Round Mountain Rockhound Area
Remote BLM rockhound area near Duncan, known for fire agate
- What you do
- Surface collect and dig, for personal use
- What people find
- Fire agate, chalcedony
- Where
- Near Duncan, far eastern Arizona, by the New Mexico line
- Getting there
- From Highway 70 into New Mexico, past milepost 5, then 12 miles of dirt road
- Fee
- None
- Also
- Camping and hiking
- Managed by
- BLM Safford Field Office
Public area set aside for recreational collecting
Native material: you search the natural ground on site.
Season: Year-round. Summers are very hot and dry.
Make a weekend of it
64 gem and mineral spots on open public land with no claim on record, within 50 miles.
There are more on the map, some of them with a possible mining claim.
About Round Mountain Rockhound Area
The Round Mountain Rockhound Area is a popular collecting area run by the Bureau of Land Management near the town of Duncan, in the far east of Arizona along the New Mexico line. Like the Black Hills area to the west, it is known among rockhounds for fire agate and chalcedony, the volcanic gem material of this corner of the state.
There is no fee. Camping and hiking are allowed, and collecting is for personal use under the BLM's rules for rockhounding, which limit how much each person can take and don't allow selling what you find.
Getting there is part of the adventure, because the road goes through New Mexico. From Safford, drive east on Highway 70 for about 50 miles, cross into New Mexico and continue to just past milepost 5. Turn right onto the dirt access road and follow the signs for about 12 miles to the rockhound area. Ask the BLM Safford Field Office about road conditions before you go, especially after rain.
There are no services out here: bring water, food, shade and tools, and plan to be self-sufficient. As everywhere in the Arizona desert, summer is the wrong season; fall to spring is the time to go.
Clubs and places nearby
- Black Hills Rockhound AreaFree public dig · 33 mi
- Huachuca Mineral and Gem ClubClub · 95 mi
- Huachuca Prospectors AssociationClub · 97 mi
- Gold Prospectors Association of Tucson (GPAA)Club · 108 mi
- Old Pueblo Lapidary ClubClub · 109 mi
- Tucson Gem and Mineral SocietyClub · 109 mi
Where to buy gear nearby
- The Wizard's WorkshopShop · 79 mi
- The Rock Yard (Tucson)Shop · 113 mi
- Raining RocksShop · 114 mi
- Tucson Mineral & Gem WorldShop · 121 mi
Access
From Highway 70, about 50 miles east of Safford, drive into New Mexico to just past milepost 5. Take the dirt access road on the right for 12 miles, following the signs to the rockhound area.
Technique
Hand tools only. Fire agate and chalcedony lie on the surface and in the loose ground around the mountain: the fire shows only when a nodule is broken or cut. Personal collection only, in reasonable amounts.