Crystal River: Calcite & Quartz Rockhounding in Citrus County, Florida

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Citrus County

State

Florida

Nearest road

Suncoast Boulevard

Postcode

34428

Coordinates

28.96420, -82.63515

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: Land status is mixed public and private. Crystal River Preserve State Park prohibits collecting, so use creek banks outside park boundaries, public rights-of-way, or quarries with the operator's permission. Invertebrate fossils need no permit.

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 Crystal River

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: September to June. Typical highs run 91°F in midsummer and 69°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 43°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, INVERNESS 3 SE station (22 mi away).

Geology at Crystal River

This spot sits on Ocala Limestone, mapped as limestone that formed roughly 38 to 34 million years ago. Limestone like this typically forms in ancient seas, so marine fossils such as brachiopods, corals, and crinoids tend to weather out of fresh exposures.

Mapped unit

Ocala Limestone

Age

38–34 Ma (Late Eocene)

Rock types

limestone

Elevation

20 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.

• Florida Geological Survey
• Florida Museum vertebrate fossil permit
• Florida State Parks rules
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules