Discover mineral and gemstone treasures across the United States with our Rockhound Guide. This publication pilots you through America with what to find, where to find it and how to use it. From filling a collection, finding display pieces or making jewelry for yourself or your business, we’ve got you covered. Grab your road trip list and get started.
Editor’s Letter
Best of Rock & Gem Rockhound Roadtrip 2025
Roadside Oddities for the Geologist • A Planning Guide to Spice Up Your Rockhound Road Trip
East Coast “Diamonds” • Sparkling Treasures of Quartz
Rockhounding the State Line Serpentine Barrens • Explore serpentine landscapes on the PA–MD line, where rockhounds can spot magnesite, chrysotile and other unique minerals.
Exploring the Fossil Cliffs of the Helderberg Escarpment • New York’s Window Into a Prehistoric Ocean World
Exploring the Badlands Time in Stone • Journey through colorful formations, rich fossil beds, and sweeping prairie views in South Dakota’s Badlands.
Geologic Formations of the Badlands
Collecting Ohio’s Official Gemstone • Explore Flint Ridge and Its Ancient Quarries
Iowa’s Gem-Covered Grotto • The Grotto of the Redemption blends faith, artistry, and geology with one of the most complete collections of gems, fossils, and rocks in the world.
Quartz Country: Rockhounding the Ouachitas • From roadside shops to legendary mines, Arkansas’s Ouachita Mountains sparkle with world-class quartz and hands-on digging adventures.
KENTUCKY AGATE • Rocks, Rivers & Adventure
Exploring Cornwallis’ CAVE • Not A Cave, But A Geological Gem
Walking with Mammoths and Dinosaurs in Texas
Touring The Rio Grande Rift • Explore 500 miles of Minerals in Colorado & New Mexico
12 Tips for Rockhounding Tucson’s Greatest Shows
CAMP PARADISE Lapidary & Jewelry Workshops • A view from the notebook of one participant
Geology & Colorado’s Tourist Trains
Glass Beach at Fort Bragg • Colorful Sea Glass on this Northern California Seashore
Other Glass Beaches
LIMB CAST AGATE • A limb cast agate is different from petrified wood. Whereas petrified wood is a mineral replacement of the original wood, a limb cast is formed by agate filling a void where wood once resided. The wood is covered by earth or ash and then decomposes, leaving a space where agate forms in the shape of the original wood limb. This limb cast is from Oregon, where the agates are found in beautiful pink hues. This limb cast has magnificent dendrites on the outside and a druzy vug on the inside.