16,872 U.S. rockhounding intelligence records combine collecting/access records with research-only mineral occurrences. Research pins do not establish public access or collecting permission. 11,000 records come from the U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Resources Data System and are clearly marked Research.
Rockhounding Map Explorer
Explore all 50 states with permission-aware status, clickable pins, map-view filtering, saved places, and one-tap navigation.
This is a permission-aware rockhounding map for all 50 U.S. states. It separates places that are Ready for the modeled activity from Conditional, Research-only, and Protected/viewing records, then provides directions without treating navigation as collecting permission. Choose a state, mineral and location, then review its Ready, Conditional, Research or Protected classification. Map markers are geographical leads, not collecting permission; check land managers, property boundaries, claims and current restrictions. Use the state guides, collecting rules and Near Me as research tools. Atlas totals can differ when individual discovery views apply filters. Official reference: BLM rockhounding guidance. Most location maps answer “where is it?” This database also answers “what does the current evidence support?” Every record carries a trust status, a reason, a last-checked date, a map precision role, and separate navigation eligibility. A visible pin is therefore a research/navigation aid—not a blanket statement that collecting is legal. Open a state guide for server-rendered counts, current collecting-status examples, county/equivalent coverage, material interests, and direct access to that state in the interactive map. Use these national guides to move from a broad question to the right state, material, map filter, or field-planning workflow. A separate guide is created only when the underlying record has enough location-specific evidence, geographic context, material information and status detail to answer a distinct visitor question. Broad county geology, statewide occurrence research and policy controls remain available in the map and state guides without being turned into repetitive standalone pages. Yes. Every navigation-active record exposes Google Maps, Apple Maps and OpenStreetMap options. Exact public/official coordinate records are distinguished from county/context positions so a directions link never silently implies coordinate precision or collecting permission. Use the map’s Near Me control. It intentionally narrows the result set to Ready records before sorting by distance, so an uncertain research occurrence is not promoted merely because it is geographically close to you. The newest evidence check in this release is September 9, 2026. Statuses should still be rechecked before travel because closures, claims, permits, land ownership and operator rules can change after a record was reviewed. The map keeps consistent fields for state, county/equivalent, material or interest, trust status, manager context, map precision, navigation eligibility, Near-Me eligibility, review date, reason and primary blocker. Detailed guides preserve the original evidence reason and add place-specific explanations rather than replacing it with generic wording.How do you use the USA rockhounding map safely?
What makes this rockhounding map different?
Rockhounding by state
101 visible · 9 ReadyAlabama
96 visible · 4 ReadyArkansas
126 visible · 3 ReadyArizona
9 visible · 1 ReadyCalifornia
22 visible · 4 ReadyColorado
50 visible · 8 ReadyConnecticut
52 visible · 5 ReadyDelaware
85 visible · 2 ReadyFlorida
83 visible · 5 ReadyGeorgia
185 visible · 8 ReadyHawaii
34 visible · 0 ReadyIowa
143 visible · 5 ReadyIdaho
19 visible · 0 ReadyIllinois
142 visible · 1 ReadyIndiana
130 visible · 1 ReadyKansas
146 visible · 4 ReadyKentucky
188 visible · 2 ReadyLouisiana
93 visible · 3 ReadyMassachusetts
58 visible · 4 ReadyMaryland
128 visible · 3 ReadyMaine
62 visible · 5 ReadyMichigan
112 visible · 5 ReadyMinnesota
116 visible · 5 ReadyMissouri
157 visible · 1 ReadyMississippi
109 visible · 3 ReadyMontana
38 visible · 5 ReadyNorth Carolina
181 visible · 10 ReadyNorth Dakota
86 visible · 0 ReadyNebraska
137 visible · 5 ReadyNew Hampshire
59 visible · 5 ReadyNew Jersey
115 visible · 3 ReadyNew Mexico
86 visible · 2 ReadyNevada
18 visible · 1 ReadyNew York
138 visible · 3 ReadyOhio
142 visible · 4 ReadyOklahoma
119 visible · 1 ReadyOregon
23 visible · 23 ReadyPennsylvania
125 visible · 1 ReadyRhode Island
39 visible · 0 ReadySouth Carolina
114 visible · 2 ReadySouth Dakota
104 visible · 5 ReadyTennessee
169 visible · 2 ReadyTexas
104 visible · 1 ReadyUtah
5 visible · 4 ReadyVirginia
201 visible · 2 ReadyVermont
58 visible · 4 ReadyWashington
22 visible · 2 ReadyWisconsin
101 visible · 5 ReadyWest Virginia
111 visible · 2 ReadyWyoming
46 visible · 6 ReadyExplore the atlas by goal
How the four trust statuses work
Status What it means How to use it Ready Current evidence supports the specifically modeled collecting activity. Recheck posted rules, closures, hours, claims and local conditions before travel. Conditional A stated permission, access, season, permit or ownership condition must be resolved first. Use the record as a lead; verify the blocker before collecting. Research only Useful geological/location context exists, but collecting authority is not established. Research ownership, access and land-manager rules before field use. Protected / viewing The location is modeled for viewing/research and not for collecting. Do not collect; use only for lawful visitation or context. Why do some map records have detailed guides and others stay in the map?
Can I get directions from the map?
How do I find rockhounding near me?
How current is the database?
How the atlas organizes evidence
Alabama geological research map — 1,000 USGS occurrences (Research only)
Explore the first verified-source batch of 1,000 distinct Alabama USGS MRDS mineral occurrences. These historical coordinates are geological leads, not Ready collecting sites, public entrances, claims clearance, or landowner permission. This optional research map is separate from the main permission-aware field map, whose Ready count is not affected.
Alabama USGS mineral occurrences — batch 2 (+1,000 research records)
A second batch of 1,000 distinct USGS MRDS Alabama geological occurrences, deduplicated against the first batch. These are research-only records, not verified public access, claim clearance, directions to safe entrances or permission to collect. This optional map does not increase the main map’s Ready count.
Alabama USGS mineral occurrences — batch 3 (+1,000 research records)
Another 1,000 USGS MRDS research occurrences in Alabama, checked against the existing Alabama batches for duplicated IDs and pin coordinates. These are historical mineral-resource research references, not legally verified places to collect. Land ownership, claims, road access, permits and safe entry require independent checks. The original Ready, Conditional and Protected map statuses are unchanged.