Carlisle: Banded Agate & Quartz Rockhounding in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Cumberland County

State

Pennsylvania

Nearest road

Shatto Drive

Postcode

17013

Coordinates

40.22035, -77.21537

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: Hunt float in creeks, fields and roadcuts on public ground; get permission before entering private farmland. Take only loose surface material and leave gates and fences as you found them.

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 Carlisle

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: March to November. Typical highs run 86°F in midsummer and 38°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 21°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, CARLISLE WTP station (1 mi away).

Geology at Carlisle

This spot sits on Martinsburg Formation, mapped as shale that formed roughly 485 to 445 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

Martinsburg Formation

Age

485–445 Ma (Ordovician)

Rock types

shale

Elevation

420 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.

• Pennsylvania Geological Survey
• DCNR state park and state forest rules
• Allegheny National Forest
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules