Rockhounding near Chattanooga, TN

172 mapped rockhounding spots within 150 miles of Chattanooga — most are 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 Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, Kentucky, South Carolina.

Closest rockhounding spots to Chattanooga

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

Most-reported finds near Chattanooga

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

Every spot within 150 miles of Chattanooga

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

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
Missionary RidgeLine Street	Hamilton County	Bauxite	35.0391, -85.2510	Public
Graysville	Catoosa County	Barite Calcite Purple Fluorite Galena	34.9419, -85.1177	Public
Marion CountyDancing Fern Road	Marion County	Barite Fluorite Galena Pyrite Selenite	35.1470, -85.5968	Public
ClevelandOld Chattanooga Pike Southwest	Bradley County	Sphalerite	35.1124, -84.9213	Public
Blue SpringsOld Blue Sprgs Road	Bradley County	Galena	35.0876, -84.9131	Public
Rising FawnI 59	Dade County	Halloysite	34.7473, -85.5404	Public
Tarr Creek near DaltonDug Gap Road	Whitfield County	Jasper Siliceous Oolite	34.7571, -84.9897	Public
MonteagleI 24;US 64	Marion County	Calcite Onyx	35.2088, -85.8192	Public
Fincher BluffDead End Road	Murray County	Silicified Oolite	34.7203, -84.8546	Public
GorePinhoti Trail	Chattooga County	Halloysite	34.5488, -85.2564	Public
Murray CountyHyden Tyler Road	Murray County	Quartz	34.7932, -84.7503	Public
Fort Mountain and Cahutta MountainWest Overlook Trail	Murray County	Talc	34.7819, -84.7135	Public
SummervilleMartha Berry Highway	Chattooga County	Agate Chalcedony Chert Opal	34.4702, -85.3170	Public
State Fish HatcheryFish Hatchery Road	Chattooga County	Banded Agate Agate	34.4570, -85.4148	Public
Ben Lomond Mountain	Warren County	Calcite Celestite Dolomite Geode Marcasite Pyrite	35.6284, -85.7732	Public
CopperhillGrassy Creek Road	Polk County	Azurite Chalcopyrite Garnet Gold Pyrite Malachite Quartz Staurolite +4 more	35.0046, -84.3993	Public
DucktownStansbury Mountain Road	Polk County	Azurite Chalcopyrite Garnet Gold Pyrite Malachite Quartz Staurolite +4 more	35.0325, -84.3655	Public
RomeCabot Drive Southwest	Floyd County	Chalcedony Geode Rose Quartz	34.2677, -85.2567	Public
Fannin CountyHogback Road	Fannin County	Staurolite	34.8968, -84.2990	Public
Windy Ridge and Mineral BluffMineral Bluff Highway	Fannin County	Staurolite	34.9260, -84.2897	Public
Cole’s CrossingEmerald Lane	Fannin County	Staurolite	34.9459, -84.2649	Public
Kingston	Bartow County	Banded Agate Jasper	34.2216, -84.9461	Public
Sharp MountainSharp Mountain Parkway	Pickens County	Staurolite	34.4376, -84.5013	Public
WoodburyIvy Point Lane	Cannon County	Geode	35.7933, -85.9896	Public
Crab OrchardCrab Orchard Rock Quarry Road	Cumberland County	Crab Orchard Sand Stone	35.9109, -84.8690	Public

Chattanooga rockhounding FAQ

Where can I go rockhounding near Chattanooga?+

There are 172 mapped rockhounding spots within about 150 miles of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The closest is Missionary Ridge in Hamilton County, roughly 3 miles away. The full list is on this page with coordinates and drive times.

What rocks and minerals can you find near Chattanooga?+

Spots within driving distance of Chattanooga most commonly produce quartz, garnet, staurolite, corundum, geode, gold.

Is rockhounding legal near Chattanooga?+

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 Chattanooga?+

Most weekend trips from Chattanooga 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 6 states. Open the state page for the full county-by-county view.

Other cities near Chattanooga

Planning around Chattanooga? These nearby cities have their own mapped rockhounding spots within driving range, with some overlap in the spots you can reach.

Pack Chattanooga's rockhounding map in your pocket

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