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. Okanogan County: 1,237 sites; most recorded: Chalcopyrite, Pyrite, Galena
  2. Stevens County: 1,125 sites; most recorded: Pyrite, Chalcopyrite, Galena
  3. Ferry County: 797 sites; most recorded: Pyrite, Galena, Chalcopyrite
  4. Snohomish County: 792 sites; most recorded: Chalcopyrite, Pyrite, Galena
  5. Chelan County: 425 sites; most recorded: Chalcopyrite, Pyrite, Galena

Top minerals

  • Pyrite: 884 sites
  • Chalcopyrite: 818 sites
  • Galena: 667 sites
  • Sphalerite: 518 sites
  • Gold: 294 sites
  • Tetrahedrite: 185 sites
  • Molybdenite: 179 sites
  • Malachite: 174 sites

Mineral cards

  • Gold

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

    3,479 sites

  • Silver

    Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat

    3,099 sites

  • Copper

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

    2,508 sites

  • Pyrite

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

    1,316 sites

  • Quartz

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

    1,091 sites

  • Galena

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

    698 sites

  • Magnetite

    Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat

    172 sites

  • Scheelite

    Mohs 4.5–5. Tungsten mineral that glows blue-white under shortwave UV. Mindat

    140 sites

  • Garnet

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

    71 sites

  • Mica

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

    50 sites

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

Minerals most often recorded

Pyrite 884Chalcopyrite 818Galena 667Sphalerite 518Gold 294Tetrahedrite 185Molybdenite 179Malachite 174Pyrrhotite 144Scheelite 133Bornite 123Magnetite 118

Counties

CountySites
Okanogan County1,237
Stevens County1,125
Ferry County797
Snohomish County792
Chelan County425
Whatcom County383
Pend Oreille County330
Kittitas County287
King County250
Skagit County227
Clallam County192
Skamania County129
Yakima County111
Grays Harbor County92
Spokane County84
Lewis County61
Pierce County44
Grant County43
Lincoln County39
Mason County39
Jefferson County34
Clark County18
Asotin County18
Pacific County17
Cowlitz County15
Whitman County13
Benton County11
Klickitat County9
Douglas County6
San Juan County6
Thurston County5
Kitsap County5
Island County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)3
Franklin County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)2
Adams County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)2
Garfield County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Wahkiakum County (fewer than 5 sites, no page)1
Columbia 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