Love to Try Rockhounding in Nevada? Find Your Treasure in a Wonderful Gem Filled Road Trip
Thinking of trying out rockhounding in Nevada? Rockhounding, fossicking, prospecting…whatever you choose to call it, Nevada is an absolute paradise for finding pretty rocks and minerals. Here are some great places to try it out and find your own little pieces of wonderful treasure.
Mine For Turquoise
Central Nevada – Tonopah
If you only have time for one rockhounding adventure in Central Nevada, make it this one! Visit the Otteson Brothers in Tonopah and head out on their Turquoise Mine Tour through the Royston Turquoise Mine, famous for the specific shade of raw turquoise it produces.
Spend a half or full-day mining alongside third-generation Otteson family, who at the end of the day will cut and polish your most valuable piece.
Reservations are required and tours are held April through to November.
Credit: Sydney Martinez/TravelNevada
Search For Fossils
Central Nevada – Caliente
Located just outside of Caliente in the southeast corner of Nevada, the Oak Springs Trilobite area features six types of trilobites in the shale deposits. In case you’re wondering, a trilobite is a group of extinct fossil arthropods that existed as marine animals over 500 million years ago.
The fossils have been exposed at the south end of the property in a trench and this is the area you should start searching.
Credit: Sydney Martinez/TravelNevada
Rockhound For Gems in Nevada
Central Nevada – Goldfield
Some of the best rockhounding lies just outside Goldfield in a lesser known place called Gemfield. A variety of rocks and minerals can be found in the one area here such as chalcedony, agate, jasper and quartz.
Pick up Some Garnets
North Central Nevada – Ely
Garnet Hill in the Ely district is the only designated rockhounding area for garnet collectors. Ruby red semi-precious gems are found buried within the hillside in the rocky volcanic outcrops through either rock breaking or searching the surface.
While it’s recommended to bring gloves, a rock hammer and a shovel, many are visible on the surface!
Credit: Sydney Martinez/TravelNevada
Fall In Love With Opals
Northern Nevada – Denio
Denio is where a multitude of opal action is when it comes to rockhounding in Northern Nevada!
The Royal Peacock Opal Mine opened for business in 1981 and has been a family affair ever since, producing extremely rare and stunningly beautiful specimens. The Black Fire Opals found in this region are so unique that Nevada has claimed them as their state gemstone.
Formerly operating as a commercial mine, the Royal Peacock is open to hobbyist rockhounds these days and has its own RV Park onsite. The mine is open from around May to October weather permitting.
Other Opal Mines in the area include Bonanza Opal Mines and Rainbow Ridge Opal Mines.
Credit: Sydney Martinez/TravelNevada
Try Your Hand at Gold Prospecting
Northern Nevada – Rye Patch State Recreation Area
Heading away from Denio and it’s beautiful opals, Rye Patch State Recreation Area is a popular base camp for gold prospecting.
Open year-round, Rye Patch is situated on a 22-mile long reservoir with 72mi/116km of shoreline and 11,000 acres of water surface when full. Families can camp here and also enjoy swimming, fishing, picnicking and ghost town exploration.
Credit: Nevada State Parks/TravelNevada
More of Nevada …
This Rockhounding in Nevada post is the third in a series of three on ”Road Trips Done Right Through Unbelievably, Weird, Wild Nevada”. All three Nevada road trip ideas first appeared in issue 5 of Family Holiday Destinations’ digital magazine. However, you can also read them separately on the website here:
- Quirky Nevada Road Trip – The Weird and Wonderful From Bottom to Top
- Introducing The Lake Tahoe Road Trip That Will Make You Fall in Love With Nevada
- Don’t miss these highlights on your ET Highway road trip through Nevada
Heading to Disneyland, California next? Read our review of the Howard Johnson Anaheim hotel.
Credit: Sydney Martinez/TravelNevada
Looking for More Nevada Family Holiday Inspiration?
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Resources for Booking Your Getaway to Nevada Road Trip
Getting to Nevada
Search for a great deal on flights to Nevada across different airlines on Jetradar.
Getting Around Nevada on a Road Trip
Nevada is built for road-trippin’ but if you don’t have your own RV, try RVShare, a company that connects RV owners with renters.
Prefer to hire a car and stay in accommodation? Find a great deal on car hire with DiscoverCars .
Where to Stay in Nevada
If getting around in an RV, check out the Travel Nevada website for a great list of RVParks.
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