Rockhounding near Raleigh, NC

149 mapped rockhounding spots within 150 miles of Raleigh — 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 North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina.

Closest rockhounding spots to Raleigh

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

Most-reported finds near Raleigh

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

Hunting something specific near Raleigh?

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

Every spot within 150 miles of Raleigh

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

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
RaleighLake Johnson Trail	Wake County	Amethyst	35.7673, -78.7222	Public
Neuse RiverNeuse River Trail	Wake County	Amethyst	35.7966, -78.5424	Public
MontvaleIndian Creek Lane	Chatham County	Ruby Sapphire	35.8149, -78.9372	Public
BethesdaJones Circle	Durham County	Silicified Wood	35.9587, -78.8474	Public
PocomokeSuitts Store Road	Granville County	Lepidolite Rubellite	36.1108, -78.5416	Public
Eno RiverFalls Lake Trail	Durham County	Agatized Wood	36.0719, -78.8576	Public
Chapel HillBolin Creek Trail	Orange County	Moss Agate Petrified Wood	35.9248, -79.0453	Public
ButnerOld Oxford Road	Durham County	Agate Amethyst Jasper	36.1270, -78.8245	Public
HilliardstonRex Place	Franklin County	Gold Diamond	36.0838, -78.2917	Public
Creedmore	Granville County	Agate Jasper Chalcedony	36.2075, -78.6571	Public
PittsboroNC 87 North	Chatham County	Limonite	35.7403, -79.2016	Public
HillsboroughBen Johnston Road	Orange County	Moss Agate Quartz	36.0713, -79.1314	Public
MoriaHelena-Moriah Road	Person County	Pyrite Limonite Cubes	36.2714, -78.8825	Public
Granville County	Granville County	Topaz Andalusite Carnelian Malachite	36.3163, -78.6515	Public
Mt. TirzahSurl-Mount Tirzah Road	Person County	Actinolite Hematite Limonite Manganese Quartz	36.2819, -78.9070	Public
LouisburgRed Bud Road	Nash County	Amethyst	36.1110, -78.0075	Public
InezHugh Jones Road	Warren County	Amethyst Beryl Lepidolite Smoky Quartz Staurolite	36.2097, -78.0934	Public
Nutbrush CreekNightingale Lane	Vance County	Quartz	36.3727, -78.4063	Public
Nash & Franklin CountiesNC 561	Franklin County	Gold	36.1956, -78.0135	Public
Williamsboro	Vance County	Quartz	36.4392, -78.4557	Public
Alamance CountyQuail Drive	Alamance County	Serpentine	36.0252, -79.4327	Public
Bullock	Granville County	Pyrite	36.4700, -78.5157	Public
Cape Fear River and tributariesHijacked	Cumberland County	Agate Chalcedony Chert Jasper Common Opal Agatized Wood	35.1012, -78.8569	Public
Townsvill	Vance County	Quartz	36.4927, -78.4473	Public
Bullock	Granville County	Epidote Labradorite Titanite Hornblende Quartz Clinozoisite	36.5074, -78.5264	Public

Raleigh rockhounding FAQ

Where can I go rockhounding near Raleigh?+

There are 149 mapped rockhounding spots within about 150 miles of Raleigh, North Carolina. The closest is Raleigh in Wake County, roughly 5 miles away. The full list is on this page with coordinates and drive times.

What rocks and minerals can you find near Raleigh?+

Spots within driving distance of Raleigh most commonly produce quartz, amethyst, garnet, rutile, pyrite, gold.

Is rockhounding legal near Raleigh?+

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 Raleigh?+

Most weekend trips from Raleigh 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 Raleigh's rockhounding map in your pocket

Open RockHoundR for live land overlays, weather, geology, directions, and saved finds — wherever the drive takes you.