Rockhounding in California

97 mapped spots across 22 counties. California offers a remarkable spread, from gold-bearing rivers in the Mother Lode to jade beaches on the central coast and the agate-and-jasper hills of the Mojave. Collecting is allowed on most BLM and Forest Service land outside designated wilderness.

Top minerals found in California

Counts reflect how many spots in this list mention each mineral.

Notable areas: Big Sur jade, Mojave jaspers, blue chalcedony, gold panning, and benitoite (limited) are signature California targets.

Rockhounding by county in California

County pages are linked once we have at least 3 mapped spots for a focused guide with coordinates, mineral notes, and nearby spots.

Every rockhounding spot in California

Sorted by county. Tap coordinates to open in Google Maps, or open RockHoundR for the full map view with land overlays and weather.

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
Coastal TrailCoastal Trail	—	Spherulitic Chert	37.7880, -122.5013	Public
Fort Point AreaBattery East Road	—	Diabase Datolite Basalt Apophyllite Aragonite	37.8089, -122.4762	Public
Unnamed Location (Chalcedony/Curtisite)Buchanan Street	—	Chalcedony Curtisite	37.7698, -122.4269	Public
Crescent City BeachesNorth Pebble Beach Drive	Del Norte County	Agate Chalcedony Jasper Moonstone Petrified Wood	41.7650, -124.2309	Public
Diamond CreekForest Road 18N09	Del Norte County	Native Copper	41.9558, -123.9352	Public
Keystone Mine	Del Norte County	Copper Nuggets	41.9931, -123.9628	Public
Shelly Creek & Monkey Creek MinesForest Route 18N17	Del Norte County	Gold Arsenopyrite	41.9618, -123.8020	Public
Smith River GravelsBailey Road	Del Norte County	Diamond	41.9018, -124.1591	Public
Unnamed Location (Chromite/Uvarovite)Safari Trail	El Dorado County	Chromite Uvarovite	38.8053, -121.0393	Public
Benitoite Mining CompanyLos Gatos Road	Fresno County		36.2424, -120.5973	Paid / fee
Clark Valley	Fresno County	Apatite Andalusite	36.7510, -119.3764	Public
Clark Valley (North Side)	Fresno County	Epidote	36.7729, -119.3471	Public
Jacolitos CanyonJacalitos Creek Road	Fresno County	Jasper Petrified Wood Fossilized Coral	36.0962, -120.3204	Public
Unnamed Location (Grossular garnet)	Fresno County	Grossular Garnet Vesuvianite	36.9091, -119.3757	Public
Agate BeachCalifornia Coastal Trail	Humboldt County	Agate Jasper Brecciated Jasper Pyrite	41.1501, -124.1398	Public
Horse Mt (Chromite)Horse Mountain Road	Humboldt County	Chromite	40.8753, -123.7300	Public
Horse Mt (West Side)	Humboldt County	Epidote	40.8735, -123.7432	Public
Woods MineDyerville Loop Road	Humboldt County	Bementite Neotocite Rhodochrosite	40.2046, -123.7050	Public
Castle Butte FoothillsDenise Avenue	Kern County	Agate Chalcedony Chert Jasper Petrified Wood	35.0493, -117.8247	Public
El Paso MountainsEP170	Kern County	Agate Opal Jasper Gold Petrified Wood	35.4376, -117.8159	Public
Gem Hill	Kern County	Agate Chalcedony Jasper Uraninite Obsidian	34.9249, -118.2218	Public
Horse Canyon Agate BedsPine Canyon Road	Kern County	Agate Fossilized Horse Bones	35.1943, -118.2891	Public
Little Acorn MineChaparral Court	Kern County	Epidote Quartz Smoky Quartz Scheelite	35.7167, -118.5000	Public
Pine Tree CanyonPine Tree Canyon Road (MK55)	Kern County	Barite	35.2309, -118.0866	Public
Unnamed Location (Wonderstone rhyolite)County Road 8059	Lassen County	Wonderstone Rhyolite	41.0399, -120.7806	Public
Area Near Redondo BeachSouth Bay Bike Path	Los Angeles County	Moonstone	33.8828, -118.4125	Public
Escondido CanyonAntelope Valley Freeway	Los Angeles County	Amethyst Geodes Banded Agate Moss Agate Bloodstone	34.4990, -118.2582	Public
Howlands Landing (Catalina Island)West End Road	Los Angeles County	Albite	33.4576, -118.5167	Public
Malibu Lake AreaLake Vista Trail	Los Angeles County	Analcite	34.1083, -118.7495	Public
Portal Ridge AreaPine Canyon Road	Los Angeles County	Rhodonite	34.7054, -118.5200	Public
Tick CanyonLost Canyon Road	Los Angeles County	Chalcedony Banded Agate Bloodstone	34.4267, -118.3916	Public
Unnamed Location (LA County)Heffner Road	Los Angeles County	Agate Chalcedony Jasper Quartz	34.4367, -118.2229	Public
Purcell-Griffin Mine	Mariposa County	Chromite	37.6622, -120.1956	Public
Surprise Claim	Mariposa County	Rhodochrosite Rhodonite Spessartine Garnet	37.6583, -120.0544	Public
Unnamed Location (Jade)	Mariposa County	Jade	37.6463, -120.1177	Public
Unnamed Location (Mariposite)CA 132	Mariposa County	Mariposite	37.7132, -120.2122	Public
Eel River GravelsDos Rios Road	Mendocino County	Jadeite Nephrite	39.7140, -123.3526	Public
Impassable Rock	Mendocino County	Rhodochrosite Inesite Bementite Neotocite	39.5363, -123.1216	Public
Leech Lake AreaLeech Lake Road	Mendocino County	Pectolite Nephrite Calcite Jadeite	39.9177, -123.0868	Public
North Fork of Eel RiverMina Road	Mendocino County	Nephrite Jade Crocidolite Jadeite	39.9355, -123.3589	Public
Unnamed Location (Actinolite prisms)Redwood Highway	Mendocino County	Actinolite Prisms	38.9526, -123.0973	Public
Area around Goose Lake	Modoc County	Agate Chalcedony Jasper	41.9508, -120.4254	Public
Deep CreekCounty Road 25	Modoc County	Agate Opalized Wood	41.5173, -120.2490	Public
Fandango PassFandango Pass Road	Modoc County	Agate Chalcedony Jasper Quartzite	41.8021, -120.2068	Public
Big Sur areaLos Burros Road	Monterey County	Jade Nephrite Serpentine	35.8938, -121.4523	Public
Limekiln Creek Beaches AreaCabrillo Highway	Monterey County	Rhodonite Axinite Nephrite Jade	36.0087, -121.5196	Public
Willow Creek areaCabrillo Highway	Monterey County	Nephrite Jade Serpentine	35.8922, -121.4613	Public
Wolf CreekLinhall Road	Nevada County	Pyrolusite Rhodonite	39.0748, -121.0979	Public
Alabama MineAlabama Mine Road	Placer County	Argentite Gold Quartz Galena	38.8446, -121.1575	Public
Shady Run Gravels	Placer County	Garnet Serpentine	39.2069, -120.7425	Public
Area Near Jenson QuarrySierra Avenue	Riverside County	Hornblende	34.0257, -117.4332	Public
Old Quarry (Riverside)Sierra Avenue	Riverside County	Axinite	34.0167, -117.4159	Public
Rouse HillRouse Hill Road	Riverside County	Amazonite Idocrase Rose Quartz Tourmaline	33.6726, -116.7724	Public
Unnamed Location (Fire Agate)Bradshaw Trail	Riverside County	Chalcedony Fire Agate	33.5080, -114.8241	Public
Aurora Mine (permission required)Mexican Lake Road	San Benito County	Serpentine	36.3949, -120.6741	Permission
Benitoite Gem MineSawmill Creek Road	San Benito County		36.3368, -120.6064	Paid / fee
Afton CanyonMojave Road	San Bernardino County	Opalite Jasper	35.0391, -116.3853	Public
Amboy CraterAmboy Crater Trail	San Bernardino County	Boltwoodite Jasper Obsidian	34.5448, -115.7924	Public
Bristol Dry Lake	San Bernardino County	Celestite Concretions	34.4622, -115.6739	Public
Eagle Crags	San Bernardino County	Blue Agate Bentonite Calcite Chalcedony Jasper	35.4146, -117.0552	Public
Lead Pipe Spring AreaLead Pipe Spring Road	San Bernardino County	Blue Agate Chalcedony Jasper Opal Thundereggs	35.4665, -117.1665	Public
Midway Area (Lavic Jasper)Barstow and Mojave Freeway	San Bernardino County	Lavic Jasper	35.0325, -116.4714	Public
Searles Lake	San Bernardino County	Borax Aphthitalite Halite Hanksite	35.7316, -117.3294	Public
Wingate PassWingate Pass Road	San Bernardino County	Sagenite Agate	35.7372, -117.0525	Public
Dig for GemsMagee Road	San Diego County		33.3898, -117.0497	Paid / fee
Himalaya Tourmaline Mine (Mesa Grande)Porter Lane	San Diego County	Tourmaline Lepidolite Quartz	33.0700, -116.6000	Paid / fee
Mine Dumps (San Diego Co.)Highway 76	San Diego County	Aquamarine Beryl Lepidolite Quartz Smoky Quartz	33.2355, -116.7591	Public
Stewart MineHenderson Road	San Diego County	Bismuth	33.3813, -117.0622	Public
Unnamed Location (Allanite)Jeremy Way	San Diego County	Allanite	33.3864, -117.1041	Public
Unnamed Location (Apatite/Aquamarine)Rancho Heights Road	San Diego County	Apatite Aquamarine Beryl Quartz Rose Quartz	33.3905, -117.0693	Public
Victor MineTribal Access Lane	San Diego County	Cookeite Albite Bismuth Lepidolite Orthoclase	33.2642, -116.9392	Public
Ware MinePalomar Divide Road	San Diego County	Beryl Lepidolite Quartz Schorl Topaz	33.3329, -116.7675	Public
Nipomo AreaSouth Dana Foothill Road	San Luis Obispo County	Moss Agate Jasper Petrified Wood Stibnite	35.0351, -120.4530	Public
Ocean beach area (Big Sur coast)Cabrillo Highway	San Luis Obispo County	Jade	35.5952, -121.1272	Public
Ocean Beaches (Central Coast)Atascadero Road	San Luis Obispo County	California Jade	35.3833, -120.8650	Public
Paso Robles AreaUnion Road	San Luis Obispo County	Jadeite	35.6379, -120.6274	Public
San Simeon BeachesCabrillo Highway	San Luis Obispo County	Moonstone	35.6421, -121.1833	Public
Coyote Point	San Mateo County	Chert Jasper	37.5915, -122.3204	Public
Crystal Springs ReservoirSawyer Camp Trail	San Mateo County	Chromite	37.5474, -122.3874	Public
Alum Rock ParkPenitencia Creek Trail	Santa Clara County	Albandite Hausmannite Tephoroite	37.3958, -121.8019	Public
Coyote CreekDunne Avenue	Santa Clara County	Siderite	37.1500, -121.5783	Public
Guadeloupe CreekHicks Road	Santa Clara County	Dendritic Agate	37.2081, -121.9013	Public
Morgan Hill CreeksWatsonville Road	Santa Clara County	Poppy Jasper	37.0551, -121.6636	Public
New Almaden Area MinesBertram Road	Santa Clara County	Chert Cinnabar Apophyllite Gyrolite	37.1760, -121.8208	Public
Agate Area (Klamath River)Yellow Dog Trail	Siskiyou County	Agate Bloodstone Jasper Petrified Wood	42.0009, -122.4018	Public
Glass Mountain	Siskiyou County	Obsidian	41.6015, -121.5044	Public
Happy Camp Jade MinesSouth Indian Road	Siskiyou County	Jade Gold Serpentine Gold-laced Jade	41.8766, -123.4602	Public
Hungry CreekBeaver Creek Road	Siskiyou County	Cassiterite Copper	41.9746, -122.7542	Public
Jenny CreekCopco Road	Siskiyou County	Agate Carnelian Petrified Wood Fossils	41.9769, -122.3978	Public
Jones BeachScott River Road	Siskiyou County	Olivine	41.6398, -123.0599	Public
Area Stream Beds (Rhodonite nodules)Canyon Creek Road	Trinity County	Rhodonite Nodules	40.8632, -123.0389	Public
Coffee CreekState Route 3	Trinity County	Anthophyllite Serpentine	41.0835, -122.7051	Public
Golden Jubilee MineBoulder Lake Road	Trinity County	Limonite Quartz Pyrite	41.1006, -122.7836	Public
Indian Creek gravelsLong Ranch Road	Trinity County	Rhodonite	40.8660, -123.1299	Public
Trinity RiverBrowns Mountain Road	Trinity County	Chalcedony Gold Jasper Jade Petrified Wood	40.6938, -122.8635	Public
Trinity River / Willow CreekHawkins Bar Road	Trinity County	Jade	40.8791, -123.5271	Public
Trinity River GravelsCA 299	Trinity County	Diamond Platinum Nuggets	40.7338, -123.0554	Public

California rockhounding FAQ

Is rockhounding legal in California?+

Casual hand collecting is allowed on most BLM and U.S. Forest Service land in California, with daily and annual limits set by the managing field office. National parks, most state parks, and tribal lands are off-limits. Always confirm rules with the local agency before a trip.

What rocks and minerals can you find in California?+

California spots in this list most commonly produce Jasper, Agate, Chalcedony, Petrified Wood, Quartz. The full list across all spots is broader.

How many rockhounding sites are in California?+

RockHoundR currently lists 97 rockhounding spots in California across 22 counties. Many more exist; the app keeps your private finds saved alongside the public ones.

Can I take rocks home from California public land?+

On most BLM and Forest Service land, recreational hand collecting of common rocks and minerals is allowed in reasonable amounts. Vertebrate fossils, archaeological items, and posted mining-claim minerals are not. Check the field office for current limits.

Map every California spot in the app

Open the RockHoundR app to see California on a real map with public land overlays, weather, geology, and your saved finds.