DoBell Ranch (DoBell Mineral & Excavations)
Petrified wood digging on private ranch land, 19 miles east of Holbrook
- What you find
- Arizona rainbow petrified wood
- Address
- 9274 Old US Highway 180, Holbrook, 19 miles east of town
- Open
- Every day
- Admission
- Free
- Camping
- Dry camping for tents, vans, trucks and RVs; no hookups
- Who
- Families, first-timers and seasoned rockhounds
- Next door
- Petrified Forest National Park, where collecting is illegal
Fee dig: pay to search the ground on site
Native material: you search the natural ground on site.
Season: Year-round.
The easy way in
Within 50 miles of Holbrook our maps show no open public land, so a site like this one is the simplest way to dig legally around here.
Nearest open public land on our gem and mineral map: about 79 miles away.
Nearest open public land on our fossil and meteorite map: about 76 miles away.
About DoBell Ranch (DoBell Mineral & Excavations)
DoBell Mineral & Excavations is a dig site and campground on the DoBell family ranch, 19 miles east of Holbrook on Old US Highway 180, a few miles from Petrified Forest National Park. The colorful Arizona petrified wood that is strictly protected inside the park can be dug legally here, on private land, and what you dig is yours to take home.
The dig site is open every day to the public, admission is free and the ranch calls itself family friendly: seasoned rockhounds and travelers stopping on the way through are equally welcome. Visitors dig in the ranch's pits or search the surface and the piles of wood that have already been dug.
Camping is dry camping for tents, vans, trucks and RVs, with no hookups. The ranch suggests it as a base for an early start into the national park, or as a place to stop after a day there.
Rock clubs come here too. The Mingus Gem and Mineral Club from the Verde Valley, the Sedona Gem and Mineral Club and the Daisy Mountain Rock and Mineral Club, on a joint trip with the Payson Rimstones club, have all run field trips to dig rainbow petrified wood at the ranch.
Bring a bucket, gloves and a small shovel or pick; tools are sometimes available on site. Wet a piece to see its real colors before deciding what to keep. Remember the line on the map: inside Petrified Forest National Park even a chip of wood may not be taken. The marker on the Eureka map is approximate, so use the street address to find the ranch.
Clubs and places nearby
- White Mountain Gem and Mineral ClubClub · 38 mi
- Diamond Point Quartz Crystal Collection AreaFree public dig · 79 mi
- Payson Rimstones Rock ClubClub · 89 mi
- Sedona Gem and Mineral ClubClub · 108 mi
- Gila County Gem & Mineral SocietyClub · 111 mi
- Mingus Gem and Mineral ClubClub · 120 mi
Where to buy gear nearby
- Jim Gray's Petrified Wood Co.Shop · 15 mi
- Flagstaff Rock ShopShop · 99 mi
- Copper Canyon Lapidary & JewelryOnline shop · 105 mi
- Mammoth Mine Rock ShopShop · 129 mi
Access
On US-180 southeast of Holbrook, toward the south entrance of Petrified Forest National Park: the ranch road turns off to the east a little past milepost 319, then about 3.5 miles of dirt road up the hill. The map marker is approximate, placed at Dobell Tank: check the directions with the ranch before you go.
Technique
Bring a bucket, gloves and a small shovel or pick; tools are sometimes available on site. Dig in the pits or search the surface and the piles. Wet a piece to see its real colors.