Stage Fort Park: Amazonite & Smoky Quartz Rockhounding in Essex County, Massachusetts
Updated July 2026
Gloucester sits on the same Cape Ann granite as neighboring Rockport, and its miarolitic pockets and pegmatites yield blue-green amazonite (microcline), smoky quartz, and well-formed feldspar. Stage Fort Park protects a stretch of granite ledge and cobble shore where loose specimens weather out of the rock. The 60-acre city park gives free, easy public access to the Cape Ann granite without entering the private working quarries. Reported finds include amazonite, smoky quartz, microcline. Below: coordinates, access notes, nearby spots, and trip-planning links.
Stage Fort Park photos
Public image records connected to this spot or its reported material.
Map showing Stage Fort Park in Essex County, Massachusetts
Quick details
- Access
- Public area
- County
- Essex County
- State
- Massachusetts
- Nearest road
- Hough Avenue
- Postcode
- 01930
- Coordinates
- 42.60450, -70.67200
Geology at Stage Fort Park
This spot sits on ground mapped as water. Quartz crystals typically weather out of veins and pockets and end up in nearby soils and creek beds.
- Mapped unit
- water
- Elevation
- 0 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 Stage Fort Park
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 (8 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.
Sources: RockHoundR public spot dataset, app land overlays, and local agency review before each trip.
Found at Stage Fort Park
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 Stage Fort Park.
- RockportTop pick in MassachusettsEssex County, Massachusetts · 6 mi awayAmazonite
- RowleyEssex County, Massachusetts · 15 mi awayJasper
- NewburyportEssex County, Massachusetts · 17 mi awayChalcopyrite, Galena, Pyrite
- NahantTop pick in MassachusettsEssex County, Massachusetts · 18 mi awayJasper, Epidote, Prehnite
- MaldenMiddlesex County, Massachusetts · 23 mi awayNovaculite
- CohassetTop pick in MassachusettsNorfolk County, Massachusetts · 25 mi awayJasper, Epidote
- MarshfieldTop pick in MassachusettsPlymouth County, Massachusetts · 34 mi awayJasper
- WestfieldMiddlesex County, Massachusetts · 41 mi awayChiastolite
Across the state line from Stage Fort Park
Stage Fort Park is close enough to the Massachusetts border that the next-closest rockhounding spots are in a neighboring state. Worth knowing if you are already on the road.
- RaymondRockingham County, New Hampshire · 39 mi awayFeldspar, Beryl, Garnet
- Diamond Hill Park, CumberlandTop pick in Rhode IslandProvidence County, Rhode Island · 56 mi awayAmethyst, Quartz, Smoky Quartz
- Sneech PondProvidence County, Rhode Island · 59 mi awayChalcopyrite, Garnet, Magnetite
- Cumberland HillProvidence County, Rhode Island · 60 mi awayAgate, Chalcedony, Jasper
- North ProvidenceTop pick in Rhode IslandProvidence County, Rhode Island · 60 mi awayBowenite, Quartz, Serpentine
- Acton Lead MinesYork County, Maine · 62 mi awayAndalusite, Arsenopyrite, Bornite
Stage Fort Park FAQ
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