Top Arizona Rockhounding Dig Sites

Located in Mohave County along historic Route 66, Kingman is renowned for its world-class turquoise mines and fire agate deposits. The area's rich volcanic history has created perfect conditions for discovering a wide variety of mineral gemstones.

What You Can Find: Turquoise (with distinctive spiderweb matrix), fire agates, opals, chrysocolla, chalcedony, arsenophrite, placer gold, stibnite, and kaolin minerals.

Top Locations:

• Kingman Turquoise Mine: Historic mine offering tours and turquoise purchases
• Burro Creek: Popular BLM area with jaspers, chalcedony, agates, and placer gold
• Mineral Park: Active copper mine established in 1964
• Emerald Isle Mine: Known for chrysocolla and conglomerate rocks
• Route 66 (Oatman Highway): Fire agate and chalcedony hunting

Cost: Most BLM lands are free (25 lbs/day limit). Some mines offer paid tours or are pay-to-dig.

Pro Tip: Visit during spring or fall for cooler weather. Always get permission before rockhounding on private mining properties.

Learn More

Cave Creek in Maricopa County is one of Arizona's best rockhounding sites, dominated by ancient Precambrian rocks. The area has a rich gold mining history from the 1800s and now offers excellent opportunities for finding beautiful red jasper and other minerals.

What You Can Find: Red jasper (dominant find), fire agates, rose quartz, gold flakes, thundereggs, and chalcocite.

Top Locations:

• West of Cave Creek: Coordinates 33.817775, -111.988531 for red jasper
• Southwest of Cave Creek town: Coordinates 33.782371, -111.997915 for fire agates, jasper, and rose quartz
• Red Rover Mine: Historic mine near Tonto National Forest
• Black Canyon Creek: Gold prospecting opportunities
• Mountains of Cave Creek: Excellent red jasper hunting

Cost: Free on BLM/USFS lands (25 lbs/day, 250 lbs/year limit)

Pro Tip: Visit after rainfall when loose dirt is washed away, revealing more gemstones. Bring a helmet for mountain exploring.

Learn More

Located on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Gila County, Peridot Mesa produces 80-95% of the world's peridot used in jewelry. This unique volcanic field offers a chance to see the August birthstone in its natural setting.

What You Can Find: Peridot (gem variety of olivine) in yellowish-green to pure green colors, plus beautiful wildflowers in winter.

Top Locations:

• San Carlos Volcanic Field: Main peridot deposits in basalt flows
• Buell Park: 265 miles north on Navajo Reservation land (permission required)

Cost: $10 permit + $35 tour fee from San Carlos Recreation and Wildlife Office. Collecting restrictions apply - check current rules.

Pro Tip: Visit in a group to share costs. Bring a camera since collecting may be restricted. Stop at the visitor center for current regulations.

Learn More

This 200,000+ acre national park in Navajo and Apache counties showcases some of the world's most spectacular petrified wood from the Triassic Period, 200+ million years ago. While collecting is prohibited, it's an essential destination for understanding Arizona's geological heritage.

What You Can See: Colorful petrified wood (Arizona's state fossil), bentonite clay, mudstone, sandstone, and ancient petroglyphs.

Top Trails:

• Painted Desert Rim: 1-mile scenic trail
• Blue Mesa: 1-mile loop featuring bentonite and petrified wood
• Crystal Forest: 0.75-mile trail with abundant petrified logs
• Giant Logs: 0.6-mile trail showcasing massive specimens
• Long Logs: 1.6-mile trail from Rainbow Forest
• Agate House: 2-mile trail with archaeological ruins

Cost: National Park entrance fee applies. No collecting permitted.

Pro Tip: Stop at the visitor center for maps and trail recommendations. Stay on marked trails to protect the fragile desert ecosystem.

Learn More

Located in the Sonoran Desert, the Morenci Mine is a massive open-pit copper operation that has been active since the 1870s. While rockhounding is not permitted at the active mine, it's an impressive sight and the surrounding areas offer opportunities for finding secondary copper minerals.

What Can Be Found Nearby: Copper ore, azurite, malachite, chrysocolla, and brochantite (secondary copper minerals from oxidized zones).

Viewing: Drive Highway 191 which runs through the middle of the mine for spectacular views of the operation.

Cost: Free to view from highway. Tours no longer offered. Nearby rockhounding requires permission from private landowners.

Pro Tip: Bring a camera to document the impressive scale of mining operations. Research surrounding areas for copper mineral collecting opportunities.

Learn More