Rockhounding in New Mexico

119 mapped spots across 26 counties. New Mexico is a high-desert rockhounding paradise: the Rockhound State Park near Deming, the Round Mountain area, and broad BLM tracts produce thundereggs, jasper, agate, perlite, and pumice in volume.

Top minerals found in New Mexico

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

Notable areas: Rockhound State Park (where collecting is encouraged), Apache tears at Round Mountain, and Luna County agates are signature locations.

Rockhounding by county in New Mexico

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 New Mexico

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
Isleta PuebloTribal Road 12	Bernalillo County	Opal Opalized Wood Agatized Wood	34.9075, -106.6744	Public
Pajarito MesaOld Pajarito Road	Bernalillo County	Agatized Wood Agate Jasper	34.9948, -106.7656	Public
Rio Puerco Valley	Bernalillo County	Agate Chalcedony Jasper Opalized Wood Agatized Wood	35.0755, -106.9489	Public
Tijeras CanyonMountain Ridge	Bernalillo County	Fluorite	35.0717, -106.3978	Public
Black MountainSam Martin Trail #23	Catron County	Albite Amethyst Biotite Sanidine Sphene	33.3807, -108.2899	Public
Elk Horn Park	Catron County	Agate	33.8854, -108.6877	Public
Glenwood & PleasantonShelton Canyon Road	Catron County	Fluorite Topaz	33.2973, -108.8702	Public
Golden Eagle & Handcar MinesMineral Creek Trail #201	Catron County	Tetradymite	33.4150, -108.8095	Public
Horse Camp CanyonNew Mexico 36	Catron County	Agatized Wood	34.5144, -108.3803	Public
Lee Russell & Kerr CanyonsToriette Lake Road	Catron County	Agate	33.9167, -108.6726	Public
Leggett PeakUS 180	Catron County	Agate Amethyst Quartz Clusters	33.7151, -108.9040	Public
LunaUS 180	Catron County	Geodes Amethyst	33.8197, -108.9853	Public
Luna (agate area)Bill Knight Gap Road	Catron County	Agate Chalcedony Jasper Quartz	33.8189, -108.9548	Public
MogollonBursum Road	Catron County	Agate Chalcedony Jasper Fluorite	33.3899, -108.8022	Public
Plains of San Agustin	Catron County	Moss Agate Jasper	33.8840, -108.2586	Public
QuemadoUS 60	Catron County	Agate Chalcedony Jasper Agatized Wood	34.3416, -108.4927	Public
San Francisco RiverOld Highway Road	Catron County	Agate Banded Agate	33.8284, -109.0213	Public
Lake Arthur	Chaves County	Aragonite	32.9744, -104.0913	Public
RoswellRiver Road	Chaves County	Quartz	33.3950, -104.3999	Public
LagunaNM 124	Cibola County	Agate Jasper	35.0488, -107.4057	Public
Zuni MountainsCounty Road 149	Cibola County	Agate Chalcedony Jasper Petrified Wood	35.1422, -108.3258	Public
Mexican GulchUS 64	Colfax County	Agate Apatite	36.5393, -105.1439	Public
Moreno CreekCounty Road B-24	Colfax County	Chalcopyrite Gold Pyrite Pyrrhotite	36.5971, -105.2708	Public
Point of Rocks	Colfax County	Searlesite Fluorescent Villiaumite	36.4251, -104.1520	Public
Sugarite Mine & coal fieldsNM 72	Colfax County	Amber	36.9098, -104.3463	Public
Ute Creek4WD	Colfax County	Chalcopyrite Gold Pyrite Pyrrhotite	36.6083, -105.1595	Public
Fort SumnerSouth 9th Street	De Baca County	Quartz Pecos Diamonds	34.4591, -104.2396	Public
Fort Sumner (Pecos diamonds)US 60	De Baca County	Quartz Pecos Diamonds	34.4731, -104.7230	Public
Grandview CanyonWsmr South Route 306	Doña Ana County	Fluorite Copper	32.9812, -106.5475	Public
Hatch	Doña Ana County	Agate Chalcedony Jasper Quartz	32.7108, -107.1072	Public
Hatch (goethite area)County Road 0068	Doña Ana County	Goethite Fluorite Quartz	32.7569, -107.1355	Public
Kilbourne Hole	Doña Ana County	Augite Peridot	31.9734, -106.9660	Public
Las CrucesPearl Harbor Memorial Highway	Doña Ana County	Obsidian	32.0615, -106.6033	Public
OrganBaylor Canyon Pass	Doña Ana County	Brochantite Cerargyrite Cerussite Chalcopyrite Molybdenite Chrysocolla Onyx	32.4040, -106.6010	Public
Artesia	Eddy County	Quartz Pecos Diamonds	32.8313, -104.3178	Public
Whites CityCarlsbad Cavern Highway	Eddy County	Onyx	32.1759, -104.3769	Public
Alum Mountain	Grant County	Geodes Carnelian	33.1326, -108.2192	Public
Burro PeakRustlers Trail	Grant County	Azurite Chalcocite Chalcopyrite Ceragyrite Chrysocolla Fluorite Galena Malachite +2 more	32.5718, -108.4007	Public
Fort Bayard	Grant County	Common Opal Fire Opal	32.8027, -108.1392	Public
GeorgetownGeorgetown Road	Grant County	Argentite Descloizite	32.8467, -108.0225	Public
HachitaContinental Divide Trail	Grant County	Cerussite Silver Stilbite Wolframite	31.8954, -108.4254	Public
Meerschaum area surfacesNM 15	Grant County	Chert	33.0511, -108.1947	Public
Mule CreekHarden Cienega	Grant County	Apache Tears	33.1381, -109.0336	Public
Redrock	Grant County	Ricolite Banded Serpentine	32.7357, -108.6527	Public
Santa RitaNM 152	Grant County	Copper Cuprite Molybdenite	32.8030, -108.0665	Public
Sapillo CreekSapillo Loop Road	Grant County	Geodes Carnelian	33.0345, -108.1871	Public
Apache MineNM 81	Hidalgo County	Calcite Chrysocolla Malachite Turquoise	31.8448, -108.3053	Public
Big Hatchet Mountainscdt Ley bushwack	Hidalgo County	Agate Moss Opal	31.6215, -108.3640	Public
Granite GapNM 80;US 80 Hist	Hidalgo County	Argentite Cerussite Cuprite Sphalerite	32.0792, -108.9799	Public
Playas Lake	Hidalgo County	Fluorite	31.8416, -108.5772	Public
Pyramid Mountains	Hidalgo County	Agate Chalcedony Jasper	32.1946, -108.7222	Public
Pyramid Peak	Hidalgo County	Fluorite	32.2620, -108.7780	Public
Shakespeare Ghost TownPipeline Road	Hidalgo County	Azurite Bornite Galena Linarite	32.3239, -108.7612	Public
AnchoA036	Lincoln County	Jasper	33.9375, -105.7305	Public
White OaksCounty Road A044	Lincoln County	Gold Huebnerite Onyx	33.7520, -105.7579	Public
Big Diggins MineCounty Road C018	Luna County	Agate Seam Agate Sagenitic	32.0459, -107.9433	Paid / fee
Columbus	Luna County	Onyx	31.8260, -107.7137	Public
Cookes PeakCookes Peak Trail	Luna County	Anglesite Cerussite Galena	32.5570, -107.7250	Public
Cookes Peak areaCookes Peak Trail	Luna County	Agate Carnelian Chalcedony Jasper Fluorite	32.5260, -107.7014	Public
General Area (calcite)County Road A016	Luna County	Calcite Fluorite	32.3935, -107.7067	Public
General Area (Luna County)	Luna County	Agate Chalcedony Chert Jasper	32.3316, -107.7059	Public
Massacre Mountain	Luna County	Carnelian Red Jasper	32.4447, -107.6751	Public
Rockhound State ParkThunder Egg Trail	Luna County	Agate Blue Chalcedony Jasper	32.1873, -107.6126	Public
Tres Hermanas Mtscdt	Luna County	Dumortierite Hydrozincite Pyrolusite Quartz Smithsonite Willemite	31.9307, -107.7255	Public
GrantsSan Mateo Road	McKinley County	Radioactive Minerals	35.3426, -107.7590	Public
Thoreau	McKinley County	Amber	35.4435, -108.1281	Public
RociadaFR 18	Mora County	Chalcocite Copper Molybdenite	35.8638, -105.4197	Public
BentMauer Drive	Otero County	Mexican Onyx	33.1550, -105.8502	Public
Jarilla Mountains (copper)County Road A003	Otero County	Chalcocite Chalcopyrite Chrysocolla Galena Gypsum Jarosite Limonite Malachite +1 more	32.4055, -106.1005	Public
Jarilla Mountains (garnet)	Otero County	Garnet	32.3952, -106.1161	Public
Abiquiu LakeNM 96	Rio Arriba County	Agate	36.2348, -106.4321	Public
CoyoteNM 96	Rio Arriba County	Azurite Malachite	36.1657, -106.6162	Public
Ghost Ranch	Rio Arriba County	Agate	36.3050, -106.4804	Public
La Madera	Rio Arriba County	Calcite Limonite Geodes	36.3978, -106.0212	Public
La Madera (dumortierite area)	Rio Arriba County	Dumortierite Specularite Chert	36.3810, -106.0346	Public
La Madera MineNM 519	Rio Arriba County	Mica	36.3961, -106.0242	Public
Las TablasJarita Meza Road	Rio Arriba County	Tourmaline	36.5317, -106.0504	Public
Pedernal Park	Rio Arriba County	Agate Chalcedony Chert Jasper	36.1920, -106.4898	Public
PetacaForest Road 45	Rio Arriba County	Pink Feldspar Mica Quartz	36.5033, -106.0235	Public
Sunnyside Mine	Rio Arriba County	Aquamarine Beryl	36.4539, -106.0494	Public
YoungsvilleEncino Road	Rio Arriba County	Agate	36.1841, -106.5584	Public
Blanco Trading PostState Highway 57	San Juan County	Chalcedony	36.3467, -107.8253	Public
NW San Juan County	San Juan County	Chert Garnet Jasper Quartzite Petrified Wood	36.7617, -108.6553	Public
Las Vegas	San Miguel County	Petrified Wood	35.6577, -105.2327	Public
PecosDavis Willow T.S. Road	San Miguel County	Actinolite Garnet Lepidolite Mica Bornite Pyrite Tourmaline	35.7572, -105.6660	Public
Albuquerque	Sandoval County	Agatized Wood	35.2121, -106.8623	Public
CubaEureka Mesa Road	Sandoval County	Copper Chrysocolla	35.9972, -106.9001	Public
Jemez National Recreation AreaEast Fork Trail (137)	Sandoval County	Obsidian Opalized Wood	35.8283, -106.6416	Public
Nacimiento MountainsEureka Mesa Road	Sandoval County	Agate Azurite Chalcedony Chrysocolla Malachite	35.9988, -106.8941	Public
Mount ChalchihuitlGravel Pit Road	Santa Fe County	Agate Chalcedony Petrified Wood Turquoise	35.4701, -106.1126	Public
San Pedro MountainsCounty Road 7B	Santa Fe County	Chalcopyrite Chalcocite	35.2555, -106.1880	Public
Santa Fe National Forest	Santa Fe County	Agate Apache Tears Jasper Obsidian	35.6998, -106.2160	Public
Turquoise Hill and surrounding areaBonanza Creek Road	Santa Fe County	Agate Chalcedony Chert Jasper	35.5135, -106.0956	Public
Caballo MountainsCounty Road A003	Sierra County	Azurite Chalcocite Chalcopyrite Fluorite Malachite	32.9120, -107.2236	Public
Cutter	Sierra County	Jasper	33.0643, -107.0027	Public
DerryLost Hill	Sierra County	Chert	32.7883, -107.2531	Public
Elephant ButteNM 51	Sierra County	Agate Chert Chalcedony Jasper	33.1729, -107.0448	Public
Fra Cristobal Range	Sierra County	Agate Jasper	33.4003, -107.1203	Public
HillsboroNM 152	Sierra County	Rhyolite	32.9156, -107.6058	Public
Jornada ValleyUpham Road	Sierra County	Agate Chalcedony Elixirite Jasper Petrified Wood	33.1363, -107.0245	Public
KingstonKingston Road	Sierra County	Quartz Quartz Clusters	32.9312, -107.7106	Public
Mimbres MountainsTrail #135	Sierra County	Agate Chalcedony Chert Chrysocolla Jasper Fluorite	32.8441, -107.7360	Public
Mud Springs Mountains	Sierra County	Agate Opalized Wood Silicified Wood Petrified Palm	33.1665, -107.2975	Public
Kelly Ghost TownForest 190C Road	Socorro County	Smithsonite Zinc Fossils	34.0690, -107.1951	Public
Mockingbird GapWsmr P Route 7	Socorro County	Jasper	33.5458, -106.4527	Public
Oscura MountainsWsmr South Route 3501	Socorro County	Chrysocolla Chalcocite Atacamite Azurite Barite Celestite Cerussite Dolomite +4 more	33.8118, -106.3750	Public
Red Rock Spring	Socorro County	Agatized Picture Wood Petrified Cycad Petrified Palm	34.3506, -107.2989	Public
Silver Hill	Socorro County	Garnet	34.1253, -107.3037	Public
Strawberry Peak	Socorro County	Satin Spar	34.1056, -107.0043	Public
Gold HillGold Hill Trail #64	Taos County	Argentite Pyrargyrite Silver Sphalerite	36.6430, -105.4558	Public
Harding Pegmatite Mine	Taos County	Blue Apatite Bityite Eucryptite Purple Lepidolite Rose Muscovite Quartz Spodumene Green Tourmaline	36.1933, -105.7950	Public
Harding Pegmatite outcrops	Taos County	Apatite Bityite Eucryptite	36.1932, -105.7948	Public
PicurisCamino de la Loma	Taos County	Staurolite	36.1951, -105.7008	Public
Pilar (garnet)NM 68	Taos County	Garnet Staurolite	36.2365, -105.8409	Public
Pilar (thulite)NM 68	Taos County	Thulite	36.2631, -105.7945	Public
Estancia Dry Lake	Torrance County	Epsomite Glauberite	34.7312, -105.9992	Public
Union County	Union County	Petrified Wood Rose Agate	36.9940, -103.0078	Public
Belen to Los LunasSedillo Road	Valencia County	Agate	34.7147, -106.7467	Public
Los Lunas	Valencia County	Red Agate Banded Agate Apache Tears Agatized Wood Obsidian	34.7575, -106.8935	Public

New Mexico rockhounding FAQ

Is rockhounding legal in New Mexico?+

Casual hand collecting is allowed on most BLM and U.S. Forest Service land in New Mexico, 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 New Mexico?+

New Mexico spots in this list most commonly produce Agate, Jasper, Chalcedony, Fluorite, Quartz. The full list across all spots is broader.

How many rockhounding sites are in New Mexico?+

RockHoundR currently lists 119 rockhounding spots in New Mexico across 26 counties. Many more exist; the app keeps your private finds saved alongside the public ones.

Can I take rocks home from New Mexico 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 New Mexico spot in the app

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