Hickory Grove: Andalusite & Kyanite Rockhounding in York County, South Carolina

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

York County

State

South Carolina

Nearest road

Walnut Grove Road

Postcode

29717

Coordinates

34.94707, -81.47917

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.

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 Hickory Grove

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, NINETY NINE IS station (6 mi away).

Geology at Hickory Grove

This spot sits on Biotite metatonalite and granodiorite, mapped as metatonalite and granodiorite that formed roughly 1000 to 485 million years ago. Granitic rock like this is where pegmatite pockets tend to occur, the coarse-crystal settings that typically carry beryl, tourmaline, mica, and feldspar.

Mapped unit

Biotite metatonalite and granodiorite

Age

1000–485 Ma (Neoproterozoic to Cambrian)

Rock types

metatonalite and granodiorite

Elevation

510 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.

• South Carolina Geological Survey
• South Carolina State Parks rules
• Sumter and Francis Marion National Forests
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules