Rockhounding in Pendleton County, West Virginia
4 mapped rockhounding spots in Pendleton County. Most commonly produces smoky quartz, calcite, chabazite, chert.
Pendleton County rockhounding photos
Representative spot and material photos from this county, shown where verified public image records are available.
Map showing 4 rockhounding spots in Pendleton County, West Virginia
Minerals reported in Pendleton County
Standouts in Pendleton County
Hand-picked spots in Pendleton County, chosen for unusual mineralogy or documented public access. Each card opens the full coordinates and access notes.
Top pickSugar Grove road cut
PublicPendleton County
The Sugar Grove Basalt is one of the few zeolite localities in the central Appalachians, an Eocene amygdaloidal basalt dike-sill about 45 million years old that intrudes the Devonian Millboro Shale south of Sugar Grove.
Chabazite
Top pickSmoke Hole
PublicPendleton County
Smoke Hole Canyon is a 20 mile gorge cut by the South Branch Potomac River through the Cave Mountain anticline, exposing a full Silurian to Devonian section of limestones, sandstones, and shales inside the Monongahela National Forest.
Geode, Gypsum, Pyrite, Fossils
Spots in Pendleton County
| Spot | Minerals | Coordinates | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| FranklinMountaineer Drive | 38.6542, -79.3864 | Public | |
| Judy GapMount Freedom Drive | 38.7063, -79.4659 | Public | |
| Smoke HoleSmoke Hole Road | 38.8569, -79.2764 | Public | |
| Sugar Grove road cutSugar Grove Road | 38.4840, -79.3267 | Public |
Neighboring counties in West Virginia
Adjacent rockhounding counties, ranked by how close their centroids sit to Pendleton County. A natural extension if Pendleton County is already on your trip plan.
- Randolph County~18 mi1 spotTop: Calcite, Dolomite, Quartz
- Grant County~23 mi3 spotsTop: Calcite, Dolomite, Celestite
- Mineral County~51 mi3 spotsTop: Calcite, Blue Calcite, Celestite
- Pocahontas County~56 mi3 spotsTop: Blue Silicified Coral, Chert Nodules, Red Silicified Coral
- Monongalia County~72 mi3 spotsTop: Hematite, Opal, Pink Calcite
- Greenbrier County~84 mi6 spotsTop: Quartz, Calcite, Celestite
Across the state line from Pendleton County
Rockhounding counties in neighboring states within driving range. Geology rarely respects state borders — these are often the closest mapped spots you can reach without going deeper into West Virginia.
Pendleton County FAQ
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