I’m coming to Silver City. Where can I go rock hounding nearby?
For those of you that are not familiar with our fine city and all the opportunities to rock hound around here, let me give you some ideas.
First you could invest in some of the wonderful books that have been written on rock hounding New Mexico. They list several places in our county and of course all over our state. You can stop by the Royal Scepter Gem and Mineral shop at 1801 Little Walnut Rd. here in town and inquire there. The owner also stocks the books in her shop. Check the past field trips on this website to get ideas. There are so many places it would be hard to list them all, but here are few very close to town.
The first site is right in town and that would be Boston Hill. This is a city owned property and was mined for Manganese back in the day. There are many trail heads leading up the hill and all are clearly marked at said trail heads and along the way. There are various types of rock, crystals and fossils up there. My favorite area is along the east rim.
The second site is really good for fossils. Take Alabama St. to the north from where it intersects with Hwy 180. That will turn into Cottage San Rd. Stay to the left at the “Y”. At approx. 2.2 miles after the pavement ends you should find Forest Rd. 838. That would be a good place to start looking. You can also look along the side’s main road. You should find Crinoid stems small horn corals and brachiopods.
The third spot is out of town a little ways. Take Hwy 180 east and then east on Hwy 152 and then north on Hwy 356. This is the Hanover-Fierro Mining Area. As you travel north past the Hanover Post office and several houses you will begin to see old mine tailing along the west side of the road. Here you can find serpentine, chrysacolla, and lots of others. It is not recommended that you try to climb the tailing pile. It is very steep and the rocks are not stable. You can find plenty of great rock along the base.
Remember safety first! Even though these places are close to town and easy to get to, it’s always best if someone is with you and you let someone know where you’re going and if you’re here in the summer, wear a hat and bring plenty of water. Remember that our elevation is close to 6000 feet and that can be hard on some that come from lower altitudes.
If you would like to go on a field trip with our club, we go out every third Saturday of the month. That information is also available at the Royal Scepter, or come to our meeting the 2nd Thursday of the month at the Senior Center at 204 W. Victoria St.
Enjoy your visit to wonderful town and Happy Rock Hounding!
