Sugar Grove road cut: Chabazite Rockhounding in Pendleton County, West Virginia

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Pendleton County

State

West Virginia

Nearest road

Sugar Grove Road

Postcode

26815

Coordinates

38.48401, -79.32671

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.

Access note: The dike is exposed in a road cut along a county road roughly 5.5 miles south of Sugar Grove. Road cuts sit on highway right-of-way, an area of legal gray zone in West Virginia, so surface-collect loose weathered material only, do not dig into the bank or dislodge anything above head height, and park well clear of traffic. Confirm you are not on the adjoining private land.

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 Sugar Grove road cut

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: February to December. Typical highs run 84°F in midsummer and 43°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 22°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, FRANKLIN 2 NE station (13 mi away).

Geology at Sugar Grove road cut

This spot sits on Brallier Formation, mapped as shale and siltstone that formed roughly 420 to 360 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

Brallier Formation

Age

420–360 Ma (Devonian)

Rock types

shale and siltstone

Elevation

1,940 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.

• West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey
• Monongahela National Forest
• West Virginia State Parks rules
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules