black hills rockhound area

ArizonaNancy2014

Great scenery in a quiet setting, a rock hound delight and terrific description of CCC constructions. Roads somewhat rough but no high tolerance vehicle needed.

ScubaLadyK

Went here with my husband who was looking for fire agates, thought I would be bored but there were lots of interesting rocks all over the place. Saw some cattle walking around and enjoyed the pretty scenery. We drove in with a Chevy Traverse (without too much ground clearance) and just drove slowly as some of the gravel roads are pretty raw. If you like rocks, you will enjoy this place.

WhiskeyPriest_2012

Seriously. It is a dozen or more miles outside of Safford, not in the heart of "downtown". It is a pretty place, lots of stones sitting on the ground - mostly valueless; fire agates are there too, but it is best to dig for them. Minimal facilities, a little hard to fine, but a pleasant way to spend an hour or two.

BonnieB830

good views, not a lot of other folks in the area. The end of the drive by Gila River bridge was the prettiest, good place for a picnic.

Trave1er

The Black Hills Rockhound Area is pretty easy to find. It is a great place to visit and experience a little of the great outdoors. The gravel/dirt road near MP141 on Route 91 is easy to find. It is a little rough, but easy to manage. There are a lot of "pretty rocks" to collect right on the surface. If you are serious about finding fire agate, you will probably need a lot of time and tools to do some digging. We spent about 4 hours there and collected a lot of white and root beer colored minerals. No luck on finding a big fire agate, but we had fun trying. The terrain is rough, so I would recommend long pants and sturdy shoes. As always when you are out in the wild you have to be careful. We never saw a rattle snake, but you always have to be aware of where you are stepping.

5joeb

Maybe I missed the point, but the rock hounding seemed to be pumice stone of all shapes and sizes. Nothing I'd call a mineral.Very nice views of surrounding buttes and rock formations.

Jerayn1

Beautiful country... make sure you have a decent vehicle for a gravel road. Take water... was a lot of fun. :)

Photo_traveller_AZ

The rockhound area is located about 19 miles east of Safford. It is not very well marked, so watch for Black Hills Byway turn-off, keep driving few more minutes, then you notice a BLM sign with gates and cattle guard on your left. From this sign, its about two miles drive on unpaved road, last stretch is pretty rough, high clearance needed. The area is marked with information board. There is also sign-up journal and covered trash can. No water or restrooms are available. You can search rocks on a surface, for larger specimens shovel and bucket are recommended. Rock hounding is free, but rocks found at this location are not subject for sale. They can be kept for your personal enjoyment.The best part: in less than half hour, I was able to find at least one fire agate - even without digging.

AlexH930

I've camped here a few times looking for fire agate.I always find something to take home. Sometimes I get something really nice. It's out there.There are no facilities other than a trash can so camping is primitive.

sunshinewoman429

We spent 3 days here, and enjoyed the solitude. (nice camping - rough entry. Take it slow. We had to take the bikes off the back of the RV to make the grade off the highway. When hiking off to hills, much more chalcedny. Some good Fire agates. An eagle nest off to the NNW. Have a great time.

nmbjs

I found a few nice pieces of fire agate, a bunch of nice regular agate and more chalcedony than I've found anyplace else.It's a rough road and the area right around the parking area is pretty well picked over but found some nice stuff in the hills surrounding.Camping is primitive but great sunsets. Bring water water water.

rockpuppy

If you're looking for jewelry-grade fire agate, you'll probably find very little. However, the agate in the area is beautiful. If you don't have a rock tumbler, this would be the time to invest in one because the agate is very striking when tumbled.I see rock-hounders who dig for agate, but there is so much on the surface that you won't need to do that. As far as I can tell, you don't find much more with the digging.If you take the time to go to Black Hills, I strongly recommend also making a trip to Round Mountain, which is east of Duncan (about an hour from the Black Hills area). This place has these great little egg-shaped agates which tumble up beautifully, and often are hollow with crystals inside. Take PLENTY of water, decent shoes and long pants.

va_traveler_Richmond

Great Fire Agates found here. Be careful of the rapid changing weather.