Chickering Mine: Purpurite & Heterosite Rockhounding in Cheshire County, New Hampshire

Plan your visit

Pay-to-dig site

County

Cheshire County

State

New Hampshire

Nearest road

Eaton Road

Postcode

03608

Coordinates

43.08296, -72.37814

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

Land & collecting status

Pay-to-dig site

This is a fee-dig location. Hours, prices, and what you can keep vary by operator. Call ahead before driving out.

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 Chickering Mine

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: April to November. Typical highs run 79°F in midsummer and 29°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 11°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, WALPOLE 2S NEPP station (4 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Chickering Mine

This spot sits on Littleton Formation, undivided, mapped as metagraywacke that formed about 410 million years ago. Sedimentary rock like this erodes unevenly, so the most productive collecting is typically along fresh cuts, badland slopes, and active drainages.

Mapped unit

Littleton Formation, undivided

Age

410–410 Ma (Early Devonian)

Rock types

metagraywacke

Elevation

1,110 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