Rockhounding near Knoxville, TN

245 mapped rockhounding spots within 150 miles of Knoxville — 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, North Carolina, Kentucky, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia.

Closest rockhounding spots to Knoxville

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

Most-reported finds near Knoxville

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

Every spot within 150 miles of Knoxville

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

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
MascotMascot Road	Knox County	Smithsonite	36.0653, -83.7348	Public
FriendsvilleQuarry Hollow Road	Blount County	Marble	35.7764, -84.1071	Public
Montvale SpringsMontvale Road	Blount County	Gold	35.6395, -83.9668	Public
TownsendFox Hollow Road	Blount County	Epidote	35.6662, -83.7519	Public
New Market	Jefferson County	Smithsonite	36.1001, -83.5357	Public
Mossy CreekHicks Road	Jefferson County	Calamine Smithsonite Sphalerite	36.1106, -83.4770	Public
Nun's CoveSharp Road	Sevier County	Calcite Chert Barite Sphalerite	35.8722, -83.4156	Public
GatlinburgGrassy Branch Trail	Sevier County	Quartz Gemstones	35.6967, -83.5081	Public
New Prospect MineHelms Ferry Road	Union County	Calamine Smithsonite Sphalerite	36.3982, -83.8414	Public
Little Tennessee RiverMount Pleasant Road	Monroe County	Quartz	35.5402, -84.0898	Public
Straight Creek MinesStraight Creek Road	Claiborne County	Galena Sphalerite	36.3892, -83.6427	Public
SweetwaterSweetwater Vonore Road	Monroe County	Barite Fluorite Sphalerite	35.6058, -84.3866	Public
JellicoUS 25W	Campbell County	Agate Chalcedony Jasper	36.5512, -84.0692	Public
Bryson CityEast Deep Creek Road	Swain County	Allanite Garnet Magnetite Moonstone Quartz Pyrite Feldspar Mica +2 more	35.4436, -83.4402	Public
Mine RidgeBible Way	Cocke County	Copper Iron Lead Zinc	35.8327, -83.1229	Public
RussellvillePinkney Circle	Hamblen County	Geode	36.2565, -83.1856	Public
Big CreekJoy Way	Cocke County	Green Quartz	35.8390, -83.0958	Public
Del RioOld Fifteenth Road	Cocke County	Unakite	35.9094, -83.0452	Public
Rag MountainGulf Road	Cocke County	Unakite	35.8117, -83.0461	Public
Del RioDean Way	Cocke County	Barite Calcite Celestite	35.9367, -83.0263	Public
Little Snowbird MountainsFS 304	Cherokee County	Chloritoid Ottrelite Garnet Gold Staurolite	35.2367, -83.8703	Public
Hanging Dog CreekBoiling Springs Road	Cherokee County	Staurolite Tourmaline	35.2105, -83.9936	Public
Hanging Dog and Persimmon CreeksBoiling Springs Road	Cherokee County	Staurolite	35.2106, -83.9988	Public
Hyatt CreekHyatt Creek Road	Cherokee County	Almandine Garnet Staurolite	35.1965, -83.9361	Public
Crab OrchardCrab Orchard Rock Quarry Road	Cumberland County	Crab Orchard Sand Stone	35.9109, -84.8690	Public

Knoxville rockhounding FAQ

Where can I go rockhounding near Knoxville?+

There are 245 mapped rockhounding spots within about 150 miles of Knoxville, Tennessee. The closest is Mascot in Knox County, roughly 13 miles away. The full list is on this page with coordinates and drive times.

What rocks and minerals can you find near Knoxville?+

Spots within driving distance of Knoxville most commonly produce quartz, garnet, corundum, staurolite, gold, kyanite.

Is rockhounding legal near Knoxville?+

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 Knoxville?+

Most weekend trips from Knoxville 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 Knoxville

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

Pack Knoxville's rockhounding map in your pocket

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