Dollyhyde Creek: Bornite & Pink Calcite Rockhounding in Frederick County, Maryland

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Frederick County

State

Maryland

Nearest road

Dollyhyde Road

Postcode

21771

Coordinates

39.47402, -77.22618

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 Dollyhyde Creek

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: February to December. Typical highs run 88°F in midsummer and 43°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 26°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, FREDERICK POLICE BRKS station (12 mi away).

Geology at Dollyhyde Creek

This spot sits on quaternary alluvium, mapped as gravel that formed within roughly the last 12,000 years. Loose deposits like these are float-collecting ground: erosion keeps moving durable rocks and minerals into gravel bars, cutbanks, and washes.

Mapped unit

quaternary alluvium

Age

< 1 Ma (Holocene)

Rock types

gravel

Elevation

460 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.

• Maryland Geological Survey
• Maryland DNR state park rules
• Calvert Marine Museum fossil guidance
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules