RocksdayRockhounding in California
California's designated BLM collecting areas are all in the southeastern desert: two managed from the Needles Field Office, and the Wiley Well geode district south of Interstate 10 near Blythe, which BLM says is at its best in January and February. State parks are a different matter: California's park regulations prohibit removing rocks and minerals unless rockhounding is specifically permitted.
This guide is for general education only. It is not legal advice. Collecting rules change and differ by parcel. Before you dig, confirm land ownership and current regulations with the land manager (BLM, US Forest Service, state lands, state parks, or the fee-dig operator). National Park Service units generally prohibit collecting. Respect mining claims, tribal lands, and private property — when in doubt, do not collect. Last verified 2026-10-28.
Where to dig in California
Only sites whose land manager or operator publishes them for collecting. For recorded mineral occurrences across California, see the rockhounding map; an occurrence is not permission to collect.
Wiley Well District Geode Beds
Public collecting area · BLM El Centro Field Office
Desert washes and hills between the Little Chuckawalla, Mule and Palo Verde Mountains. BLM notes the district also holds fossils and artifacts left by early Native Americans, pioneers and WWII tank training, which must stay where they are.
Finds: Geodes
Access: Wiley's Well Road exit from I-10, about 16 miles west of Blythe, then about 15 miles south. Paved for the first 2.9 miles, then graded dirt that can be badly washboarded or impassable after rain.
Access and fees can change. Verify on the manager's official page before you go.
Chambless Rock Collecting Area
Public collecting area · BLM Needles Field Office
On the southern boundary of the Trilobite Wilderness. Hematite and magnetite occur in reddish-brown iron deposits near old mine shafts, green epidote in the washes, and an abandoned quarry yields limestone and marble; tiny garnets turn up in adjacent canyons.
Finds: Hematite, Magnetite, Epidote, Small garnets, Limestone with fossils, Marble
Access: From National Trails Highway just west of Chambless, about 2 miles up BLM Route NS328; collecting is on both sides of the route. Stay out of the mine shafts.
Access and fees can change. Verify on the manager's official page before you go.
Savahia Peak Rock Collecting Area
Public collecting area · BLM Needles Field Office
A large wash near Vidal Junction where bright white chalcedony stands out against darker soil. BLM suggests parking off the pavement and walking the wash.
Finds: White chalcedony
Access: About 35 miles south of Needles on U.S. 95, then about 2 miles east on BLM Route NS660 (Pyramid Peak Road); collecting is on both sides of the route.
Access and fees can change. Verify on the manager's official page before you go.
California rules
California state parks
No one may disturb or remove earth, sand, gravel, minerals, rocks, fossils or cave features in the state park system. Rockhounding, defined as recreational gathering of naturally occurring stones and minerals from the undisturbed surface, including gold panning in stream gravel, may be permitted, so look for a posted allowance at the park before you pick anything up.
Source: Cal. Code Regs. tit. 14, § 4307, Geological Features (with § 4301(v), definition of rockhounding)
Federal land rules that apply in California
The same federal regulations apply in every state. The full explanation is on rockhounding rules on public land.
Bureau of Land Management land
On BLM public land you may collect reasonable amounts of rocks, mineral specimens and semiprecious gemstones for noncommercial purposes, generally without a permit. This does not apply on developed recreation sites, in areas that are closed and posted, where there are active mining claims or other authorized mineral uses, or where the mineral estate is privately owned. BLM can close or limit collecting in specific areas through its land use plans.
- Noncommercial only: the collector is not selling the items for a business or financial gain.
- No explosives, motorized or mechanical devices to aid collecting, except metal detectors.
- A permit may be needed if you use certain equipment, cause more than negligible surface disturbance, or camp longer than the posted limit.
Source: 43 CFR § 8365.1-5, Property and resources; Public Collection of Rocks, Mineral Specimens, and Semiprecious Gemstones on Public Lands for Noncommercial Purposes: FAQ (Feb. 28, 2024)
BLM national monuments and wilderness
Collecting reasonable amounts for noncommercial purposes is generally allowed on BLM land inside national monuments and wilderness areas, except for rocks and minerals that a monument's proclamation, law or plan names as monument objects. In designated wilderness you may use non-motorized hand tools only, with minimal surface disturbance.
Petrified wood on BLM land
BLM land is open to free collecting of petrified wood unless a Federal Register notice says otherwise, within fixed weight limits, for personal use only.
- Up to 25 pounds plus one piece per person per day.
- No more than 250 pounds per person per calendar year; quotas may not be pooled.
- No explosives or power equipment.
- It may not be sold or bartered to commercial dealers.
Fossils on BLM and National Forest land
Casual collecting covers common invertebrate and plant fossils only: a reasonable amount for personal, noncommercial use, picked from the surface or dug with non-powered hand tools, with negligible disturbance. It is allowed on BLM land and National Forest land that is not closed to it. National monuments within the National Forest System are closed. Fossils outside that definition, such as vertebrate bones and teeth, need a permit.
- BLM: up to 25 pounds of common invertebrate and plant fossils per person per day; a larger slab may be taken with hand tools to keep an embedded fossil intact.
- Fossils from National Forest land may not be sold, including casually collected ones.
- No casual collecting of any fossil on National Park Service or Fish and Wildlife Service land.
Source: 43 CFR §§ 49.800–49.810, Casual collecting of paleontological resources; 36 CFR §§ 291.11–291.12, Casual collecting on National Forest System lands
National Forest land
Forest Service mining rules list collecting mineral specimens with hand tools, gold panning, metal detecting and non-motorized hand sluicing among activities that need no notice of intent when they cause no significant surface disturbance. Forest Service rules also prohibit damaging or removing any natural feature, and individual forests set their own closures, so ask the ranger district before you collect.
Source: 36 CFR § 228.4, Plan of operations and notice of intent (National Forest mining rules); 36 CFR § 261.9, Property (National Forest prohibitions)
National parks and other NPS units
National Park Service rules prohibit possessing, removing or disturbing minerals, rocks, cave formations and fossils in park areas. Possessing or using a metal detector is prohibited too, unless it is broken down and packed away.
Source: 36 CFR § 2.1, Preservation of natural, cultural and archeological resources (National Park Service)
Mining claims
BLM says collecting is generally not allowed where there are active mining claims. Claim boundaries are not always marked on the ground, and some designated collecting areas have private claims around or inside them. Search the BLM Mineral & Land Records System, or ask the field office, before you dig.
Source: Public Collection of Rocks, Mineral Specimens, and Semiprecious Gemstones on Public Lands for Noncommercial Purposes: FAQ (Feb. 28, 2024); Sunstone Collection Area; Mineral & Land Records System (MLRS)
Artifacts and historic sites
Removing or disturbing archaeological, historic or cultural resources is prohibited on BLM, National Forest and National Park land. Leave arrowheads, tools and old structures where they are.
Source: 43 CFR § 8365.1-5, Property and resources; 36 CFR § 261.9, Property (National Forest prohibitions); 36 CFR § 2.1, Preservation of natural, cultural and archeological resources (National Park Service)
Abandoned mines, desert heat, flash floods, and wildlife are real hazards. Share a trip plan, carry water, and never enter unstable workings.
Rockhounding in California FAQ
What can you find rockhounding in California?
At the sites in this guide, the land managers list geodes, hematite, magnetite, epidote, small garnets, limestone with fossils, marble and white chalcedony.
Where can you rockhound in California?
This guide lists 3 sites that land managers or operators publish for collecting: Wiley Well District Geode Beds (public collecting area), Chambless Rock Collecting Area (public collecting area) and Savahia Peak Rock Collecting Area (public collecting area).
Can you take rocks from California state parks?
Not as a rule. California's state park regulations prohibit disturbing or removing rocks, minerals and fossils; rockhounding may be permitted at specific parks, so check for a posted allowance first.
Sources
We cite primary sources (federal regulations, state rules, and land-manager sites). Third-party listicles are not used as citations.
- Wiley Well District Geode Beds — Bureau of Land Management (accessed 2026-10-28).
- Chambless Rock Collecting Area — Bureau of Land Management (accessed 2026-10-28).
- Savahia Peak Rock Collecting Area — Bureau of Land Management (accessed 2026-10-28).
- Cal. Code Regs. tit. 14, § 4307, Geological Features (with § 4301(v), definition of rockhounding) — California Department of Parks and Recreation (text via Cornell LII) (accessed 2026-10-28).
- 43 CFR § 8365.1-5, Property and resources — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (accessed 2026-10-28).
- Public Collection of Rocks, Mineral Specimens, and Semiprecious Gemstones on Public Lands for Noncommercial Purposes: FAQ (Feb. 28, 2024) — Bureau of Land Management (accessed 2026-10-28).
- 43 CFR § 3622.4, Petrified wood collection rules — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (accessed 2026-10-28).
- 43 CFR §§ 49.800–49.810, Casual collecting of paleontological resources — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (accessed 2026-10-28).
- 36 CFR §§ 291.11–291.12, Casual collecting on National Forest System lands — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (accessed 2026-10-28).
- 36 CFR § 228.4, Plan of operations and notice of intent (National Forest mining rules) — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (accessed 2026-10-28).
- 36 CFR § 261.9, Property (National Forest prohibitions) — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (accessed 2026-10-28).
- 36 CFR § 2.1, Preservation of natural, cultural and archeological resources (National Park Service) — Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (accessed 2026-10-28).
- Sunstone Collection Area — Bureau of Land Management (accessed 2026-10-28).
- Mineral & Land Records System (MLRS) — Bureau of Land Management (accessed 2026-10-28).
Last verified 2026-10-28. Corrections welcome: if a rule or site has changed, tell us and we'll re-verify.