Broken Hills: Gold Prospecting in Nye County, Nevada

Plan your visit

Confirm rules before collecting

County

Nye County

State

Nevada

Nearest road

Quartz Mountain Road

Coordinates

39.04532, -117.97577

Coordinates are approximate. Confirm the exact ground in the RockHoundR app, where land overlays show which agency manages the area.

Land & collecting status

Confirm rules before collecting

Land status here is not confirmed. Verify with the managing agency before collecting, federal, state, and tribal rules differ.

Access note: BLM records active mining claims in this area. Collecting from inside an active claim needs the claim holder's permission.

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 Broken Hills

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: February to June. Typical highs run 93°F in midsummer and 44°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 19°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, GABBS 1NE station (12 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Broken Hills

This spot sits on Intermediate silicic ash flow tuff, mapped as felsic volcanic that formed roughly 34 to 16 million years ago. Gold in volcanic terrain like this is usually tied to old vein systems and the gravels that drain them, so nearby washes tend to carry the color.

Mapped unit

Intermediate silicic ash flow tuff

Age

34–16 Ma (Oligocene to Early Miocene)

Rock types

felsic volcanic

Elevation

5,300 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.

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.

State guidance last verified: April 1, 2026

• BLM Nevada, Recreation
• Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
• Royal Peacock Opal Mine (fee-dig operator)
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules