Rockport: Amazonite Rockhounding in Essex County, Massachusetts

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Essex County

State

Massachusetts

Nearest road

Garfield Avenue

Postcode

01966

Coordinates

42.69011, -70.63333

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: Halibut Point State Park (DCR) offers free public access to the old quarry rim and rocky shore, though parking may carry a seasonal fee. Collecting is limited to picking up loose float on the shore and talus. Do not hammer, pry, or dig the quarry walls or bedrock inside the state park, and stay well back from the quarry edges and surf-washed rocks.

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 Rockport

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: March to November. Typical highs run 80°F in midsummer and 37°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 18°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, BEVERLY station (13 mi away).

Geology at Rockport

This spot sits on ground mapped as Cape Ann Granite, alkali-feldspar granite that formed roughly 485 to 445 million years ago. Plutonic rock like this weathers slowly into grus and boulders, and the most productive collecting is typically in weathered zones and drainages.

Mapped unit

Cape Ann Granite, alkali-feldspar granite

Age

485–445 Ma (Ordovician)

Elevation

80 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.

• Massachusetts Geological Survey
• Massachusetts DCR rules
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules