Rockhounding in San Diego County, CA: 748 USGS Mineral Sites (2026)

Check access before you go. Most sites listed here are old mines, quarries or prospects, and many are on private land or active mining claims. Get the landowner's permission, check the rules of the agency that manages any public land, and never enter mine workings. Locations are approximate.

Sketch map

Past ProducerProducerProspectOccurrenceStatus unknown

199 paw pins; nearby sites are grouped into one pin. Hover or tap a pin for the site name. 10 site(s) with USGS coordinates outside the outline are not pinned. County outline: US Census Bureau cartographic boundary file (2023). Locations approximate.

Woof’s favorite find

Owens

We picked it because its USGS record mentions 3 gem or collectible minerals (Quartz, Gold, Silver) and 5 of our card minerals overall. No other named site here scores as high on both counts. USGS lists it as past producer for Gold, Copper. Minerals mentioned: Quartz, Gold, Pyrite, Copper, Silver. Approx. location 33.084, -116.602. USGS record.

Ask first: a USGS record doesn’t mean you can visit. Find out who owns the land and get permission before collecting.

Field cards: what kind of sites?

204

Occurrence

The mineral was noted here, without development.

188

Past Producer

Produced ore or material at some point in the past.

179

Producer

Was producing when the record was made.

163

Prospect

Explored or test-dug, with no recorded production.

Unknown

Status not recorded.

Status terms come from USGS MRDS records.

Mineral cards

Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
300 sites
Feldspar
Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat
38 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
27 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
26 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
26 sites
Scheelite
Mohs 4.5–5. Tungsten mineral that glows blue-white under shortwave UV. Mindat
26 sites
Garnet
Mohs 6.5–7.5. Usually deep red, round many-faced crystals. Mindat
8 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
7 sites

Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.

Minerals recorded here

Scheelite 26Molybdenite 11Chalcopyrite 5Pyrite 4Magnetite 4Malachite 3Microlite 2Spodumene 2Gold 2Ferrimolybdite 2Pyrrhotite 2Limonite 2

Commodities

Gold 294Granite 78Gemstone 64Tungsten 49Feldspar 36Semiprecious Gemstone 26Silica 19Copper 15Molybdenum 14Manganese 14

Sites (first 40)

Site	Commodity	Minerals recorded	Status	Approx. location
Stewart & Other Mines	Lithium, Bismuth	Amblygonite, Bismuth, Bismuthinite, Spodumene	Producer	33.367, -117.068
Otay Bentonite Deposit	Bentonite	Bentonite	Past Producer	32.600, -117.034
Vanderburg - Katerina Pegmatite	Niobium (Columbium), Tantalum, Lithium, Gemstone	Beryl, Lepidolite, Spodumene	Producer	33.367, -117.084
Beehive	—	Bornite, Chalcopyrite, Malachite	Occurrence	33.503, -117.464
Silver Shine Prospect	—	Chalcopyrite	Occurrence	33.513, -117.442
Encinitas	Copper	Chalcopyrite, Limonite, Malachite, Pyrite	Past Producer	33.080, -117.206
Friday Mine	Copper, Nickel, Cobalt	Chalcopyrite, Magnetite, Pentlandite, Pyrite, Pyrrhotite	Occurrence	33.039, -116.565
Old Ironsides Prospect	—	Chalcopyrite, Pyrrhotite	Occurrence	33.159, -116.820
Metal Mountain Mine	Tungsten	Ferberite, Gold, Scheelite, Sphalerite	Past Producer	32.785, -116.371
Bour	—	Ferrimolybdite, Molybdenite	Occurrence	33.067, -116.968
Bour Mine	Molybdenum	Ferrimolybdite, Molybdenite	Producer	33.067, -116.968
Owens	Gold, Copper	Gold, Pyrite	Past Producer	33.084, -116.602
Lakeview	Iron	Hematite, Magnetite	Occurrence	32.895, -116.830
Stewart Pegmatite	Niobium (Columbium), Tantalum, Lithium	Lepidolite, Microlite	Producer	33.367, -117.084
Daley	Copper	Limonite, Malachite, Pyrite	Past Producer	33.071, -116.829
Iron Master	Iron	Magnetite	Occurrence	32.868, -116.851
Campo	Iron	Magnetite	Occurrence	32.592, -116.543
Tourmaline King Pegmatite	Tantalum, Lithium, Gemstone	Microlite, Tourmaline	Producer	33.367, -117.084
Harvey Ranch	—	Molybdenite	Occurrence	32.850, -116.818
Fernbrook	—	Molybdenite	Occurrence	32.833, -116.901
Meyers Ranch	—	Molybdenite	Occurrence	32.583, -116.751
Campo	—	Molybdenite	Occurrence	32.608, -116.497
Woolsey	Molybdenum	Molybdenite	Occurrence	32.833, -116.901
Mayers Ranch, Scheckler	Molybdenum	Molybdenite	Occurrence	32.583, -116.751
Harvey Ranch	Molybdenum	Molybdenite	Occurrence	32.850, -116.818
Campo	Molybdenum	Molybdenite	Occurrence	32.617, -116.484
Unnamed Deposit	—	Molybdenite, Scheelite, Wolframite	Occurrence	33.531, -117.389
Pioneer Mine	Talc-Soapstone	Pyrophyllite	Producer	33.033, -117.168
Ruby Prospect	—	Rhodonite, Spessartite	Occurrence	32.627, -116.160
Rys Deposit	—	Scheelite	Occurrence	33.154, -116.525
Crown Point Mine	Tungsten	Scheelite	Past Producer	32.786, -116.377
Dyche Valley Mine	Tungsten	Scheelite	Past Producer	33.293, -116.818
Palomar	Tungsten	Scheelite	Past Producer	33.300, -116.818
New Hope #2	Tungsten	Scheelite	Occurrence	32.950, -116.484
Felden Deposit	Tungsten	Scheelite	Producer	33.017, -116.434
Sundown Mine	Tungsten	Scheelite	Past Producer	32.917, -116.468
Mica Gem	—	Scheelite	Occurrence	32.633, -116.134
Blackstone Prospect	—	Scheelite	Occurrence	32.771, -116.377
Carrizo Canyon Deposit	—	Scheelite	Occurrence	32.672, -116.201
Pawnee	Tungsten	Scheelite	Past Producer	33.425, -116.705

Fossil collections

The Paleobiology Database lists 533 fossil collection records in San Diego County. These are research records, not public dig sites.

Nearby counties

Orange County · Riverside County · Imperial County · Los Angeles County · San Bernardino County

California mineral guides

Back to all California counties.

Is It Legal to Collect Rocks on Public Land? BLM, Forest Service and National Park Rules

How we built this page: we counted named sites in the USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) for this area, left out sand, gravel, crushed stone, clay pits and unnamed sites, grouped them by Census county, and linked every site to its USGS record. We did not visit these sites, and MRDS does not tell you who owns the land or whether collecting is allowed.

Source: USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS). USGS ceased systematic updates to MRDS around 2011, so status and details may be out of date. Each site links to its USGS record.

Updated October 2026

Rockhounding in San Diego County, California

Sketch map

Owens

Field cards: what kind of sites?

Mineral cards

Gold

Feldspar

Quartz

Copper

Silver

Scheelite

Garnet

Pyrite