Foote Mine and other mines: Apatite & Beryl Rockhounding in Cleveland County, North Carolina

Plan your visit

Permission required before collecting

County

Cleveland County

State

North Carolina

Nearest road

Kings Mountain Gateway Trail

Postcode

28066

Coordinates

35.21111, -81.35556

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

Land & collecting status

Permission required before collecting

Requires landowner or agency permission before any collecting. Do not enter without explicit authorization.

Access note: Owned by Albemarle Corporation. Collecting of any kind is prohibited across the entire property; signs are posted and trespassers are prosecuted. Guided surface tours are occasionally offered, but no specimens may be taken.

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 Foote Mine and other mines

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Conditions here are workable year-round, with typical highs from 53°F in winter to 90°F in summer.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, GASTONIA MUNI AP station (11 mi away).

Geology at Foote Mine and other mines

This spot sits on Blacksburg Formation, mapped as mica schist that formed roughly 1000 to 485 million years ago. Metamorphic belts like this often host pegmatite dikes, the coarse-crystal bodies that typically carry beryl, tourmaline, and sheet mica.

Mapped unit

Blacksburg Formation

Age

1000–485 Ma (Neoproterozoic to Cambrian)

Rock types

mica schist

Elevation

870 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

• North Carolina Geological Survey
• Nantahala/Pisgah National Forests
• Emerald Hollow Mine (fee-dig operator)
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules