Finding Minerals and Crystals straight out of the ground is so much fun! It is perfect for all ages and lifestyles, minerals are PLENTIFUL around the world and fun to collect!
On the front page of this site you can find articles about field collecting locations, on this page you can buy field collecting guides on Amazon or eBay for a much lower price than retail websites. Click on one of the books covers to search for the best price. – It is in the best interest of most rockhounds to collect and study field guides from all over. If I go to a limestone deposit in New York State and I see calcite and fluorite and iron minerals like marcasite and pyrite, if I go to a limestone deposit in Texas, one would also expect to see, at the very least, some Calcite, but it would not shock me to also see some pyrite or marcasite or even, if the conditions were right, some fluorite. Then, if I find myself living down the street from a Limestone deposit in the future, I would have to go investigate it for Calcite crystals and their friends.
That is a pretty good reason for owning a lot of field guides. – This page shows you listings on Amazon if you click the cover, or results on eBay if you click the text link. These links are affiliate links that will help WhereToFindRocks.com produce more great free articles with no annoying advertising!
 Rocks & Minerals of Washington and Oregon |
 Michigan Rocks & Minerals |
 Colorado Rocks & Minerals |
 Minnesota Rocks & Minerals |
 New Mexico Rocks & Mineral |
 Lake Superior Rocks & Minerals |
 Arizona Rocks and Minerals |
 Rocks & Minerals of Wisconsin, Illinois & Iowa |
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Appalachian Mineral & Gem Trails by June Culp Zeitner Amazing Book, but note. This is not some direction giving guidebook with color photos. This is nitty, gritty, INFORMATION. DATA. The real MEAT of rockhounding is finding those places where you see only your own footprints down the trail when you go back 6 months later. If you are in this area of the world, having this book is a NO BRAINER. |
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Southwest mineral & gem trails;: New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana by June (Culp) Zeitner In depth overviews of each county, telling you the general AREA and RARELY an actual MAP, leaving you to do FURTHER research, as it should be. Get it for the wonderful data that can lead you to some serious bouts of mineral daydreams… |
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Midwest Gem Trails by June Culp Zeitner June Culp Zeitner was a great writer, this book follows in the same tradition as Appalachian Gem Trails and Southwest Gem Trails. Good stuff! |
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Midwest Gem Trails: Prairie States by June Culp Zeitner June Culp Zeitner was a great writer, this book follows in the same tradition as Appalachian Gem Trails and Southwest Gem Trails. Good stuff! |
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Colorado Rockhounding by Stephen Voynick Mr. Voynick really knows what he is talking about and this guide has served us well on many trips through colorado. Full of information, a great book to own, in conjuction with a good map! |
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New Mexico Rockhounding by Stephen Voynick “This is an okay book if you really know the state of New Mexico, have lots of time, are willing to research the locations, talk to the locals and the like.” has been said about it and I agree. |
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Minerals, Fossils, and Fluorescents of Arizona by Neil R. Bearce This book sets the standard for field guides everywhere. Amazing, full of great locations! A MUST own for Arizona field collectors, or those living in nearby states! |
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Minerals of Arizona: A Field Guide for Collectors by Neil R. Bearce This is the first guide, of the two shown here. good idea to grab both |
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Collecting Arkansas Minerals by Arthur E., Jr. Smith Fantastic guide to the minerals of Arkansas. Excellent! |
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Rockhound Barstow (California) by Justin Zzyzx & Brandy Zzyzx 2 hours from Los Angeles Area and 2 Hours from Las Vegas – over 30 locations you can publicity collect minerals for free |
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Collecting Western North Carolina by Rick Jacquot |
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A Rockhounding Guide to North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains by Michael Streeter Guidelines for safe and responsible collecting, along with information on the region’s colorful mining history, make this a very useful and educational guide. |
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he Rockhound’s Guide to Washington State, Vol. 4 by Bob Jackson |
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Gems, Minerals & Rocks of Wyoming by W. Dan Hausel Wyoming, you huge, untamed beast. Get your rocks. |
by Various Authors
Wonderful guidebooks to locations in their corresponding states. Highly recommended.
 Rockhounding Delaware, Maryland, and the Washington, DC Metro Area |
 Rockhounding Rockhounding Pennsylvania and New Jersey |
 Rockhounding New England |
 Rockhounding New York |
Rockhounding Arizona
Rockhounding Alaska
Rockhounding California
Rockhounding Colorado
Rockhounding Idaho
Rockhounding Montana
Rockhounding Nevada
Rockhounding New Mexico
Rockhounding Utah
Rockhounding Wyoming
Rockhounding Virginia
Rockhounding Washington Rockhounding Oregon |
 Rockhounding Texas |
 Rockhounding Wisconsin |
 Modern Rockhounding and Prospecting Handbook |
by Various Authors
Falcon Guides, and others, also produce books about panning and mining for gold. While we focus on Minerals other than Gold, which has it’s own niche devoted to the sole subject, it would be shameful not to include some of these quality guides on the subject.
Gold Collecting Guides on eBay
Gold Panning California: A Guide to the Area’s Best Sites for Gold
Gold Panning the Pacific Northwest: A Guide to the Area’s Best Sites for Gold
Gold Panning Colorado: A Guide to the State’s Best Sites for Gold
Finding Gold in Colorado: A guide to Colorado’s casual gold prospecting, mining history and sightseeing |
Minerals of Georgia: Their Properties and Occurrences by Robert B. Cook, Julian C. Gray A must own for those in the area of Georgia, or just want a great local resource that appeals to rockhounds all over. It is a great read. |
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A Guide to Finding Gemstones, Gold, Minerals & Rocks by W. Dan Hausel A very fine resource for understanding minerals deposits. |
by John Sinkankas
This book, in several chapters, goes over all of the basics of mineral collecting, tools, maps, prospecting, rock types, display. Essentially, it is the perfect FAQ for anyone who wants to go collect minerals.
EBAY
AMAZON
by Donald Wolberg and Patsy Reinhard
A great primer into the ever changing world of legalities collecting rocks, minerals, fossils and the like out in the wild. Plus, you can get it for a few dollars.
EBAY
AMAZON
 Gem Trails of Idaho and Montana |
 Gem Trails of Washington |
 Gem Trails of Northern California |
 Gem Trails of Southern California |
Gem Trails of Colorado
Gem Trails of Arizona
Gem Trails of Texas
Gem Trails of Nevada Gem Trails of New Mexico |
 Gem Trails of Pennsylvania and New Jersey |
 Gem Trails of Utah |
Gem Trails by Various Authors The Must Have, if nothing else than to have an IDEA about the collecting spots in your state, the gem trails books are a wealth of information at a low price. The perfect beginner guides that are referenced by serious field collectors! Click on the book covers to view them on Amazon, or search the eBay link below. |