New Almaden Area Mines: Chert & Cinnabar Rockhounding in Santa Clara County, California
Updated June 2026
New Almaden is not just a cinnabar stop, it is one of California's classic mercury districts, hosted in altered serpentinite and silica-carbonate rock. Mindat records cinnabar, native mercury, metacinnabar, apophyllite, gyrolite, chalcedony, and opal, while USGS Professional Paper 360 makes the district one of the state's best documented quicksilver localities. Reported finds include chert, cinnabar, apophyllite, gyrolite. Below: coordinates, access notes, nearby spots, and trip-planning links.
New Almaden Area Mines photos
Public image records connected to this spot or its reported material.
Map showing New Almaden Area Mines in Santa Clara County, California
Quick details
- Access
- Public area
- County
- Santa Clara County
- State
- California
- Nearest road
- Bertram Road
- Postcode
- 95120
- Coordinates
- 37.17601, -121.82080
Geology at New Almaden Area Mines
This spot sits on ground mapped as Older alluvial fan deposits that formed within roughly the last 12,000 years. Gravels like these concentrate whatever survives the river: agate, jasper, and other tough silica typically show up as rounded, waxy stones.
- Mapped unit
- Older alluvial fan deposits
- Age
- < 1 Ma (Holocene)
- Elevation
- 490 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.
Best time to visit New Almaden Area Mines
Conditions here are workable year-round, with typical highs from 58°F in winter to 84°F in summer.
Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, LOS GATOS station (9 mi away).
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.
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:
- BLM California — Recreational mineral collecting
- California Geological Survey
- CDFW — Suction Dredge Mining Permit Program
- Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules
Found at New Almaden Area Mines
Each chip opens all spots that produce that material; the encyclopedia link opens the full ID and field guide.
Nearby rockhounding spots
Other rockhounding spots within driving distance of New Almaden Area Mines.
- Guadeloupe CreekSanta Clara County, California · 5 mi awayDendritic Agate
- Morgan Hill CreeksSanta Clara County, California · 12 mi awayPoppy Jasper
- Coyote CreekSanta Clara County, California · 13 mi awaySiderite
- Alum Rock ParkSanta Clara County, California · 15 mi awayAlbandite, Hausmannite, Tephroite
- Coyote PointSan Mateo County, California · 40 mi awayChert, Jasper
- Crystal Springs ReservoirSan Mateo County, California · 40 mi awayChromite
- Limekiln Creek Beaches AreaMonterey County, California · 82 mi awayRhodonite, Axinite, Nephrite Jade
- Aurora Mine (permission required)San Benito County, California · 83 mi awaySerpentine
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