The best places to rockhound in Michigan are the Keweenaw Peninsula, Isle Royale, Manitou Island, Marquette County, and the shorelines of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. A wide variety of rocks and minerals can be found including Petoskey Stones, Chlorastrolite, Agate, Chalcedony, and copper minerals.

1. Petoskey stone. Petoskey stones are fossilized colonial coral stones. These corals lived in warm shallow seas that covered Michigan about 350 million years ago, according to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

This beautiful stone can be found on the shores of Leland’s beaches and other beachfront areas in Northern Michigan.

Is it illegal to take rocks from Lake Superior? It is illegal under federal law to remove stones from a National Lakeshore.

Nobody, not even park rangers, can stop you from taking rocks from the beach, he says, just as thousands of sightseers have been doing for hundreds of years. If you pick up just a few, the authorities will probably look the other way and let you enjoy being a rock hound or a mineral collector on Lake Superior shores.

Although Petoskey stone collection is strictly prohibited on federal lands, such as the National Lakeshore, rock hunters may still collect up to 25 pounds of stones per year outside of the Park, on state-owned lands. Petoskeys are the official state stone and very abundant along Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

Agate (/ˈæɡ. ət/) is a common rock formation, consisting of chalcedony and quartz as its primary components, consisting of a wide variety of colors. Agates are primarily formed within volcanic and metamorphic rocks.

Yooperlites® have been found in different areas throughout Michigan but are most prominent in the Upper Peninsula along Lake Superior. The beaches near the Grand Marais area, as well as in the Keweenaw Peninsula, are popular destinations for those searching for Yooperlites®.

Rock hunting in Northern Michigan is some of the best in the world. Learn the top spots to find four incredible stones along with some tips on how… This 303-acre park on Lake Michigan’s Little Traverse Bay is just minutes from downtown Petoskey and Harbor Springs. Dive in to discover trails,…

Famous for its rich copper deposits and extensive iron ore deposits, Michigan is an excellent place for rockhounds. You may also find jasper, chert, banded agates, Petoskey stones, and many more. But where exactly can you rockhound in Michigan, and what can you find.

For miles along the Upper Peninsula of Michigan you’ll find beaches and valleys standing as natural rock museums primed for the picking. Many expert collectors head to the northern tip of Michigan with safety equipment and rock pick in hand to satiate their desire for that new collector’s item.

Famous for their Petoskey Stones, the extensive shorelines of Michigan are must-visit destinations for any rockhound. The Upper Peninsula is particularly noteworthy for its long history of copper mining and the presence of agates and Isle Royale Greenstone.