Rockhounding near Charlottesville, VA

187 mapped rockhounding spots within 150 miles of Charlottesville, most inside a 2 to 3 hour drive. Below: a map, the closest spots, what they produce, and full coordinates with access notes.

Covering parts of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania.

Closest rockhounding spots to Charlottesville

The 6 nearest mapped spots, with straight-line distance and an approximate drive time.

ShadwellAlbemarle County, Virginia4 mi · 5 min driveGreen Quartzite, Unakite, Epidote
CharlottesvilleAlbemarle County, Virginia6 mi · 7 min driveAmethyst
Southwest MountainsAlbemarle County, Virginia8 mi · 10 min driveChalcopyrite
Red Hill QuarryAlbemarle County, Virginia8 mi · 10 min driveEpidote, Microcline, Unakite
Buck Mountain CreekAlbemarle County, Virginia9 mi · 11 min driveAgate
Stockton CreekAlbemarle County, Virginia12 mi · 15 min driveAmethyst

Most-reported finds near Charlottesville

Counts reflect how many spots in this radius mention each material.

Hunting something specific near Charlottesville?

These materials have enough dedicated spots around Charlottesville to earn their own page, with distances and a separate map.

Every spot within 150 miles of Charlottesville

Sorted by distance from Charlottesville. Tap a row to open the spot detail page with full directions, access status, and nearby trips.

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
ShadwellMilton Road	Albemarle County	Green Quartzite Unakite Epidote	38.0110, -78.4079	Public
CharlottesvilleVirginia Way	Albemarle County	Amethyst	37.9454, -78.4683	Public
Southwest Mountains	Albemarle County	Chalcopyrite	38.0858, -78.3485	Public
Red Hill QuarryRed Hill Road	Albemarle County	Epidote Microcline Unakite	37.9617, -78.5989	Public
Buck Mountain CreekBuck Mountain Road	Albemarle County	Agate	38.1495, -78.5395	Public
Stockton CreekHeather Crest Place	Albemarle County	Amethyst	38.0422, -78.7007	Public
Moormans RiverSugar Hollow Road	Albemarle County	Epidote Jasper	38.1287, -78.6902	Public
Kidd's StoreRolling Road South	Fluvanna County	Rhodonite	37.8097, -78.3641	Public
Cove CreekMonacan Trail	Albemarle County	Amethyst	37.8748, -78.7228	Public
FaberGreen Creek Road	Albemarle County	Azurite Cerussite Chalcopyrite Fluorite Galena Pyromorphite Smithsonite Sphalerite +1 more	37.8316, -78.6669	Public
Bacon HollowBrokenback Mtn Road	Greene County	Unakite	38.2723, -78.5680	Public
TreviliansBrickhouse Road	Louisa County	Amethyst Quartz	38.0083, -78.1267	Public
Byrd CreekShannon Hill Road	Fluvanna County	Gold Quartz	37.8155, -78.1456	Public
South Fork Shenandoah RiverOld Spotswood Trail	Rockingham County	Quartz	38.4081, -78.6354	Public
Blakely Ridge fire towerBurnt Ridge Fire Trail	Madison County	Blue Quartz	38.4238, -78.3381	Public
JollettThe Point Overlook	Page County	Unakite Apatite Chlorite Zircon	38.4636, -78.4635	Permission
Mineral	Louisa County	Actinolite Garnet Pyrite Serpentine Tremolite	38.0371, -77.8990	Public
Rose RiverOld Blue Ridge Turnpike	Madison County	Unakite Epidote Jasper Blue Quartz Smoky Quartz Quartz Black Chert	38.4849, -78.3233	Public
Dark HollowRapidan Fire Road	Madison County	Copper	38.5108, -78.4219	Permission
RoselandRoseland Road	Nelson County	Blue Quartz Ilmenite Rutile	37.7450, -78.9759	Public
Morefield Gem MineGlen Aire Road	Louisa County	Amazonite Amethyst Topaz Mica	37.9131, -77.8727	Paid / fee
Saunders FarmTye Brook Highway	Nelson County	Amethyst	37.7215, -78.9707	Public
Willis MountainWillis Mt Plant Road	Buckingham County	Kyanite Manganese Apatite Corundum Feldspar Garnet Hematite Pyrite +4 more	37.4779, -78.4619	Public
Tye River GapTye River Turnpike	Rockbridge County	Epidote Unakite Beryl Quartz	37.8869, -79.1565	Public
Irish CreekIrish Creek Road	Rockbridge County	Blue Moonstone Cassiterite	37.8499, -79.1704	Public

Charlottesville rockhounding FAQ

Where can I go rockhounding near Charlottesville?+

There are 187 mapped rockhounding spots within about 150 miles of Charlottesville, Virginia. The closest is Shadwell in Albemarle County, roughly 4 miles away. The full list is on this page with coordinates and drive times.

What rocks and minerals can you find near Charlottesville?+

Spots within driving distance of Charlottesville most commonly produce quartz, amethyst, calcite, garnet, epidote, pyrite.

Is rockhounding legal near Charlottesville?+

Casual hand collecting of common rocks and minerals is allowed on most BLM and U.S. Forest Service land, with limits set by the local field office. National parks, most state parks, and tribal land are off-limits. Each spot page on this site lists access status; always confirm current rules with the managing agency before a trip.

How far do most rockhounders drive from Charlottesville?+

Most weekend trips from Charlottesville fall inside a 2 to 3 hour drive, which is roughly the 150-mile radius shown on this page. Closer spots are good for half-day outings; the outer ones are better as overnight trips.

More state coverage

The spots above span 5 states. Open the state page for the full county-by-county view.

Pack Charlottesville's rockhounding map in your pocket

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