Jay Peak: Malachite & Chlorite Rockhounding in Orleans County, Vermont

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Orleans County

State

Vermont

Nearest road

Long Trail

Coordinates

44.92234, -72.52263

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 Jay Peak

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: May to October. Typical highs run 68°F in midsummer and 18°F in midwinter, with winter lows near -2°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, JAY PEAK station (1 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Jay Peak

This spot sits on Jay Peak Formation - schist member, mapped as phyllite, muscovite schist, and quartzite that formed roughly 1000 to 485 million years ago. Metamorphic belts like this often host pegmatite dikes, the coarse-crystal bodies that typically carry beryl, tourmaline, and sheet mica.

Mapped unit

Jay Peak Formation - schist member

Age

1000–485 Ma (Neoproterozoic to Cambrian)

Rock types

phyllite, muscovite schist, and quartzite

Elevation

3,490 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.

• Vermont Geological Survey
• Green Mountain National Forest
• Vermont State Parks, Camp Plymouth
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules