The best places to rockhound in Idaho are in streams and river gravels, particularly in the Clearwater and Salmon Rivers. Old mine tailings in areas like the Seven Devils district are great for finding gemstones, and the Spencer Opal Mine is a great option for finding raw fire opals.
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Where can I go rockhounding in Idaho?
The best places to hunt for them are Owyhee, Custer, Blaine, Gem, Latah, and Washington counties. The south and western parts of Idaho are generally where the best spots are located. Forests and streams are generally the best places to rockhound in Idaho, but there are certainly many other places.
Is it illegal to take rocks from a river in Idaho?
Collecting is not specifically prohibited or restricted. Your collecting activities result in no more than minor disturbance of the public lands.
Can you rockhound on public land?
Collecting any rock materials including common invertebrate fossils and petrified wood from public lands for commercial use or barter is prohibited. A Federal law passed in 1962 provides for the removal of limited quantities of petrified wood by the general public from public lands administered by the BLM.
Where can I dig for crystals in Idaho?
Rockhounding
| GEMSTONE OR ROCK NAME | COUNTY | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| CRYSTALS – QUARTZ | CUSTER | Near Bayhorse and in Yankee Fork Mining District |
| BENEWAH | Crystal Peak northeast of Fernwood | |
| IDAHO | McKinley Gulch in Slate Creek and Ruby Meadows | |
| OWYHEE | Long Gulch south of Silver City |
Where Can You Dig geodes in Idaho?
Quartz-lined geodes can be found in the upper valley of Lost River in Custer County, near the DeLamar Silver Mine in Owyhee County, and northwest of the town of Weiser, Idaho in Washington County. Usually no permits are needed for amateurs to collect rocks on Idaho public lands.
Can I take rocks from a creek?
It is legal to take rocks from public property, but illegal when taking them from private property.Taking rocks from a protected area would be similar to going to an archaeological site and taking things like fossils or old weapons.
Can I pick up rocks on the side of the road?
What is this? As a general rule of thumb, any large rocks that are placed there by road crews as a means of erosion control or water control are 100% illegal to remove. They are there for a structural purpose and are private property.
Can you take rocks from nature?
When considering the legalities of rock, mineral, or fossil collecting, the foremost principle is that a collector cannot legally take rocks, minerals, or fossils without the permission or consent of whoever has a legal right to those rocks, mineral, or fossils.
Can you rockhound anywhere?
While rockhounding can be very difficult, it is also extremely rewarding! This guide is meant as a quick reference to those just getting started. While it is geared more towards rockhounding in the U.S.A., the concepts can be applied anywhere in the world.
Where can I find rocks?
The best places to look for rocks to collect are quarries, road cuts, outcrops, pay-to-dig sites, river banks, creek beds, mine tailings, beaches, and sites with freshly overturned soil. These locations provide easy access to abundant amounts of exposed, high quality, representative rock specimens.
Where can you dig for geodes?
Geodes are found throughout the world, but the most concentrated areas are located in the deserts. Volcanic ash beds, or regions containing limestone, are common geode locations. There are many easily accessible geode collecting sites in the western United States, including in California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada.
Can you rockhound in wilderness areas?
Forest Service policy allows rockhounding that includes the collecting of rocks, semi-precious stones, and minerals from national forest and grasslands for personal, hobby, and noncommercial use.In national monuments, wilderness areas, and other special or protected areas, collecting may or may not be allowed.
Is it legal to take rocks from BLM?
Most BLM lands are open to rock collecting.Rocks, minerals and semiprecious gemstones may be collected on public lands managed by the BLM without charge or permit as long as: • The specimens are for personal use and are not collected for commercial purposes or bartered to commercial dealers.
Is it illegal to take rocks from Yellowstone?
In national parks and many other protected places, it is illegal to remove natural objects such as antlers, petrified wood, or colored rocks, or to remove or disturb archeological sites, historic sites, or artifacts found on public lands.
Where can I find amethyst in Idaho?
Amethyst in Idaho
Amethyst has been found at Pole Creek in Blaine County, Hog Creek in Washington County west of Weiser, along the North Fork of the Lost River, on the Yankee Fork near Stanley, and Challis Creek in near Custer.
Can you dig for gems in Idaho?
Idaho gems can be found throughout the state, particularly in mining sites and stream beds.Idaho’s state gem is the star garnet. Throughout the state there are numerous and popular gem-hunting spots where enthusiasts can find deposits of corundum, jasper, agate, opal, garnet, topaz and zircon.
How do you go rockhounding?
- Do the research. Start close to home, by exploring your area’s geology – what minerals and rocks are present in your current locale?
- Join a club.
- Gather the tools.
- Catalog your collection.
- Keep the labels.
- Use reliable reference sources.
- Limit the size of your mineral collection.
- Develop your relationships.
Where do you find Thundereggs?
How to Spot Thundereggs? Though thundereggs appear lke rocks, they can be easily identified by the abnormally round and bumpy brown-gray surface. Usually, thundereggs lie relatively close to the Earth’s surface, embedded in the clay of the tuff, where they were formed.
Are diamonds found in Idaho?
Idaho is rich in industrial minerals.Agates, jade, opal, garnet (pink, green, and red), and diamonds-to name a few-have all been found in Idaho. It is believed the biggest diamond ever found in the United States – weighing nineteen and one-half carats – was found between McCall and New Meadows.
Where can I find obsidian rock in Idaho?
8. Obsidian Ridge, New Mexico. Here is a great place for a family outing. Obsidian Ridge lies along the Jemez Volcanic field in the Jemez Mountains.
