Updated August 2026
88 mapped spots across 28 counties. Pennsylvania produces a wide range of rockhounding-grade material: see the full list of spots, minerals, and access notes below.
The best rockhounding in Pennsylvania is at Cecil County in Lancaster County (kammererite, serpentine), Morrison Cove in Bedford County (quartz, amethyst), and Area Around Caledonia State Park in Franklin County (agate, jasper). In total, 88 mapped collecting spots across 28 counties produce quartz, jasper, and calcite, each listed below with coordinates and land access notes.
Representative spot and material photos from locations in this state, shown where verified public image records are available.
Map showing 88 rockhounding spots in Pennsylvania
Counts reflect how many spots in this list mention each mineral.
Day-trip range. Each section lists the closest mapped rockhounding spots within about 150 miles of the city — most are inside a 2 to 3 hour drive.
6 closest spots to Philadelphia, PA.
6 closest spots to Pittsburgh, PA.
6 closest spots to Allentown, PA.
Geology rarely respects state borders. These states share mapped rockhounding country with Pennsylvania — useful when Pennsylvania is the start, not the whole trip. Each card links to the closest county across the line.
County pages are linked once we have at least 3 mapped spots for a focused guide with coordinates, mineral notes, and nearby spots.
Hand-picked standouts from the Pennsylvania list, chosen for unusual mineralogy, documented public access, or both. Each card links to coordinates, access notes, and what to look for.
Top pickLancaster County
This Fulton Township locality sits in the State Line serpentine district and is famed for williamsite, the translucent green gem serpentine prized by Pennsylvania collectors, together with kammererite, chromite, brucite and soapstone.
Kammererite, Serpentine, Soapstone, Williamsite
Top pickBedford County
Morrison Cove in Bedford County is a carbonate valley known for pockets of amethyst, clear and smoky quartz, and calcite in the surrounding folded Appalachian ridges.
Quartz, Amethyst, Calcite, Herkimer Diamond
Top pickFranklin County
The ridges of Michaux country around Caledonia in Franklin County shed agate and jasper into local streams and float, a byproduct of the region's iron-rich Blue Ridge geology.
Agate, Jasper
Top pickBerks County
The Reading area of Berks County is the heart of Pennsylvania's historic jasper country, where prehistoric quarries supplied toolstone for thousands of years.
Jasper
Top pickChester County
The Brookdale Mine lies in the Phoenixville / Wheatley lead district, source of some of the finest pyromorphite specimens ever found in the United States.
Quartz, Pyromorphite, Azurite, Cerussite
Top pickChester County
Nottingham County Park sits on the State Line serpentine barrens, one of the classic ultramafic exposures of the Pennsylvania Piedmont.
Serpentine, Garnet, Feldspar, Tourmaline
Top pickCumberland County
The Carlisle area of Cumberland County is known for banded agate, jasper, amethyst and quartz weathering out of the local carbonate and diabase terrain.
Banded Agate, Quartz, Jasper, Amethyst
Top pickDelaware County
Chester Creek cuts through the same amethyst- and quartz-bearing Piedmont crystalline belt, and its gravels carry amethyst and smoky quartz weathered out of local veins and pegmatites.
Amethyst, Smoky Quartz
Top pickDelaware County
Crum Creek drains the pegmatite-rich crystalline rocks of the Delaware County Piedmont, and its gravels concentrate golden beryl, amethyst, garnet and quartz eroded from those bodies.
Golden Beryl, Amethyst, Garnet, Quartz
Top pickLebanon County
Cornwall is one of the most famous iron deposits in eastern North America, a magnetite skarn worked for over two centuries.
Actinolite, Andradite, Calcite, Chlorite
Sorted by county. Tap coordinates to open in Google Maps, or open RockHoundR for the full map view with land overlays and weather.
Open the RockHoundR app to see Pennsylvania on a real map with public land overlays, weather, geology, and your saved finds.
