Fairy Stone State Park: Staurolite Rockhounding in Henry County, Virginia
Updated July 2026
Fairy Stone State Park is Virginia's most famous staurolite locality, source of the twinned iron-aluminum silicate crosses that give the park its name. Mindat and Virginia Department of Energy geology records document the staurolite in the surrounding Piedmont schist, and the park is built specifically around collecting the crosses, making it the state's signature and most beginner-friendly rockhounding stop. Reported finds include staurolite. Below: coordinates, access notes, nearby spots, and trip-planning links.
Fairy Stone State Park photos
Public image records connected to this spot or its reported material.
Map showing Fairy Stone State Park in Henry County, Virginia
Quick details
- Access
- Public area
- County
- Henry County
- State
- Virginia
- Nearest road
- Goose Point Road
- Coordinates
- 36.77790, -80.09237
Geology at Fairy Stone State Park
This spot sits on Alligator Back Formation - Feldspathic metagraywacke, mapped as metagraywacke that formed roughly 1000 to 485 million years ago. Sedimentary rock like this erodes unevenly, so the most productive collecting is typically along fresh cuts, badland slopes, and active drainages.
- Mapped unit
- Alligator Back Formation - Feldspathic metagraywacke
- Age
- 1000–485 Ma (Neoproterozoic to Cambrian)
- Rock types
- metagraywacke
- Elevation
- 1,490 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.
Best time to visit Fairy Stone State Park
Conditions here are workable year-round, with typical highs from 46°F in winter to 86°F in summer.
Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, PHILPOTT DAM 2 station (4 mi away), adjusted for elevation.
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 Fairy Stone State Park
Each chip opens all spots that produce that material; the encyclopedia link opens the full ID and field guide.
Nearby rockhounding spots
Other rockhounding spots within driving distance of Fairy Stone State Park.
- Henry CountyHenry County, Virginia · 7 mi awayBlue Quartz
- StuartTop pick in VirginiaPatrick County, Virginia · 13 mi awayAlmandine Garnet, Staurolite, Corundum
- FloydFloyd County, Virginia · 18 mi awayQuartz
- Chestnut Creek WetlandsFloyd County, Virginia · 20 mi awayQuartz
- Hurricane KnobPatrick County, Virginia · 20 mi awayKyanite
- Laurel ForkCarroll County, Virginia · 23 mi awayQuartz
- Glade HillFranklin County, Virginia · 23 mi awayYellow Apatite
- AxtonHenry County, Virginia · 24 mi awayGarnet
Across the state line from Fairy Stone State Park
Fairy Stone State Park is close enough to the Virginia border that the next-closest rockhounding spots are in a neighboring state. Worth knowing if you are already on the road.
- Big CreekStokes County, North Carolina · 25 mi awayGarnet, Moonstone, Smoky Quartz
- DanburyTop pick in North CarolinaStokes County, North Carolina · 26 mi awayAgate, Carnelian, Chalcedony
- Mount AirySurry County, North Carolina · 33 mi awayFeldspar, Quartz, Jasper
- White PlainsSurry County, North Carolina · 36 mi awayBeryl, Columbite, Quartz
- Pilot MountainSurry County, North Carolina · 37 mi awayQuartz
- KernersvilleForsyth County, North Carolina · 44 mi awayChrysolite, Bronzite, Tourmaline
Fairy Stone State Park FAQ
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More rockhounding in Virginia
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