RockWoofCollecting rules in New Hampshire
- White Mountain National Forest: picking up a rock without digging needs no permit, except in alpine zones, experimental forests, on the Appalachian Trail and in Research Natural Areas. Using any hand tool counts as surface disturbance, which is allowed only with a permit at the Deer Hill, Lord Hill and Moat Mountain mineral sites. The permit has no fee, comes from the site kiosk, and allows 50 lb or one 5-gallon bucket (USDA Forest Service; verified Oct 26, 2026).
- Gold panning in the WMNF: needs a permit from a WMNF district office, valid for one calendar year; pan and small trowel only, no sluices, rocker boxes, dredges or mechanized equipment (USDA Forest Service; verified Oct 26, 2026).
- NH state parks and other Department properties: mineral exploration and collecting with hand tools or mechanized equipment is not allowed unless granted by special use permit, deed, or property management plan, and is not allowed at all at geologic sites, natural preserves, historic sites or above tree line (NH Admin. Rules Ncr 731.21; verified Oct 26, 2026).
- BLM land: we could not confirm from a BLM source whether any BLM-managed public land exists in New Hampshire. Check before you go.
- Private land, including most of the USGS-recorded sites on our county pages, needs the owner’s permission.
Planning a trip? See the best rockhounding spots in New Hampshire.
State symbols
State mineral: beryl (RSA 3:14, 1985). State gem: smoky quartz (RSA 3:15, 1985). State rock: granite (Visit NH).
Best regions by county
Ranked by the number of USGS-recorded sites, not by access or quality.
- Grafton County: 199 sites; most recorded: Beryl, Scheelite, Magnetite
- Rockingham County: 107 sites; most recorded: Columbite, Tantalite, Beryl
- Cheshire County: 83 sites; most recorded: Columbite, Tantalite, Molybdenite
- Sullivan County: 37 sites; most recorded: Graphite
- Merrimack County: 36 sites; most recorded: Granite, Uraninite
Top minerals
- Columbite: 8 sites
- Tantalite: 7 sites
- Beryl: 6 sites
- Muscovite: 3 sites
- Granite: 3 sites
- Magnetite: 3 sites
- Wolframite: 2 sites
- Graphite: 2 sites
Mineral cards
Feldspar
Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat
253 sites
Mica
Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat
241 sites
Copper
Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat
50 sites
Silver
Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat
32 sites
Gold
Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat
18 sites
Pyrite
Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat
14 sites
Fluorite
Mohs 4. Cubes in purple, green or yellow; many glow under UV. Mindat
11 sites
Garnet
Mohs 6.5–7.5. Usually deep red, round many-faced crystals. Mindat
9 sites
Beryl
Mohs 7.5–8. Six-sided crystals; aquamarine and emerald are beryl. Mindat
7 sites
Quartz
Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat
4 sites
Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.
Minerals most often recorded
Columbite 8Tantalite 7Beryl 6Muscovite 3Granite 3Magnetite 3Wolframite 2Graphite 2Scheelite 2Molybdenite 1Mica 1Cassiterite 1Counties
| County | Sites |
|---|---|
| Grafton County | 199 |
| Rockingham County | 107 |
| Cheshire County | 83 |
| Sullivan County | 37 |
| Merrimack County | 36 |
| Carroll County | 27 |
| Coos County | 20 |
| Hillsborough County | 17 |
| Strafford County | 10 |
| Belknap County (fewer than 5 sites, no page) | 4 |
Mineral guides
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