Lead Pipe Spring Area: Blue Agate & Chalcedony Rockhounding in San Bernardino County, California

Plan your visit

Permission required before collecting

County

San Bernardino County

State

California

Nearest road

Lead Pipe Spring Road

Coordinates

35.46655, -117.16654

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

Land & collecting status

Permission required before collecting

Requires landowner or agency permission before any collecting. Do not enter without explicit authorization.

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 Lead Pipe Spring Area

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: October to May. Typical highs run 103°F in midsummer and 56°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 30°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, TRONA station (24 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Lead Pipe Spring Area

This spot sits on alluvium and marine deposits, mapped as coarse alluvium that formed within roughly the last 5 million years. Gravels like these concentrate whatever survives the river: agate, jasper, and other tough silica typically show up as rounded, waxy stones.

Mapped unit

alluvium and marine deposits

Age

5 Ma to present (Pliocene to Holocene)

Rock types

coarse alluvium

Elevation

2,890 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