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Rockhounding in California: where you can collect

Updated . Rules come from the BLM, the Forest Service and California state regulations; sources are at the end.

BLM land open, state parks mostly closed

Nearly half of California is federal land. On BLM land you may collect rocks and minerals for personal use without a permit, up to 25 pounds a day plus one piece and 250 pounds a year, and the BLM lists rock collecting areas in the southeastern deserts for geodes, jasper and chalcedony. State parks are closed to collecting except in units posted as open.

Federal land
45.3% of California; BLM manages 15.0% (2024)
Limit on BLM land
25 pounds a day plus one piece; 250 pounds a year
BLM collecting areas
Wiley Well, Chambless, Savahia Peak, Flattop Mountain
State parks
Only units posted as open; 15 pounds a day

The map shows 7 places. They are all listed on this page.

Open the full map with satellite imagery and who manages the land. Coming in the Capyhound app: the map offline, for places with no signal. Get it first

Places to collect

  • Wiley Well District Geode Beds (Hauser Geode Beds)Free collecting

    Find: geodes · BLM

    A BLM-listed rockhounding area; as of October 15, 2026, Wiley’s Well Road is 4x4 only and closed to RVs and trailers. Source · On the map

  • Chambless Rock Collecting AreaFree collecting

    Find: hematite, magnetite, epidote, small garnets · BLM Needles Field Office

    On the southern edge of the Trilobite Wilderness, where only non-motorized hand tools are allowed. Source · On the map

  • Flattop Mountain Rock Collecting AreaFree collecting

    Find: jasper · BLM Needles Field Office

    A plentiful supply of jasper, according to the BLM; a 4x4 is required. Source · On the map

  • Savahia Peak Rock Collecting AreaFree collecting

    Find: chalcedony · BLM Needles Field Office

    A BLM-listed rockhounding area that the BLM calls an excellent site for chalcedony. Source · On the map

    Approximate pin

    BLM’s own page gives two different locations; confirm with BLM Needles, 760-326-7000.

  • Obsidian collection areas near Lassen Creek CampgroundAsk the office first

    Find: obsidian · Modoc National Forest

    The Forest Service places the campground near obsidian collection areas but states no limits; ask the forest. Source · On the map

    Approximate pin

    The pin is Lassen Creek Campground; the Forest Service does not map the collection areas themselves.

  • Crystal Mine near Lookout CampgroundFree collecting

    Find: crystals · Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest

    Personal-use limit: one 5-pound bucket per week, according to the Forest Service. Source · On the map

    Approximate pin

    The pin is Lookout Campground; the mine is a few miles away on Forest Road 033.

  • Union Flat Campground recreational mining areaPanning allowed

    Find: gold · Tahoe National Forest

    Recreational mining is hands and pans only; watch for the claim markers of existing mining claims. Source · On the map

    Approximate pin

    The pin is the campground; the mining area is downstream of it.

The BLM desert areas in detail

Wiley Well District Geode Beds

Desert country of the Little Chuckawalla, Mule and Palo Verde mountains, reached from the Wiley’s Well Road exit of Interstate 10, about 16 miles west of Blythe, then about 15 miles south on graded dirt. The BLM calls January and February a beautiful time to visit, when winter rains bring out wildflowers. BLM pages name two different field offices for the area, El Centro and Palm Springs–South Coast.

Road notice: as of October 15, 2026, the BLM says Wiley’s Well Road is impassable for RVs and trailers and advises 4x4 vehicles only.

Chambless Rock Collecting Area

On the southern edge of the Trilobite Wilderness, west of Needles. The BLM describes hematite and magnetite near old mine shafts, green epidote in the washes, small garnets in the side canyons, limestone and marble from an old quarry, and fossils in a gray limestone ridge to the east. Inside the wilderness, only non-motorized hand tools are allowed, and stay out of the old shafts.

Flattop Mountain Rock Collecting Area

A plentiful supply of jasper, according to the BLM, about 20 miles west of Needles off Interstate 40. A 4x4 is required.

Savahia Peak Rock Collecting Area

Bright white chalcedony that is easy to spot against darker soil. The BLM’s page describes two different locations, a wash north of US 62 near Vidal Junction and a route off US 95 south of Needles, so confirm with the BLM Needles Field Office, 760-326-7000, before you go.

On the coast: Jade Cove

Jade Cove on the Big Sur coast is known for nephrite jade. The sources we checked disagree on who manages it and do not settle the collecting rules, so it is not on our map yet. Ask before you collect.

A rocky cove on the Big Sur coast with blue ocean and white surf below a scrubby bluff
The coast at Jade Cove, Big Sur, California. Photo: Sarah Zukoff, CC BY 2.0.

Rules on BLM land

  • Free, no permit, for personal use only; nothing collected for commercial purposes or bartered to dealers.
  • Limits: 25 pounds a day plus one piece, 250 pounds a year, and no pooling to take a piece larger than 250 pounds.
  • Not in developed recreation sites unless designated for rockhounding, and not where collecting is posted as closed.
  • No machines: no motorized or mechanical devices, heavy equipment or explosives.
  • National monuments mostly have additional rules; ask the monument office.
  • Fossils and artifacts: common invertebrate fossils in reasonable amounts; no vertebrate fossils and no artifacts.

California state parks

  • Closed by default: removing rocks and minerals from state parks is prohibited, except in units or parts of units posted as open for rockhounding.
  • Where open: up to 15 pounds per person per day in each unit.
  • Tools: none, except gold pans for gold panning, and muddy water from panning must not show more than 20 feet away.
  • No selling, no collecting in swimming or boat-launch areas, and no arrowheads or other archaeological items.
  • Which units are open: we could not find a list; ask the park.

California’s state rocks and minerals

  • Rock: serpentine
  • Mineral: gold
  • Gemstone: benitoite
  • Fossil: saber-toothed cat

BLM California

State Office: 2800 Cottage Way, Suite W1623, Sacramento, CA 95825; 916-978-4400. For the desert areas above, call the BLM Needles Field Office, 760-326-7000.

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Questions

Can I collect rocks on BLM land in California?

Yes, for personal use and without a permit, within limits: up to 25 pounds a day plus one piece, and 250 pounds a year. Not in developed recreation sites unless they are designated for rockhounding, not where collecting is posted as closed, and not for sale or barter.

Where are BLM’s rock collecting areas in California?

The BLM lists the Wiley Well Geode Beds, Chambless and Savahia Peak as rockhound areas, and has a page for the Flattop Mountain Rock Collecting Area near Needles.

Can I collect rocks in California state parks?

Only in units, or parts of units, posted as open for rockhounding. There you may gather up to 15 pounds per person per day in each unit, with no tools except gold pans, and nothing may be sold.

Can I keep fossils or arrowheads I find on BLM land?

Not vertebrate fossils and not artifacts. Common invertebrate fossils may be collected in reasonable amounts.

Can I drive to the Wiley Well geode beds?

A BLM notice dated October 15, 2026 says Wiley’s Well Road is impassable for RVs and trailers and advises 4x4 vehicles only.

Do I need four-wheel drive for Flattop Mountain?

Yes. The BLM says a 4x4 is required to reach the jasper collecting area.

What are California’s state rock, mineral and gemstone?

Serpentine is the state rock, gold the state mineral and benitoite the state gemstone.

Sources

Show 8 more sources