Hillsboro: Blue Silicified Coral Rockhounding in Pocahontas County, West Virginia

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Pocahontas County

State

West Virginia

Nearest road

Locust Creek Road

Postcode

24946

Coordinates

38.09252, -80.25087

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 coral weathers out as float in fields and creek gravels around Hillsboro, and most of that ground is private farmland: get the landowner's permission before collecting, and stay out of Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park and other state parks nearby, where all collecting is prohibited. The same coral washes into public creek and river gravels, which can be surface-collected below the high-water mark from public access points.

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 Hillsboro

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: March to November. Typical highs run 82°F in midsummer and 38°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 19°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, BUCKEYE station (9 mi away).

Geology at Hillsboro

This spot sits on Maccrady Formation, mapped as sandstone and shale that formed roughly 360 to 325 million years ago. Sedimentary layers like these are where fossils are typically preserved, and fresh exposures after rain or in active cuts tend to produce best.

Mapped unit

Maccrady Formation

Age

360–325 Ma (Mississippian)

Rock types

sandstone and shale

Elevation

2,100 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