Mason Mtn Garnet Mine: Rhodolite & Garnet Rockhounding in Macon County, North Carolina

Plan your visit

Pay-to-dig site

County

Macon County

State

North Carolina

Nearest road

Bryson City Road

Postcode

28734

Coordinates

35.24837, -83.39594

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 Mason Mtn Garnet Mine

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Conditions here are workable year-round, with typical highs from 49°F in winter to 85°F in summer.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, FRANKLIN station (5 mi away).

Geology at Mason Mtn Garnet Mine

This spot sits on Coweeta Group; Biotite Gneiss, mapped as biotite gneiss and amphibolite that formed roughly 1600 to 540 million years ago. Metamorphic rock like this is where garnet, staurolite, and kyanite typically grow as the rock recrystallizes under heat and pressure.

Mapped unit

Coweeta Group; Biotite Gneiss

Age

1600–540 Ma (Mesoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic)

Rock types

biotite gneiss and amphibolite

Elevation

2,010 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