The 12 Best Spots to Rockhound in North Central Washington

If you're like me, then you know there's nothing like finding a cool chunk of stone!

As a kid, I used to rockhound in numerous spots around my neighborhood near the base of Badger Mountain Road and find a wealth of different specimens, from sparkling pyrite to jet-black obsidian with smears of bloody crimson.

As an adult, I still love rocks, minerals, and gemstones, and possess many of them, although nearly all of the ones I have now were purchased after someone else found them.

Yeah, sadly the environs surrounding my childhood home today are much better suited to looking for a house or a condominium to buy or rent and not the interesting rocks that used to cover its landscape.

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Washington offers lots of opportunities for rockhounds

But the good news for rock lovers like me is that we live in a very geologically rich part of the world for digging up, or even just stumbling across some incredible offerings from the bones of Mother Earth...

...and so I present you with a dozen great spots to hound for stones to put in your own collection that are right here in North Central Washington!

While you're out there, keep these rules in mind:

meteorites, vertebrate fossils, or any archeological or historic artifacts cannot be collected without a permit
Rockhounding isn't allowed in national parks, national monuments, national wildlife refuges, national scenic areas, or tribal lands
Permission is required if you want to sniff around on private property