WanderLawings Rockhounding Map
Our Rockhounding Map, Built One Bucket at a Time
We love to rockhound. Full-time RV life means we get to do it pretty much everywhere we roll. Yes, we have a storage unit full of rocks. Yes, we haul buckets around in the fifth wheel until we can drop them off. This is every spot that earned a pin.
Interactive Rockhounding Map
Tap or click any pin for our notes, what we found, and whether it was worth the stop.
The Rockhounding Map a Full-Time RV Family Actually Uses
Most rockhounding lists online are pulled together from other lists. This one is not. Every pin on our map is a spot we have pulled into with our fifth wheel, our kids, our buckets, and our rock bars. We have dug, scraped, flipped rocks, fallen down hills, and walked back to the rig with something to show for it. That context is in every pin.
If you are new to rockhounding, welcome. If you have been at this for years, you already know the game. Either way, we tried to make this map useful for the specific flavor of rockhounding that happens from a full-time RV, which is a little different from a weekend trip. You are trying to balance cargo weight, kid attention spans, site access for a big rig, and the reality that what you pick up today is going to live in the basement of the RV until you can swing back to the storage unit.
Why We Carry Rocks Around in Our Fifth Wheel
Because you cannot always time a rockhounding stop with a trip home to the storage unit. If we only collected when we were about to drive past the unit, we would miss half the good spots. So we collect, we load totes into the basement or under the bed, we keep a rough weight budget so we do not wreck our cargo numbers, and we empty the totes the next time we pass through town. It is not glamorous, but it is the only way to rockhound while you live on the road.
If you are planning to rockhound from an RV, here is the one piece of advice we pass on the most: weigh what you pick up. A five gallon bucket of wet agate is heavier than most people think. Two of them is a noticeable change in how your rig rides down the highway. Moderation is a skill we are still working on.
Yes, We Have a Storage Unit Full of Rocks
The storage unit started out holding seasonal gear. Then the rocks started coming in. Now it is mostly rocks with a couple of tubs of seasonal gear wedged in the corner. We sort by trip and by type, and the kids have their own shelves for their own finds. Someday we will do something with all of them. For now they are just the souvenirs of a life spent following pretty things into the woods.
Know Before You Dig: Rockhounding Rules Vary
This is the part that trips up new rockhounds, so it is worth saying plainly. The rules for picking up rocks are not the same everywhere. A lot of BLM land and many national forest areas allow casual rockhounding within daily weight limits, usually around 25 pounds per day plus one specimen. National parks and national monuments do not allow collecting of any kind. Tribal land does not allow collecting without permission from the tribe. Most state parks prohibit it. Private land requires permission from the owner, every time.
We do our best to note what we understand about each spot in the pin, but rules change, so treat the pin as a starting point and confirm current policy with the managing agency before you dig. If you are ever unsure, the safest move is to look but not take.
Types of Rockhounding Spots on This Map
Our pins cover a mix. Public-land areas where casual collecting is allowed. Fee-to-dig sites where you pay to access a claim or mine. Public roadside pullouts where good material has washed down from above. Gem mines and pay-to-play operations that are fun with kids, especially when you want a guaranteed find. A few beach and river spots where tumbled agates and jasper show up after a storm. If a spot is kid-friendly or stroller-friendly, we note that in the pin too.
Rockhounding With Kids: A Family Perspective
Our kids are the reason we take this as seriously as we do. Rockhounding is one of the few activities where a ten minute attention span is enough to find something cool. You do not need fancy equipment. A small hammer, safety glasses, a bucket, and a few hours in a good spot is plenty. Our kids each have a rock collection they are genuinely proud of, and they have learned more about geology from dirty hands than any classroom could have taught them. If you are raising kids in an RV or just taking a family road trip, this is the activity we recommend first.
A Rockhounding Map That Keeps Growing
We add new spots whenever we find them. Since we are still out here, that happens often. Follow along on TikTok and Instagram to see what we are digging up in real time, then check the map for the full list. If you have a favorite spot you think we should visit, reach out at wanderlawings@gmail.com and tell us about it. We are always looking for the next good stop.
Rockhounding Map Questions
It is every rockhounding spot we have actually visited as a full-time RV family. Dig sites, agate beds, gem mines, public-land spots, and roadside finds. Click any pin and you will see our notes, what we found, and whether it was worth the detour.
Carefully, and with a lot of self-restraint we do not always use. Heavy rocks eat into cargo capacity fast, so we keep the big hauls in plastic totes in the basement and under the bed, then empty those totes into our storage unit whenever we swing back through town. If you rockhound from a fifth wheel, think weight first and quantity second.
In a storage unit. A real one, with real shelves, packed with real rocks. It started as a place to keep seasonal gear and slowly became a rock library. When the totes in the RV start getting heavy, we haul them to the unit on our next pass through and keep rockhounding.
Rules vary a lot by location. Most BLM land and many national forests allow casual rockhounding within daily weight limits. National parks and tribal lands generally do not allow collecting. Private land requires permission. State parks vary by state. Before you collect anywhere, check the posted rules and the managing agency. We note what we understand about each spot in the pin, but always confirm current rules before you dig.
It is one of the best family activities we have found. Our kids love it. You do not need fancy gear, kids can find something cool in ten minutes, and it gets them outside and curious. Start with a small hammer, safety glasses, a bucket, and an easy spot. Our map pins note which sites are kid-friendly.
We add new pins whenever we visit new spots. Since we are actively living this life, the map grows pretty steadily. Follow along on TikTok or Instagram to see what we are finding in real time, then check the map for the full list.
Yes. Hit the full-screen button to open the map in Google Maps, where you can read the pins, save locations, and get directions. Every spot includes our honest take, what we found, and any notes about access, parking, and whether it works for kids or big rigs.