Rock, and MineralAll 50 U.S. state gemstones, rocks, and minerals — what they are, where they were chosen, and where rockhounds can find them.Read guide →- 8 min readWhere to Find Geodes in the U.S. (and How to Open Them)The regions where geodes concentrate, how to recognize one in the field, and the tools that crack a geode cleanly instead of smashing it.Read guide →