Rockhounding at Garnet Hill, Ely BLM, Nevada

Collecting garnets at Garnet Hill — efficient method

1. 1

   Survey the exposed rhyolite outcrops

   Walk the main outcrop area and identify zones where the rhyolite is most heavily weathered — darker, more friable rock with a pitted surface. These zones produce the most loose-garnet alluvial accumulations at their base.

2. 2

   Set up a screening station

   Place a ¼-inch wire-mesh screen over your bucket or on a tarp. Scoop the alluvial soil at the base of weathered outcrops and screen it. Garnets are denser than the surrounding silty material and accumulate on the screen surface as fine material drops through.

3. 3

   Pick through screen residue

   Shake the screen until fine material passes through. The residue includes garnets, rhyolite fragments, and quartz grains. Pick out the dark red to brownish-red garnet crystals — they are distinctly denser and more glassy than the surrounding rock chips.

4. 4

   Look for matrix specimens

   Check the harder rhyolite faces for embedded garnet crystals still in matrix. These are less abundant but make more impressive display specimens. A rock pick helps loosen weathered matrix sections with visible crystal faces.

5. 5

   Clean and sort specimens

   Back at camp or home, scrub collected garnets with a soft brush and water to remove clay and soil. Good specimens will show glassy faces and deep red color when clean. Store larger matrix specimens separately to avoid scratching crystal faces.

Recommended gear for Garnet Hill

• OptionalWire-mesh screen (¼-inch)— Essential for productive alluvial soil screening; most efficient collection method
• OptionalGarden trowel or short-handled pick— For loosening surface soil and soft matrix; standard rock pick optional for harder material
• OptionalFive-gallon bucket— Screening station base and collection container
• OptionalWork gloves— Rhyolite matrix and garnet-bearing soil is rough on hands during extended work
• Optional2+ liters water per person— BLM says no water is available at the site; high desert at elevation; essential
• OptionalSun protection— No shade at the collection area; full sun exposure
• OptionalPassenger car is fine— BLM describes the 3.1-mile graded access road as suitable for sedans, though winding and somewhat steep; RVs and large trailers are not recommended

Who Sets the Rules Here

• FederalBureau of Land Management — BLM Ely District (Bristlecone Field Office); 43 CFR 8365.1-5(b) personal-use collecting

  BLM-administered surface land at Garnet Hill; personal-use collection of reasonable amounts of rocks, mineral specimens and semiprecious gemstones, including garnets, without a permit

Permits & Licenses

Time & Seasonal Restrictions

• Personal-use amount: "reasonable amounts" only, with no published pound limit. Collecting for sale, or more than a reasonable amount, needs a permit from the Ely District
• No powered equipment, no blasting, no mechanical excavation
• Hand tools (picks, shovels, screens) permitted for surface and shallow subsurface collection
• Do not collect from active mining claims — check for posted claim markers; any staked area is off-limits without mining claim holder permission
• No collection on adjacent private land — the Nevada desert has a patchwork of BLM, state, and private parcels; stay within confirmed BLM boundaries
• Firearms: Nevada and BLM laws allow open carry; responsible handling required; no discharge near developed areas

Equipment Notes

• Wire-mesh screen (¼-inch or finer) — screening loose alluvial soil around Garnet Hill reveals garnets not visible by eye; a flat-bottom screen shaken over a tarp is the most efficient collection method
• Garden trowel or rock pick — for loosening surface soil and examining the rhyolite matrix
• Five-gallon bucket — practical for transport and for screening operations
• Gloves — rhyolite matrix edges and garnet-bearing soil can be rough on hands during extended screening
• Sun protection and all your water — Garnet Hill is at about 7,000 feet and BLM says no water is available; the 3.1-mile graded access road suits passenger cars but is winding and somewhat steep
• Small magnification loupe — useful for examining garnet clarity and crystal faces on promising specimens

What People Find Here

• Almandine garnets (Fe₃Al₂(SiO₄)₃) — deep red to brownish-red; sizes range from 1mm dust to well-formed crystals 12–15mm across; euhedral crystal faces are common in matrix-hosted specimens
• Loose garnet sand — weathered rhyolite creates garnet-rich alluvial accumulations at the base of exposures; screening this material is very productive
• Matrix specimens — garnet crystals still embedded in rhyolite host rock; less abundant than loose material but more visually striking
• Occasional clear to pale-red facet-grade garnets — rare but possible in the best crystal faces; most material is opaque to semi-transparent

Penalties for Violations

Etiquette & Leave No Trace

• Backfill any holes you dig — leave the area in a condition other collectors can use; BLM's continued permission for casual collecting depends on responsible use
• Pack out all waste including screening tailings if you used a contained work area
• Do not strip a productive area down to bare rock — leave some material for other visitors
• Respect existing diggings — if someone else has worked an area, let them return to it before working the same spot