Red Rover mine: Chalcocite & Tetrahedrite Rockhounding in Maricopa County, Arizona

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Maricopa County

State

Arizona

Nearest road

Walnut Spring Canyon Road

Coordinates

34.01099, -111.84517

Coordinates are approximate. Confirm the exact ground in the RockHoundR app, where land overlays show which agency manages the area.

Land & collecting status

Generally open to casual rockhounding

Most public-tagged spots sit on BLM, U.S. Forest Service, or other federal land where reasonable hand collecting of common rocks and minerals is allowed. Confirm posted rules and active mining claims before you dig.

Access note: Historic mine-dump locality in the Cave Creek mining district. Verify public access and claims before collecting, and do not enter or disturb abandoned workings.

Public-land rules vary by agency, season, and field office. The RockHoundR app pulls live BLM, USFS, NPS, and tribal overlays so you can see exactly which agency manages the ground at this spot.

Best time to visit Red Rover mine

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: October to May. Typical highs run 97°F in midsummer and 59°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 36°F. Summer heat here is intense, so carry more water than you think you need and work the early morning.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, CAREFREE station (14 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Red Rover mine

This spot sits on metavolcanic rocks, mapped as metavolcanic that formed roughly 1800 to 1600 million years ago. Copper minerals such as malachite and chrysocolla typically show up where mineralized rock like this has weathered and oxidized near old workings.

Mapped unit

metavolcanic rocks

Age

1800–1600 Ma (Paleoproterozoic)

Rock types

metavolcanic

Elevation

4,220 ft

Geologic mapping via Macrostrat and the underlying state geological survey maps (CC BY 4.0). Bedrock at the surface can vary within a mapped unit.

Sources & verification

Spot details combine the public RockHoundR location dataset, normalized mineral labels, agency land-status checks in the app, and community submissions. Coordinates are approximate until verified in the field.

State guidance last verified: April 1, 2026

• BLM Arizona, Recreational Mineral Collecting
• Arizona Geological Survey
• Arizona State Land Department recreation permits
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules