Rockhounding is a unique way to explore public lands and areas. You get to experience the thrill of the hunt, and the thrill of finding rock and mineral specimens to bring home and display while spending a day (or several!) outdoors. It’s a fun activity for adventure-seeking RV travelers.
Bringing an RV also means you can sleep each night in comfort. You’ll have a place to store your food and other supplies. Depending on your RV model, you may also have a shower and clean bathroom to enjoy while you’re exploring.
This guide covers top spots to check out for rockhounding, plus RV campgrounds and other areas nearby.
The Top 5 Wild Places You Can Dig for Crystals & Where to Camp Nearby
Indulge your inner prospector at these cool spots where you can hunt for crystals and enjoy a weekend outdoors!
1. Crystal Park – Montana
Crystal Park is in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest in southwestern Montana. It’s open for day use only, and there is a $5 fee per person, cash or check. Children 10 and younger do not need to pay. The area is typically open from mid-June through mid-October, depending on the weather.
There are three picnic sites with tables and grills. You’ll also find bathrooms, a paved trail with benches, and an overlook.
You can only use hand tools to search for crystals, and each person has a five-day limit per season for digging. Rules for the area are posted on signs in the park and are listed in brochures you can get at the site.
Weekdays tend to be less crowded than weekends.
What to Find: You can hunt for quartz crystals among the decomposed granite. You might find crystals that are clear, cloudy, gray (smoky), white, or purple (amethysts). They range in size from smaller than a pinky finger to up to several inches. Most of these crystals don’t have a big monetary value, but they’re a fun souvenir from your trip.
How to Get There: If you’re heading to the park from Dillon, take I-15 south for 3 miles. Then take the Highway 278 exit and continue west for 22 miles. Head north on Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway Road 73 for about 17 miles.
The park is near Elkhorn Hot Springs, if you want to add a relaxing getaway to your trip.
Tip: Bring hand tools, buckets, and a tarp for sorting your haul. Be sure to bring plenty of water, sunscreen, a sun hat, and layers so you’re prepared for any kind of mountain weather.
Camping Nearby
There is no camping at Crystal Park, but Price Creek Campground is a nearby option. It has vault toilets, potable water, picnic tables and fire rings, and bear boxes for food and toiletries. There is no garbage service. Dispersed camping is available in the national forest as well.
You’ll find lots of beautiful campgrounds in Montana, some of which are near this area as well.
RVing is a great way to travel to Crystal Park for rockhounding. Since Crystal Park allows up to 5 days of digging, you can spend a few days looking for treasures while sleeping in a comfortable bed each night.
2. Garnet Hill – Ely, Nevada
Garnet Hill, as the name implies, is an excellent place to search for garnets. The area is near Ely, which is a great town for camping and RVing. You can look for garnets in one of two ways at Garnet Hill. First, look around the area and in drainage areas for dark colored garnets. Sometimes, the crystals come out of the rocks they’re in and wash downhill.
You can also break open rocks with a hammer to search for garnets inside. You’ll likely find better specimens using this method. You can also see the excavations at the massive open pit copper mines near Ruth from Garnet Hill. If you’re a rockhound, there’s lots of exciting stuff to see! One tip from a rock hunter is to walk farther than most people who are digging. People tend to cluster, so if you venture farther from the main area, you might find stones that haven’t been picked over.
There are four picnic sites at Garnet Hill, and there’s an accessible restroom. There’s also a group barbeque area. The area sits at about 7,000 feet above sea level.
What to Find: Look for garnets throughout this area. They’ll likely vary from a dark maroon to black – not ideal for gemstones but great as rock and mineral specimens to display.
How to Get There: The town of Ely sits along Highway 50 in eastern Nevada. To get to Garnet Hill from Ely, head west on Highway 50. North of the Ruth turnoff, you’ll turn right onto the graded access road. Sedans and passenger vehicles can use this road, but it’s steep and winding in places. You’ll drive on the road for 3.1 miles and arrive at the parking area.
Tip: Bring hand tools, buckets, and a tarp for sorting your haul. You’ll also want a sun hat and sunscreen, plenty of water, snacks or a lunch, and layers so you’re ready for high-altitude weather.
Camping Nearby
There is some limited space for camping at Garnet Hill, suitable for tents or small RVs. There are also lots of camping options in Ely, including great accommodations at the Ely KOA Journey and primitive camping at Cleve Creek Campground. Great Basin National Park is just under an hour’s drive from Ely, and you’ll find campgrounds and lots to do there as well.
Ely is a very RV-friendly town, with a variety of campgrounds. And RVing is a great way to experience rockhounding at Garnet Hill. You can spend a day or two hunting for specimens during the day, and relax in your own space and comfy bed each night.
3. Salmon River Crystal Area – Idaho
Idaho’s nickname is The Gem State, and you can find treasures to collect throughout the state. The Salmon River has some areas that are popular spots to go rock hunting. The East Fork of the river is near cryptocrystalline quartz that’s housed in blood red sandstone. Near Challis, you’ll find a rare zeolite, and there’s a petrified wood forest in the area as well.
There are other spots all along the river where you can look. The Island Bar Recreation Site in west central Idaho tends to have garnet, agate, and jasper along with various other minerals. And Ruby Rapids is another nice spot to search.
What to Find: Depending on the area you’re searching, you may find quartz, amethyst, citrine, garnet, agate and jasper in the river.
How to Get There: You can reach some parts of the Salmon River and get gorgeous views of the area by following the Salmon River Scenic Byway. Big Salmon Road near Riggins also goes near the river.
Tip: You’ll likely want a trowel for digging. One rockhound also recommends a gold pan. Garnets are heavier than most rocks, so you can pan for them like panning for gold. Let them settle to the bottom of your pan as you sift out water, silt, and other debris.
You’ll also want a sun hat, sunscreen, water, snacks, and layers. You may want waders or water shoes for getting in the river, plus a towel and dry clothes for when you’re done.
Camping Nearby
There is a very small campground at Island Bar Recreation Site – just three campsites. But there are other BLM camping options nearby that are also along the river, including Lucile Recreation Site, Slate Creek, and Hammer Creek.
The Salmon River goes through the Salmon-Challis National Forest, and there are lots of dispersed camping options in the forest. You can also find camping in towns like Boise, Twin Falls, Post Falls, and all throughout the state.
You can rent at RV at home to drive to the Salmon River, or fly into Idaho and rent one for a shorter road trip.
4. Rockhound State Park – Deming, New Mexico
Rockhound State Park is in Luna County, 7 miles from Deming. It’s situated in the Little Florida Mountains. Along with being home to a variety of rocks and minerals, it’s also the site of a wide range of cacti and other desert plants. It’s an arid desert region that can also get thunderstorms and flash floods. You might also spot wildlife, including lizards, snakes, mountain lions, and bighorn sheep.
This is one of the only state parks in the country that allows guests to bring home gems and minerals they find. There is a 15-pound weight limit on what you can bring home with you. A day pass for the park is $5 for New Mexico residents and $10 for non-residents.
What to Find: You might discover quartz crystals, geodes, jasper, perlite, or other minerals at the park.
How to Get There: Rockhound State Park is just a short drive from Deming. Follow I-10 E and NM-549 E to NM-143 S/Stirrup Rd SE, then drive to Stirrup Rd SE to the park.
Tip: You’ll want a trowel for digging, a bucket where you can keep your finds, and possibly a tarp or other surface where you can lay everything out to see what you have. If you plan to take home as many rocks and minerals as possible, you may want a scale or other way to determine that you have 15 pounds or less.
Camping Nearby
Rockhound State Park has a campground with electric hookups. However, the park fills up quickly. Little Vineyard RV Resort bills itself as a Rock Hunter’s Paradise and has full hookups, a dog park, a playground, and a pool. Las Cruces also has great campgrounds and is about an hour away from the park.
5. Graveyard Point – Oregon
Graveyard Point in eastern Oregon is in Owyhee Canyon. There are hundreds of acres in the high desert, with agate veins where you can search for rocks and minerals. A lot of this area is open and available for rock hunting, but there are some mining claims. Check for posted signs and make sure you’re following Bureau of Land Management rules.
To uncover great agate specimens, look for an agate vein and mine it with a geological pick. You may want to search areas where other people have already been digging, as that can indicate a good deposit.
You’ll want a high-clearance 4-wheel drive vehicle to explore Graveyard Point.
What to Find: You might find a variety of different types of agate, plus quartz, petrified wood, and jasper.
How to Get There: Graveyard Point is just eight miles southwest of Homedale, ID. It’s 48 miles west of Boise. From Boise, you take I-84 W. Take exit 27 and follow State Highway 19 W to US 95 S in Wilder. Follow that to Graveyard Point Road.
Tip: You’ll want to bring a shovel, geology pick, hammer, and chisel to help with hunting agates and other minerals.
Camping Nearby
Homedale, Idaho is the nearest town to Graveyard Point, and there are several campgrounds there. The Snake River RV Resort has full hookups, showers, laundry, and is pet-friendly. Shady Lane RV Park has full hookups and is also along the picturesque Snake River. You can also look for campgrounds in Boise if you want to be closer to a big city.
Tips for Planning Your RV Rockhounding Adventure
RV rockhounding can be a whole lot of fun. It can also lead to some impressive collections of rocks and minerals that you can showcase at home. It’s a unique way to display evidence of your travels. To have a successful rockhounding adventure, you’ll want to spend some time planning before you go. Here are a few things to know before your trip.
The Best Time To Go Rockhounding
There isn’t really a rockhunting season, so your decision on when to go should be guided by the weather at your destination more than anything else.
Several spots on this list are at high elevations and can get lots of snow during the winter. Others are in desert areas that can get very hot in summer. Late spring and early summer are good times to go. If you’re headed to mountainous areas at higher elevations, you’ll want to check before you go and make sure the snow has melted and the roads are open.
Early to mid-fall is also a great rock-collecting season. You will again want to check high elevations to make sure there hasn’t been an early snowfall.
If you’re rockhounding in warmer desert areas, you can go during the colder seasons as well … and if you’re hunting at higher elevations, the summer can be a pleasant time to be outdoors.
Safety Tips and Recommended Tools
You’ll want to make sure your gear and clothing are appropriate for the weather where you’ll be rockhounding. Here are the things you’ll want to pack for a rockhounding trip, and here is a downloadable checklist for your trip.
| Category | Item | Notes |
| Rockhounding Tools | Rock hammer / Geologist’s hammer | Essential for breaking rocks or extracting specimens |
| Chisels | For splitting layers and extracting delicate finds | |
| Safety goggles | Protects eyes from flying rock chips | |
| Sturdy gloves | Protects hands from sharp rocks and rough terrain | |
| Field guide / Mineral identification book | Helps identify rocks and minerals on site | |
| Magnifying loupe / Hand lens | For close examination of minerals and crystals | |
| Small shovel / trowel | ||
| Classifier screens / gold pans | For sifting smaller stones, especially in rivers | |
| Spray bottle (water) | Reveals color and luster of dry rocks | |
| Collection bags or buckets | For transporting finds | |
| Labels and marker | To record where you found each specimen | |
| Backpack or field pack | ||
| Navigation & Safety | GPS or offline maps | |
| Compass | ||
| First aid kit | ||
| Sunscreen & bug spray | ||
| Whistle or emergency signal device | ||
| Headlamp or flashlight | ||
| Clothing | Sturdy boots or hiking shoes | |
| Wide-brim hat | ||
| Layered clothing, appropriate to season | ||
| RV Camping Gear | Leveling blocks | |
| Generator or solar panels | If camping off-grid | |
| Freshwater hose & water filter | ||
| Sewer hose & gloves | ||
| Wheel chocks | ||
| RV toolkit (basic tools) | For small repairs | |
| Camp chairs & table | ||
| Outdoor mat or rug | To keep dirt out of RV | |
| Portable grill or stove | ||
| Cooler or extra fridge | For extended off-grid trips | |
| Other Essentials | Permits, park passes, or site info | |
| Snacks / high-energy food | ||
| Trash bags | To Leave No Trace | |
| Notebook or journal | To record finds, locations, and notes | |
| Permits, parks passes, or site info |
Rules for Digging on Public Lands
The Bureau of Land Management generally allows people to collect “reasonable amounts” of rocks, minerals, and semiprecious stones for personal collecting (noncommercial purposes). Reasonable amounts in most cases means up to 25 pounds per person per day. You can’t collect on developed recreation sites, places where there are active mining claims, or in places where the mineral estate is privately owned.
As with all outdoor activities, practice Leave No Trace principles while rock hunting and camping in the area. Make sure to pack out anything you bring in and leave the area you were in as good or better than you found it.
Rockhounding can be an exciting way to explore new areas, including many areas that aren’t highly visited. You’ll also go home with some unique souvenirs from your trip. And RV camping is a great way to try rockhounding while ensuring that you get a comfortable bed – and maybe even a shower – each night after a day of digging and hiking. Check out the many different sizes and models of RVs and trailers at RVshare to find one that’s perfect for your trip!
