Rockhounding near Tucson, AZ

51 mapped rockhounding spots within 150 miles of Tucson, most 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 Arizona, New Mexico.

Closest rockhounding spots to Tucson

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

South Yuma MinePima County, Arizona11 mi · 13 min driveWillemite
Neptune Mine near Grays SpringPima County, Arizona26 mi · 32 min driveFluorite
Dumps near Esperanza MinePima County, Arizona26 mi · 33 min driveCopper, Molybdenum
Sierrita Mountain Mine DumpsPima County, Arizona27 mi · 34 min driveMelanterite, Copper, Pyrite
Sandman RoadPinal County, Arizona64 mi · 1 hr 20 min driveAmethyst, Copper, Quartz
Mineral MountainPinal County, Arizona71 mi · 1 hr 29 min driveAmethyst, Copper, Quartz

Most-reported finds near Tucson

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

Hunting something specific near Tucson?

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

Every spot within 150 miles of Tucson

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

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
South Yuma MineCoyote Pass Trail	Pima County	Willemite	32.3147, -111.1221	Permission
Neptune Mine near Grays SpringSouth Sierrita Mountain Road	Pima County	Fluorite	31.9064, -111.2081	Public
Dumps near Esperanza MineElams Loop	Pima County	Copper Molybdenum	31.8670, -111.1298	Public
Sierrita Mountain Mine Dumps	Pima County	Melanterite Copper Pyrite	31.8777, -111.1950	Public
Sandman RoadNorth Sandman Road	Pinal County	Amethyst Copper Quartz	33.1192, -111.2627	Public
Mineral MountainNorth Reymert Road	Pinal County	Amethyst Copper Quartz	33.2298, -111.2095	Public
Second Peak in Four Peaks	Maricopa County	Amethyst	33.6710, -111.3224	Permission
Four Peaks Amethyst MinePima Freeway	Maricopa County	Amethyst	33.5557, -111.8770	Paid / fee
Mine dumps along Coronado TrailOld Highway 191	Greenlee County	Chrysocolla Turquoise	33.0952, -109.3788	Public
York Area	Greenlee County	Fire Agate Banded Agate Carnelian Jasper	32.8940, -109.2129	Public
1 mi. N of old Three-Way drive-in theaterGuthrie Road	Greenlee County	Fire Agate Chalcedony	32.9612, -109.2397	Public
Canyon to N of road 1 mi. S of Apache Nat. ForestCoronado Trail	Greenlee County	Blue Agate Carnelian	33.1550, -109.3737	Public
Ward CanyonWard Canyon Road	Greenlee County	Red Agate	33.0401, -109.2859	Public
Limestone GulchLimestone Trail 84	Greenlee County	Agate	33.0762, -109.2916	Public
W of Mulligan Peak	Greenlee County	Nodule	33.0717, -109.2704	Public
N of Mulligan Peak	Greenlee County	Purple Agate	33.0736, -109.2660	Public
Foothills of Sunset Peak	Greenlee County	Agate Blue Jasper Black Jasper	33.1159, -109.2678	Public
Granite GapNM 80;US 80 Hist	Hidalgo County	Argentite Cerussite Cuprite Sphalerite	32.0792, -108.9799	Public
2 mi. S of road on way to Bartlett Reservoir	Maricopa County	Fluorite	33.8367, -111.7521	Public
Skunk CreekWest Happy Valley Road	Maricopa County	Pink Chalcedony	33.7112, -112.1271	Public
~4 mi. SW of Cave Creek townBrawling Badger Trail	Maricopa County	Agate Gold Jasper Quartz	33.7824, -111.9979	Public
Hill to W of Cave CreekFlume Trail	Maricopa County	Red Jasper	33.8178, -111.9885	Public
Quartz outcrop off of jeep road[FR 1058] 4WD	Maricopa County	Nodule Thunderegg	33.9063, -111.7696	Public
Agua Fria River GravelsNorth Coyote Lakes Parkway	Maricopa County	Agate Chalcedony Jasper	33.6437, -112.3159	Public
Area around Go John MineSlate Trail	Maricopa County	Gold Silver Copper Red Jasper Blue Quartz	33.8257, -111.9930	Public

Tucson rockhounding FAQ

Where can I go rockhounding near Tucson?+

There are 51 mapped rockhounding spots within about 150 miles of Tucson, Arizona. The closest is South Yuma Mine in Pima County, roughly 11 miles away. The full list is on this page with coordinates and drive times.

What rocks and minerals can you find near Tucson?+

Spots within driving distance of Tucson most commonly produce agate, jasper, copper, chalcedony, fluorite, quartz.

Is rockhounding legal near Tucson?+

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 Tucson?+

Most weekend trips from Tucson 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 2 states. Open the state page for the full county-by-county view.

Pack Tucson's rockhounding map in your pocket

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