Rockhounding Resources and Links

📍This isn’t Pinterest. This is the real deal. A field-tested vault of where to go, what to dig, who to trust, and how to get your hands dirty—organized by region, use, and reliability. We’ve done the work to get this list into the wild. You’re welcome here.

🌍 Start Here (Maps + Tools)

This is where the real ones dig deeper. Whether you're looking for fee digs, trusted maps, or rock shops worth the drive, we built this page for you. It's part field guide, part favorites list, and part quiet nod to the places that keep our hands dirty and our pockets full.

The list below give you an idea of what to put in your search bar, not ever location has a website or very many details online. Consider these breadcrumbs.🫶 Can’t find what you’re looking for? Reach out. We’ve probably been there—or know someone who has.

🧭 Fee Dig Sites by State

These are pay-to-dig locations where you're allowed to keep what you find. Conditions change—always call ahead, especially for remote sites.

Oregon

  • 🔸 Double Eagle Mine – Oregon Sunstone
  • 🔸 Dust Devil Mine – Belt picking and digging for sunstone
  • 🔸 Spectrum Mine – Multiple dig options for Oregon Sunstone
  • 🔸 Wheeler High School Fossil Beds – Leaf fossils, John Day region
  • 🔸 Holleywood Ranch/Old Marker – Petrified wood near Sweet Home (Call first!)
  • 🔸 Lucky Strike Mine – Thundereggs in the Ochocos

California

  • 🔸 Benitoite Mining Company – Near Coalinga, CA
  • 🔸 Himalaya Tourmaline Mine – San Diego region
  • 🔸 Ernst Quarries – Marine fossils near Bakersfield

Nevada

  • 🔸 Swordfish Opal Mine – Famous opal snake head
  • 🔸 Bonanza, Rainbow Ridge & Royal Peacock Opal Mines – Virgin Valley dig zones
  • 🔸 Royston Turquoise Mine – Open digs for turquoise lovers

Washington

  • 🔸 Stonerose Interpretive Center – Eocene fossils in Republic, WA

Idaho

  • 🔸 Crystal Gold Mine – Tour + shop
  • 🔸 Eagle City Park – Recreational gold panning
  • 🔸 Emerald Creek – Screen for star garnets
  • 🔸 Spencer Opal Mine – Opal tailings dig

Montana

  • 🔸 Gem Mountain & Spokane Bar – Sapphire gravel and panning
  • 🔸 Baisch's Dinosaur Digs – Triceratops + fossils near Glendive

Texas

  • 🔸 Barringer Hill Minerals – Topaz, fluorite, strawberry quartz (Llano Co.)

Wyoming

  • 🔸 Warfield Fossil Safari – Dig fish fossils in the Green River Formation
  • 🔸 Tynsky’s Fossil Digs – Guided fossil digs in the same region

Utah

  • 🔸 Blue Crystal Mine – Azurite near Moab
  • 🔸 Topaz Mountain Adventures – Topaz and red beryl
  • 🔸 U-Dig – Trilobites near Delta

Florida

  • 🔸 Fossil Expeditions – Kayak to dig for mammoth and shark teeth

🏪 Where to Shop by State

Some are science-forward, some are a little woo—but these shops are worth knowing.

Oregon Favorites

  • 🌟 Rock Your World – Lincoln City
  • 🔹 Pier Ave Rock Shop – Tierra Del Mar
  • 🔹 Visions Rock Shop – Lincoln City
  • 🔹 Highland Rock & Gem – Burns
  • 🔹 The Fossil Cartel – Portland
  • 🔹 Prehistoric, The Crystal Wizard, Rooster Rocks – Coastal towns
  • 🔹 Richardson’s Rock Ranch – Madras

Washington + Idaho Highlights

  • 🔹 Handley’s Rock & Gem – Vancouver, WA
  • 🔹 Gingko Gem Shop – Vantage, WA
  • 🔹 Stewarts Gem Shop – Boise, ID

Others Worth Mentioning

  • 🔹 Chapman’s Gem Shop – Fortuna, CA
  • 🔹 Lotus of the Moon, Amethyst Creamery – WA Tri-Cities

🏛 Must-See Museums & Geological Centers

  • 🔸 Crater Rock Museum – Central Point, OR
  • 🔸 Rice Museum – Hillsboro, OR (Pacific NW mineral wing is incredible)
  • 🔸 Thomas Condon Visitor Center – John Day Fossil Beds (Sheep Rock Unit)
  • 🔸 Baker City Museum – Featuring the Calvin-Warfel Collection
  • 🧾 Oregon DOGAMI – State geology & minerals info

🔗 Rockhound Links & Info

  • 📀 ORE-ROCK-ON DVD – Must-have map set for Oregon, Washington, and Idaho rockhounds
  • 📍 Crook County Chamber of Commerce – Local public dig map near Prineville, OR
  • 🌍 USGS Earthquake Map – Because geology never sleeps
  • 🌐 Geology.com – Broad reference for all things Earth