Rockhounding near Houghton, MI

41 mapped rockhounding spots within 150 miles of Houghton — most are inside a 2 to 3 hour drive. Below: a map, the closest spots, what they produce, and full coordinates with access notes.

Covering parts of Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin.

Closest rockhounding spots to Houghton

The 6 nearest mapped spots, with straight-line distance and an approximate drive time.

Torch Lake BeachHoughton County, Michigan6 mi · 7 min driveFossils, Petoskey Stones
McClain State ParkHoughton County, Michigan8 mi · 10 min driveAdularia, Chalcedony, Chert
Lake Superior Beach (Ontonagon)Ontonagon County, Michigan40 mi · 50 min driveKeweenaw Agate, Thomsonite, Chalcedony
Keweenaw PointKeweenaw County, Michigan45 mi · 56 min driveKeweenaw Agate, Thomsonite, Datolite
Mt. ShastaMarquette County, Michigan46 mi · 57 min driveGarnet
Michigamme MineMarquette County, Michigan46 mi · 58 min driveChalcedony, Hematite, Jaspilite

Most-reported finds near Houghton

Counts reflect how many spots in this radius mention each material.

Hunting something specific near Houghton?

These materials have enough dedicated spots around Houghton to earn their own page, with distances and a separate map.

Every spot within 150 miles of Houghton

Sorted by distance from Houghton. Tap a row to open the spot detail page with full directions, access status, and nearby trips.

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
Torch Lake BeachM 26	Houghton County	Fossils Petoskey Stones	47.1501, -88.4560	Public
McClain State ParkBear Lake Road	Houghton County	Adularia Chalcedony Chert Jasper Keweenaw Agate Thomsonite	47.2368, -88.6147	Permission
Lake Superior Beach (Ontonagon)Lakeshore Road	Ontonagon County	Keweenaw Agate Thomsonite Chalcedony Jasper	46.8713, -89.3352	Public
Keweenaw Point	Keweenaw County	Keweenaw Agate Thomsonite Datolite Chalcedony Jasper	47.4079, -87.7115	Public
Mt. ShastaUS 41;M 28	Marquette County	Garnet	46.5401, -88.0945	Public
Michigamme MineUS 41;M 28	Marquette County	Chalcedony Hematite Jaspilite	46.5386, -88.0972	Public
Manitou Island	Keweenaw County	Lake Superior Agate Quartz	47.4150, -87.6279	Public
Gull PointM 64	Ontonagon County	Keweenaw Agate	46.8361, -89.5495	Public
Champion Mine DumpMine Street	Marquette County	Hematite Sapphire Sericite Specularite	46.5085, -87.9889	Public
Rope MineCounty Road GN	Marquette County	Gold Pyrite Chalcopyrite	46.5297, -87.7158	Public
Carnelian beachIsland Mine Trail	Keweenaw County	Agate Nodules Carnelian Quartz	47.9047, -89.0038	Permission
Siskiwit Lake (South Side)Ishpeming Trail	Keweenaw County	Chlorastrolite	47.9887, -88.8074	Permission
Jasper Knob (Jasper Hill)Jasper Knob	Marquette County	Jaspilite Jasper Hematite Specular Hematite	46.4867, -87.6551	Public
Tobin Harbor AreaStoll Trail	Keweenaw County	Agate Carnelian Quartz	48.1654, -88.4635	Permission
Pigeon Point	Cook County	Chalcocite Chalcopyrite Pyrite	48.0030, -89.4972	Public
Arrowhead ParkNaniboujou Trail	Cook County	Lake Superior Agate	47.8150, -90.0508	Public
Area Near Jennings Falls trailhead	Florence County	Albite Beryl Columbite-tantalite Elbaite Microcline Muscovite Triphylite	45.8396, -88.3560	Public
Iron CountyTrail 17	Iron County	Copper	46.4450, -90.1780	Public
Pine River Reservoir	Florence County	Quartz Kyanite Hematite	45.8328, -88.2640	Public
Iron CountyIron Horse Trail	Iron County	Agate Jasper	46.4577, -90.2522	Public
Montreal MineWisconsin Avenue	Iron County	Actinolite Barite Selenite Braunite Calcite Celestine Dickite Dolomite +10 more	46.4281, -90.2337	Public
Grand MaraisHarbor View Trail	Cook County	Lintonite Thomsonite	47.7446, -90.3531	Public
Near Saxon FallsSaxon Falls Road	Iron County	Calcite Chlorite Epidote Laumontite Prehnite Thomsonite	46.5356, -90.3787	Public
Sandy Beach & Mud LakesSandy Beach Road	Iron County	Almandite Kyanite Staurolite	46.1109, -89.9627	Public
Thomsonite BeachMN 61	Cook County	Chlorastrolite Lintonite Thomsonite Nodules	47.7278, -90.4584	Public

Houghton rockhounding FAQ

Where can I go rockhounding near Houghton?+

There are 41 mapped rockhounding spots within about 150 miles of Houghton, Michigan. The closest is Torch Lake Beach in Houghton County, roughly 6 miles away. The full list is on this page with coordinates and drive times.

What rocks and minerals can you find near Houghton?+

Spots within driving distance of Houghton most commonly produce jasper, quartz, kyanite, thomsonite, hematite, lake superior agate.

Is rockhounding legal near Houghton?+

Casual hand collecting of common rocks and minerals is allowed on most BLM and U.S. Forest Service land, with limits set by the local field office. National parks, most state parks, and tribal land are off-limits. Each spot page on this site lists access status; always confirm current rules with the managing agency before a trip.

How far do most rockhounders drive from Houghton?+

Most weekend trips from Houghton fall inside a 2 to 3 hour drive, which is roughly the 150-mile radius shown on this page. Closer spots are good for half-day outings; the outer ones are better as overnight trips.

More state coverage

The spots above span 3 states. Open the state page for the full county-by-county view.

Pack Houghton's rockhounding map in your pocket

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