Fish Lake Valley: Cinnabar & Opalite Rockhounding in Esmeralda County, Nevada
- Minerals reported
- 2
- Elevation
- 4,730 ft
- Best months
- September to June
Fish Lake Valley is notable for hot-spring mercury mineralization rather than ordinary desert float, with Mindat records describing opalized and silicified rhyolite-hosted rock carrying cinnabar and opal. The locality is a good Nevada example of silica-rich alteration, but mercury minerals and old workings make conservative collecting and hand-sample handling important. Reported finds include cinnabar, opalite. Below: coordinates, access notes, nearby spots, and trip-planning links.
Plan your visit
Generally open to casual rockhounding
- County
- Esmeralda County
- State
- Nevada
- Nearest road
- Cemetery Road
- Coordinates
- 37.79619, -118.00903
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: Broad public-access mining-district area. Avoid mine workings, private parcels, active claims, and any restricted lands along the California-Nevada border.
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 Fish Lake Valley
Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)
Best months: September to June. Typical highs run 94°F in midsummer and 48°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 18°F.
Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, DYER 5S station (13 mi away), adjusted for elevation.
Geology at Fish Lake Valley
This spot sits on Alluvium, undifferentiated, mapped as coarse alluvium and fine alluvium that formed within roughly the last 3 million years. Gravels like these concentrate whatever survives the river: agate, jasper, and other tough silica typically show up as rounded, waxy stones.
- Mapped unit
- Alluvium, undifferentiated
- Age
- 3 Ma to present (Pleistocene to Holocene)
- Rock types
- coarse alluvium and fine alluvium
- Elevation
- 4,730 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.
Today's weather
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Get the appSources & 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.
State guidance last verified:
- BLM Nevada, Recreation
- Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
- Royal Peacock Opal Mine (fee-dig operator)
- Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules
Found at Fish Lake Valley
Each name 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 Fish Lake Valley.
- Fish LakeEsmeralda County, Nevada · 4 mi awayApache Tear
- CoaldaleEsmeralda County, Nevada · 18 mi awayAgate, Chert, Hyalite Opal
- BasaltEsmeralda County, Nevada · 18 mi awayCopper, Gold, Lead
- Veterans Memorial HighwayEsmeralda County, Nevada · 20 mi awayAgate, Petrified Wood, Chalcedony
- Rock HillEsmeralda County, Nevada · 25 mi awayVariscite
- Esmerelda CountyEsmeralda County, Nevada · 27 mi awayGold, Lead, Platinum
- Monte Cristo RangeEsmeralda County, Nevada · 32 mi awayVariscite
- Lone MountainEsmeralda County, Nevada · 34 mi awayCopper, Gold, Lead
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