West Virginia · Grant · Ready
Smoke Hole Resort — Moonshine Gemstone Mining
Material referenceLOCATION FIELD MAP
Local field map, land context & nearby records
No exact primary coordinate is published for this record, so the map uses regional context without inventing a specimen pin.
Smoke Hole Resort — Moonshine Gemstone Mining is a Ready rockhounding record in Grant, West Virginia. The recorded activity or material is managed gemstone and fossil mining rough with more than 50 gemstone varieties and 30 fossil types. The recorded manager or operating context is Smoke Hole Resort / Moonshine Mining Company. Ready means the current evidence supports the modeled activity, but visitors should still recheck current posted rules, closures, hours, fees, claims, collecting limits and site-specific notices before travel.
Can I collect at Smoke Hole Resort — Moonshine Gemstone Mining?
Ready. Current operator page says gemstone/fossil mining is seasonal, generally April 1 through October 31, and describes the resulting specimens as keepsakes. August 29 falls inside the current general season. This is enriched commercial mining rough, not a native field-collecting locality.
Ready means the current evidence supports the modeled activity, but visitors should still recheck current posted rules, closures, hours, fees, claims, collecting limits and site-specific notices before travel.
Recorded destination: 8290 N Fork Highway, Cabins, WV 26855
What rocks, minerals, fossils or collecting interests are associated with it?
The record lists managed gemstone and fossil mining rough with more than 50 gemstone varieties and 30 fossil types. This description is tied to this atlas entry and should be read together with the access status below.
Who manages the place or provides the evidence context?
The recorded manager or context is Smoke Hole Resort / Moonshine Mining Company.
What evidence supports this status?
The record was last reviewed on 2026-08-29. Evidence and management context: Smoke Hole Resort / Moonshine Mining Company. Current named West Virginia managed collecting attraction passes the present manager, access and retention gates; it is clearly labeled as managed mining material rather than native field collecting.
Source verification: This guide names the recorded evidence or land-manager context but does not provide a direct document-level link establishing collecting permission. Before collecting, confirm the current rule and any applicable restrictions with the named authority.
How precise is the map marker?
Navigation uses the recorded public destination or address for Smoke Hole Resort — Moonshine Gemstone Mining. The destination is a travel reference, not a specimen-level promise or a substitute for current access rules.
Checks specific to this location
- Check fossil class, protection status and removal restrictions; viewing a fossil is different from collecting it.
- Confirm any current permit, fee, booking or operator requirements before travelling.
- Reconfirm openings, temporary closures and seasonal access with the land manager.
- Verify the exact destination, the land manager’s latest rules and safe travel conditions before leaving.
When was this information last checked?
The recorded review date is August 29, 2026. Treat that date as the evidence snapshot used for this classification. Conditions can change after review, so field decisions should use the newest posted rules and manager information.
Is a map pin the same as collecting permission?
No. A map pin answers a navigation or geographic-context question. The status and evidence answer the permission question. Exact coordinates, public destination addresses and approximate county or regional context are deliberately kept separate so geographic precision is not confused with legal authority.
What the Moonshine gemstone activity actually offers
The Smoke Hole Resort/Moonshine record represents a managed gemstone-mining activity rather than unrestricted collection from the surrounding canyon. Confirm the activity’s current hours, admission, gemstone-bag options, supervision and what participants may keep. The rough supplied for a sluice may originate elsewhere and must not be used to label local rock exposures as collecting sites.
Keep the two Smoke Hole experiences separate
The canyon is also a scenic geological setting. Smoke Hole Canyon geology research describes rock history, not independent permission to remove stones from caves, cliffs or river margins. Check weather and access to the resort before traveling; do not use regional location pins as a quarry or crystal locality.
LOCATION-SPECIFIC FIELD ANSWER
Smoke Hole Resort — Moonshine Gemstone Mining rockhounding: why this is a stronger field lead
The atlas currently classifies this record as Ready. That means the modeled activity has stronger supporting evidence than a Research-only pin, but current posted rules, claims, closures and site conditions still control the trip.
What rocks or minerals are associated with Smoke Hole Resort — Moonshine Gemstone Mining?
The record associates this place with managed gemstone and fossil mining rough with more than 50 gemstone varieties and 30 fossil types. That association is a field-research lead, not a guarantee that material can be found or legally collected at every point around the marker.
What should be checked before visiting?
The current manager or evidence context is Smoke Hole Resort / Moonshine Mining Company. Verify that authority and the exact parcel or boundary before relying on access information. Ready means the current evidence supports the modeled activity, but visitors should still recheck current posted rules, closures, hours, fees, claims, collecting limits and site-specific notices before travel. The evidence snapshot was last checked 2026-08-29.
How should this record be used for “rockhounding near me”?
This record is eligible for the site’s Rockhounding Near Me planning layer because its status and geographic context meet the current eligibility rules.
COMMUNITY FIELD INTELLIGENCE
Public Testimony & Field Stories
Approved visitor reports add real-world context to the official and geological evidence above. Community testimony never overrides land-manager rules, ownership, claims, closures or protected-resource law.