Whitetop: Calcite & Fluorite Rockhounding in Grayson County, Virginia

Plan your visit

Permission required before collecting

County

Grayson County

State

Virginia

Nearest road

Helton Creek Spur

Postcode

24292

Coordinates

36.64917, -81.56606

Coordinates are approximate. Confirm the exact ground in the RockHoundR app, where land overlays show which agency manages the area.

Land & collecting status

Permission required before collecting

Requires landowner or agency permission before any collecting. Do not enter without explicit authorization.

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 Whitetop

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: March to November. Typical highs run 75°F in midsummer and 38°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 16°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, JEFFERSON 2 E station (18 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Whitetop

This spot sits on Elk Park Plutonic Group - Biotite augen gneiss, mapped as gneiss that formed roughly 1600 to 1000 million years ago. Metamorphic terrain like this commonly hosts vein and replacement mineralization, and old workings typically mark the productive zones.

Mapped unit

Elk Park Plutonic Group - Biotite augen gneiss

Age

1600–1000 Ma (Mesoproterozoic)

Rock types

gneiss

Elevation

4,320 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