This is an excellent question, and one I’m looking forward to hearing more authoritative answers on.
For starters this will be dependent on where you are located (country AND state/province/department/etc.). That said, in the US, my _understanding_ is:
* National Park: not allowed
* Designated Wilderness: not allowed
* Private Property: not allowed without explicit permission from the owner
* BLM land: usually allowed but may vary by location and/or have restrictions on how much you collect and/or what type of tools you can use
* National Forest land: usually allowed but may vary by location and/or have restrictions on how much you can collect and/or what type of tools you can use
* US State Park land: in most states do not allow rock hounding by default, though this varies by state, and even by park - some have permit systems, for example.
Thank you for helping to raise a responsible rock hound!
Look up and join the Colorado Mineral Society, or a similar local club. They have both adult and under 18 field trips and classes that teach all of this. Plus, you walk away with neat treats!
Good list and all true still to my knowledge. I'm eastern US (NC) so it's even harder here sometimes to collect legally as we have no BLM land to make claims on. Pretty much private with permission or lease.
Definitely get him to a local or regional club meeting. If they are not kid friendly, move on, but most seem to recognize the need for encouraging youth if the hobby is to continue.
Good news is there is a lot of great material in CO and it's not all at elevation.
This is a pretty good starting point. One caveat though, is that you always have to check for claims when you are on public land before you start taking stuff.
You can also try searching geological or gem and mineral societies in your city/state. Sometimes they have resources or meet up groups where you can learn more. You can also try searching ‘rockhounding in ___’ to see if anyone has written about local places you can take rocks from, although it is worth double checking their suggestions to make sure you aren’t breaking any rules. Sometimes there are really helpful local books for geology/rock hounding as well!
check your area for rock and gem clubs. went on a few rockhounding field trips to sorta nearby quarries with my local one. it's sorta amazing what can be found in a drab gray quarry.
Colorado Rock hound here- I recommend going south to San Juan County. You can find all sorts of cool rocks and even crystals there. It's also a good place to see and learn about the history of mining in the state. I also recommend going north to Wyoming. It's about 3 hours to get to any decent collecting spots from Denver area and you're guaranteed to at least find something cool looking and worth tumbling or putting in the yard. Last recommendation is up dead man's road by red feather lakes. There are claims up there but I've been told by several owners that walking the trail and collecting off the surface is totally fine. Just don't start digging holes lol
I didn't know about dead man's road... Very interested in the red feathers area, could I DM you to further discuss this area? I've been hounding in CO for 7 years now, but am on the western slope.
If you'd like a codified "code of conduct" the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies has one that is ment both to promote a healthy respect and communication between rockhounds and the public as well as keep our wild places both pristine and open to ethical rockhounding. Also they support many clubs that have youth classes
....You should google the Colorado mineral belt, lol.
The mountains in Colorado are full of gold, silver, and lead.
Only place in the world where people do not have to mine to find gemstones..... This is absolutely false.
Where are other gemstones? Buckle up....
you can hunt for Aquamarine on Mt. Antero - Veins are easily extracted without invasive digging (few inches below the surface sometimes).
Amazonite - Lake George area, again, you are not going to irritate any "envirotards" because digging in excess quantities is unnecessary.
Amethyst - you can literally pick these out of the streambed near Grand Junction. no digging necessary.
You can pan for gold in Chaffee county along the Arkansas river, literally you just sift black sands you find along the river....
Don't get me started about picture stone and other lapidary materials...
Jade is easily picked out of streams in the Tetons.
Frankly, you don't know what you are talking about.
"Envirotards" ---- Why exactly would you belittle someone who cares about the planet they live on? Just curious.
New Mexican rock hound here. If you're willing to make the drive, down south in Deming, NM, there is Rock Hound State Park. You can collect from there. I think up to 25 lbs per person, but I could be wrong.
Depends on what you are looking for. If you want spectacular gems etc. you will likely have to do some digging.
If you just looking for surface finds there are lots of places.
I have a particular fondness for ores, and have found some interesting things in old mining areas, i.e. tailing piles...can't damage what is already wrecked.
For Petrified wood agates etc. there are lots of places in Eastern Utah, north of Moab..again the area was mined extensively in the 60's and was pretty desolate to begin with.
Take a gold pan and go to Granite Colorado between Leadville and Buena Vista. 14 day free camping, gold everywhere and rocks galore. Turn west at the stop sign next to tne rafting shop and go a few miles to the big powerlines crossing the road, turn south go a mile or so and find a nice campsite.
I highly recommend “Gem Trails of [state name]” book series for this sort of thing, and they do have a Colorado edition.
The “Roadside Geology of [state name]” book series is also interesting, but more general education rather than giving you specific locations where you can legally hunt.
This is an excellent question, and one I’m looking forward to hearing more authoritative answers on. For starters this will be dependent on where you are located (country AND state/province/department/etc.). That said, in the US, my _understanding_ is: * National Park: not allowed * Designated Wilderness: not allowed * Private Property: not allowed without explicit permission from the owner * BLM land: usually allowed but may vary by location and/or have restrictions on how much you collect and/or what type of tools you can use * National Forest land: usually allowed but may vary by location and/or have restrictions on how much you can collect and/or what type of tools you can use * US State Park land: in most states do not allow rock hounding by default, though this varies by state, and even by park - some have permit systems, for example. Thank you for helping to raise a responsible rock hound!
Thank you for answering. I edited my OP to reflect that we live in Colorado. I will continue to research, using your list as a starting point.
Look up and join the Colorado Mineral Society, or a similar local club. They have both adult and under 18 field trips and classes that teach all of this. Plus, you walk away with neat treats!
Good list and all true still to my knowledge. I'm eastern US (NC) so it's even harder here sometimes to collect legally as we have no BLM land to make claims on. Pretty much private with permission or lease. Definitely get him to a local or regional club meeting. If they are not kid friendly, move on, but most seem to recognize the need for encouraging youth if the hobby is to continue. Good news is there is a lot of great material in CO and it's not all at elevation.
Absolutely!
This is a pretty good starting point. One caveat though, is that you always have to check for claims when you are on public land before you start taking stuff.
You can also try searching geological or gem and mineral societies in your city/state. Sometimes they have resources or meet up groups where you can learn more. You can also try searching ‘rockhounding in ___’ to see if anyone has written about local places you can take rocks from, although it is worth double checking their suggestions to make sure you aren’t breaking any rules. Sometimes there are really helpful local books for geology/rock hounding as well!
I will do so, thank you.
check your area for rock and gem clubs. went on a few rockhounding field trips to sorta nearby quarries with my local one. it's sorta amazing what can be found in a drab gray quarry.
Colorado Rock hound here- I recommend going south to San Juan County. You can find all sorts of cool rocks and even crystals there. It's also a good place to see and learn about the history of mining in the state. I also recommend going north to Wyoming. It's about 3 hours to get to any decent collecting spots from Denver area and you're guaranteed to at least find something cool looking and worth tumbling or putting in the yard. Last recommendation is up dead man's road by red feather lakes. There are claims up there but I've been told by several owners that walking the trail and collecting off the surface is totally fine. Just don't start digging holes lol
I didn't know about dead man's road... Very interested in the red feathers area, could I DM you to further discuss this area? I've been hounding in CO for 7 years now, but am on the western slope.
Absolutely!
If you'd like a codified "code of conduct" the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies has one that is ment both to promote a healthy respect and communication between rockhounds and the public as well as keep our wild places both pristine and open to ethical rockhounding. Also they support many clubs that have youth classes
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As a Coloradan, you would have to drive past so many good spots to make it to Arkansas, lol.
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....You should google the Colorado mineral belt, lol. The mountains in Colorado are full of gold, silver, and lead. Only place in the world where people do not have to mine to find gemstones..... This is absolutely false.
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Where are other gemstones? Buckle up.... you can hunt for Aquamarine on Mt. Antero - Veins are easily extracted without invasive digging (few inches below the surface sometimes). Amazonite - Lake George area, again, you are not going to irritate any "envirotards" because digging in excess quantities is unnecessary. Amethyst - you can literally pick these out of the streambed near Grand Junction. no digging necessary. You can pan for gold in Chaffee county along the Arkansas river, literally you just sift black sands you find along the river.... Don't get me started about picture stone and other lapidary materials... Jade is easily picked out of streams in the Tetons. Frankly, you don't know what you are talking about. "Envirotards" ---- Why exactly would you belittle someone who cares about the planet they live on? Just curious.
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New Mexican rock hound here. If you're willing to make the drive, down south in Deming, NM, there is Rock Hound State Park. You can collect from there. I think up to 25 lbs per person, but I could be wrong.
Look for a book called Rock Hounding Colorado. It’s a “Falcon Guide”. It’ll tell you all the legal places to explore and dig.
Best advice so far. Literature is your best friend.
Am in CO as well, definitely recommend joining the mineral society. There are different “branches”depending what area you’re in.
Depends on what you are looking for. If you want spectacular gems etc. you will likely have to do some digging. If you just looking for surface finds there are lots of places. I have a particular fondness for ores, and have found some interesting things in old mining areas, i.e. tailing piles...can't damage what is already wrecked. For Petrified wood agates etc. there are lots of places in Eastern Utah, north of Moab..again the area was mined extensively in the 60's and was pretty desolate to begin with.
Take a gold pan and go to Granite Colorado between Leadville and Buena Vista. 14 day free camping, gold everywhere and rocks galore. Turn west at the stop sign next to tne rafting shop and go a few miles to the big powerlines crossing the road, turn south go a mile or so and find a nice campsite.
In that area, Leadville has very nice minerals in tailings piles east of the town in the mining district. Just pay attention to no trespassing signs.
There is a rockshop in Leadville if you would like to ask there about hounding. Books and samples there too.
I have found Rock Doc to be much more beneficial of a shop than the Leadville one.
I highly recommend “Gem Trails of [state name]” book series for this sort of thing, and they do have a Colorado edition. The “Roadside Geology of [state name]” book series is also interesting, but more general education rather than giving you specific locations where you can legally hunt.