Permitted Pursuits

Rockhounding in Nevada

4 locations in Nevada checked against the rules of the agency that manages each one: 4 allowed. Each page gives the permit requirements, limits, restrictions and penalties, with the primary sources it was checked against.

Rules last checked between May 2026 and September 2026

4 Allowed

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All 4 Rockhounding Sites in Nevada at a Glance

SiteVerdictChecked
Garnet Hill — Ely BLMWhite PineAllowed
Royal Peacock Opal MineHumboldtAllowed
Rye Patch Reservoir BLMPershingAllowed
Virgin Valley Opal Fields (Sheldon NWR)HumboldtAllowed

Site Guides

Allowed

Garnet Hill — Ely BLM

Nevada, White Pine·Rockhounding

Garnet Hill near Ely, Nevada is one of the most accessible free rockhounding sites in the Great Basin — an exposed rhyolite flow studded with red almandine garnets that can be collected by the bucketful with no permit for personal use. Federal rules allow "reasonable amounts" for noncommercial use, and BLM Nevada publishes no weight limit for garnets or other rocks. Garnets are found loose in the soil and matrix throughout the designated fee-free collection area managed by the BLM Ely District.

  • Personal-use collection of garnets and other surface minerals is allowed without a permit in "reasonable amounts" (43 CFR 8365.1-5(b)). BLM Nevada publishes no pound limit for rocks or gemstones; ask the Ely District at (775) 289-1800 if you plan to take a lot
  • Collection must remain within the designated BLM collection area around Garnet Hill — not all surrounding land is open BLM; verify boundaries with Ely District office
Allowed

Royal Peacock Opal Mine

Nevada, Humboldt·Rockhounding

Royal Peacock is a private, family-run fee-dig opal claim in Virgin Valley — pay to dig, keep everything you find, no daily weight limit. That's the big difference from the surrounding Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge land, where you may only pick up rock by hand from the surface, up to 7 lb a day.

  • This is private property, not BLM land — access requires paying the mine's day-use fee, not a government permit; 2026 season rates are $210/person/day for bank digging or $85/person/day for tailings-pile digging
  • Hand tools only — no motorized or mechanical digging equipment is permitted anywhere on site
Allowed

Rye Patch Reservoir BLM

Nevada, Pershing·Rockhounding

Recreational rockhounding is allowed on BLM land surrounding Rye Patch Reservoir in "reasonable amounts" under 43 CFR 8365.1-5(b). Petrified wood has a federal limit of 25 lb a day plus one piece. Do not collect within Rye Patch State Recreation Area, where removing natural materials is prohibited under Nevada law.

  • "Reasonable amounts" of rocks and minerals for personal use on BLM land (43 CFR 8365.1-5(b)(2)); BLM Nevada publishes no pound figure for rock
  • Petrified wood: 25 lb a day plus one piece, 250 lb a year (43 CFR 3622.4)
Allowed

Virgin Valley Opal Fields (Sheldon NWR)

Nevada, Humboldt·Rockhounding

Virgin Valley is inside Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, not BLM land. On refuge ground you may pick up rock, opal included, by hand from the surface, up to 7 lb a day, with no digging or tools. Digging for opal is done only at the private fee-dig mines.

  • Virgin Valley lies inside Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. It is not BLM land, despite how many rockhounding lists describe it
  • On refuge land, rock collecting is allowed by hand from the surface only, up to 7 pounds per person per day, for personal use

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.