Shadwell: Green Quartzite & Unakite Rockhounding in Albemarle County, Virginia

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Albemarle County

State

Virginia

Nearest road

Milton Road

Postcode

22902

Coordinates

38.01098, -78.40794

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 Shadwell

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Conditions here are workable year-round, with typical highs from 46°F in winter to 87°F in summer.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, MONTICELLO station (2 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Shadwell

This spot sits on Catoctin Formation - Hyaloclastite pillow breccia, mapped as metabasalt that formed roughly 1000 to 485 million years ago. Volcanic ground like this weathers into rocky slopes and float, and fresh exposures in cuts and drainages are usually the most productive places to look.

Mapped unit

Catoctin Formation - Hyaloclastite pillow breccia

Age

1000–485 Ma (Neoproterozoic to Cambrian)

Rock types

metabasalt

Elevation

290 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.

• Virginia Energy, Geology and Mineral Resources
• Virginia State Parks
• George Washington & Jefferson National Forests
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules