Crowder's Mountain: Barite & Chalcopyrite Rockhounding in Gaston County, North Carolina

Plan your visit

Permission required before collecting

County

Gaston County

State

North Carolina

Nearest road

Backside Trail

Coordinates

35.23265, -81.27487

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.

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 Crowder's Mountain

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Conditions here are workable year-round, with typical highs from 51°F in winter to 88°F in summer.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, GASTONIA MUNI AP station (7 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Crowder's Mountain

This spot sits on Battleground Formation, mapped as mica schist that formed roughly 1000 to 540 million years ago. Gold in metamorphic belts like this is typically tied to quartz veins and shear zones, with placer color in the creeks that cut them.

Mapped unit

Battleground Formation

Age

1000–540 Ma (Neoproterozoic)

Rock types

mica schist

Elevation

1,530 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