2 legal places to look for agates in California — fees, seasons, and official sources below.
Hours, fees, and access rules change. Verify with the operator or land agency before you go.
Savahia Peak Rock Collecting Area
Needles, CA
chalcedonychalcedony rosesagate
BLM collecting area · Free · free, no permit for reasonable personal-use collecting; the 25 lb per day plus one piece figure is the petrified wood rule and does not set the chalcedony limit. Call the Needles Field Office (760-326-7000) for current limits
Checked against its source August 16, 2026
Wiley Well District Geode Beds
Blythe, CA
geodesagate noduleschalcedony
BLM collecting area · Free · free, no permit for reasonable personal-use collecting. Note the widely repeated 25 lb per day plus one piece / 250 lb per year figure is the federal petrified wood rule, not the geode limit — BLM's test for rock and mineral collecting is a reasonable, non-commercial amount. Call the El Centro Field Office (760-337-4400) for current limits
Checked against its source August 16, 2026
Start with the 2 legal places listed on this page — each shows what you can find, its fees, and its season, with a link to the official source. Hours, fees, and access rules change. Verify with the operator or land agency before you go.
Treat California's historic mines as history, not destinations. Most sit on private land or active mining claims, and old workings are dangerous even to walk. The state page's mineral record tells you what the ground holds — the directory tells you where you are welcome to look for it.