RockWoof
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.

Best regions by county

Ranked by the number of USGS-recorded sites, not by access or quality.

  1. Lemhi County: 1,073 sites; most recorded: Chalcopyrite, Gold, Galena
  2. Custer County: 894 sites; most recorded: Galena, Chalcopyrite, Sphalerite
  3. Valley County: 890 sites; most recorded: Gold, Chalcopyrite, Scheelite
  4. Shoshone County: 853 sites; most recorded: Galena, Chalcopyrite, Sphalerite
  5. Idaho County: 788 sites; most recorded: Gold, Chalcopyrite, Sphalerite

Top minerals

  • Galena: 854 sites
  • Chalcopyrite: 770 sites
  • Gold: 643 sites
  • Sphalerite: 640 sites
  • Tetrahedrite: 327 sites
  • Malachite: 263 sites
  • Ilmenite: 125 sites
  • Magnetite: 115 sites

Mineral cards

  • Gold

    Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat

    4,506 sites

  • Silver

    Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat

    3,726 sites

  • Copper

    Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat

    2,203 sites

  • Quartz

    Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat

    1,854 sites

  • Pyrite

    Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat

    1,415 sites

  • Galena

    Mohs 2.5–2.75. Heavy, silvery lead ore that breaks into cubes. Mindat

    884 sites

  • Magnetite

    Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat

    280 sites

  • Mica

    Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat

    241 sites

  • Garnet

    Mohs 6.5–7.5. Usually deep red, round many-faced crystals. Mindat

    238 sites

  • Feldspar

    Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat

    201 sites

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

Minerals most often recorded

Galena 854Chalcopyrite 770Gold 643Sphalerite 640Tetrahedrite 327Malachite 263Ilmenite 125Magnetite 115Scheelite 112Bornite 101Silver 99Chalcocite 94

Counties

CountySites
Lemhi County1,073
Custer County894
Valley County890
Shoshone County853
Idaho County788
Blaine County730
Boise County454
Owyhee County410
Bonner County338
Elmore County227
Clearwater County180
Adams County148
Bonneville County139
Washington County135
Cassia County134
Camas County129
Caribou County128
Butte County114
Latah County92
Boundary County82
Bear Lake County63
Kootenai County60
Power County58
Gem County53
Ada County47
Bannock County46
Clark County43
Benewah County40
Twin Falls County32
Bingham County22
Nez Perce County21
Teton County21
Canyon County18
Jerome County17
Gooding County16
Franklin County16
Fremont County10
Payette County9
Oneida County8
Madison County7
Jefferson County5
Minidoka County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)4
Lewis County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1

Mineral guides

Related articles

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