Rockhounding in California

1 location in California checked against the rules of the agency that manages each one: 1 allowed. Each page gives the permit requirements, limits, restrictions and penalties, with the primary sources it was checked against.

Rules last checked in July 2026

1 Allowed

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Allowed

Wiley Well District / Hauser Geode Beds

California, Riverside·Rockhounding

Wiley Well is one of the few places BLM has formally designated for recreational mineral collecting rather than merely tolerating it. Geodes with quartz and chalcedony linings come out of the rhyolite here — but the road in is 15 miles of desert dirt, and summer heat regularly tops 115°F.

Wiley Well is a BLM-designated recreational mineral collecting area — one of a small number nationwide where the agency has formally set land aside for rockhounding rather than simply allowing casual collecting on undesignated land
BLM California's personal-use limit applies: 25 pounds per day plus one piece, up to 250 pounds per year, covering rocks, minerals, gemstones, common invertebrate fossils and petrified wood together. Personal use only, no motorized or mechanical equipment

Laws That Apply to These Sites

BLM Personal-Use Collecting Rules: Rocks, Minerals, and Fossils

Most BLM land allows collecting rocks, minerals and common invertebrate fossils for personal use, with no permit. Federal law sets no weight limit for rocks: just 'reasonable amounts'. The 25-pound figure is the federal limit for fossils and petrified wood, and some BLM state offices apply it to rocks too. Vertebrate fossils need a permit.

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