South Baldface Mountain: Smoky Quartz & Topaz Rockhounding in Carroll County, New Hampshire

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Carroll County

State

New Hampshire

Nearest road

Baldface Circle Trail

Coordinates

44.21030, -71.05170

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: White Mountain National Forest, Chatham, on the Baldface Circle trail system off Route 113. Casual, non-commercial surface collecting is allowed on national forest land. This is a long, steep climb to exposed ledges, so go prepared for alpine conditions and carry out only loose specimens.

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 South Baldface Mountain

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: April to October. Typical highs run 75°F in midsummer and 26°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 6°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, PINKHAM NOTCH station (10 mi away).

Geology at South Baldface Mountain

This spot sits on Migmatitic rocks, mapped as migmatite that formed roughly 445 to 360 million years ago. Metamorphic terrain like this typically carries quartz veins and sweats, and weathered crystals tend to end up in the soils and streams below.

Mapped unit

Migmatitic rocks

Age

445–360 Ma (Silurian to Devonian)

Rock types

migmatite

Elevation

1,990 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.

• White Mountain National Forest
• New Hampshire Geological Survey
• New Hampshire State Parks rules
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules