Flint Ridge: Agate & Amethyst Rockhounding in Licking County, Ohio

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Licking County

State

Ohio

Nearest road

Flint Ridge Road Southeast

Postcode

43056

Coordinates

39.98973, -82.26518

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: Collecting is prohibited inside Flint Ridge State Memorial and museum grounds, which are for viewing only. Free surface flint can be found as float in road cuts along State Route 668 and in creek gravels on the ridge, from public road right-of-way; anywhere else on the ridge is private land and needs the owner's permission. Nethers Farm nearby is a well-known pay-to-dig alternative.

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 Flint Ridge

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: March to November. Typical highs run 83°F in midsummer and 35°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 17°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, NEWARK WTR WKS station (10 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Flint Ridge

This spot sits on Allegheny and Pottsville Groups, Undivided, mapped as shale and siltstone that formed roughly 325 to 300 million years ago. Tough silica like agate, jasper, and chert typically weathers out of beds like these and collects as float in drainages and on deflation surfaces.

Mapped unit

Allegheny and Pottsville Groups, Undivided

Age

325–300 Ma (Pennsylvanian)

Rock types

shale and siltstone

Elevation

1,210 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.

• Ohio Geological Survey
• Ohio State Parks rules
• Wayne National Forest
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules