Chestnut Mountain: Garnet & Biotite Rockhounding in Bedford County, Virginia

Quick details

Access

Public area

County

Bedford County

State

Virginia

Nearest road

Hazelwood Terrace

Postcode

24179

Coordinates

37.27569, -79.84300

Geology at Chestnut Mountain

This spot sits on Charnockite, mapped as charnockite that formed roughly 1600 to 1000 million years ago. Quartz crystals typically weather out of veins and pockets and end up in nearby soils and creek beds.

Mapped unit

Charnockite

Age

1600–1000 Ma (Mesoproterozoic)

Rock types

charnockite

Elevation

1,170 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.

Best time to visit Chestnut Mountain

Conditions here are workable year-round, with typical highs from 47°F in winter to 88°F in summer.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, ROANOKE-BLACKSBURG RGNL AP station (8 mi away).

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.

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.

Sources: RockHoundR public spot dataset, app land overlays, and local agency review before each trip.

Found at Chestnut Mountain

Each chip opens all spots that produce that material; the encyclopedia link opens the full ID and field guide.

• GarnetEncyclopedia →
• BiotiteEncyclopedia →
• QuartzEncyclopedia →
• TourmalineEncyclopedia →