Crescent City Beaches: Agate & Chalcedony Rockhounding in Del Norte County, California

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Del Norte County

State

California

Nearest road

North Pebble Beach Drive

Postcode

95531

Coordinates

41.76500, -124.23092

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.

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 Crescent City Beaches

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Conditions here are workable year-round, with typical highs from 56°F in winter to 63°F in summer.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, CRESCENT CITY MCNAMARA AP station (1 mi away).

Geology at Crescent City Beaches

This spot sits on alluvium and marine deposits, mapped as coarse alluvium that formed within roughly the last 5 million years. Petrified wood typically travels as tough float, and worked gravels like these are exactly where weathered pieces tend to collect.

Mapped unit

alluvium and marine deposits

Age

5 Ma to present (Pliocene to Holocene)

Rock types

coarse alluvium

Elevation

0 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 California, Recreational mineral collecting
• California Geological Survey
• CDFW, Suction Dredge Mining Permit Program
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules