Horseshoe Mine

Clay County, Alabama
🌍 Land Type: Fee Dig (Private)
💰 Fee: Varies
Approximate — check official site before visiting
📅 Season: By appointment
📊 Difficulty: moderate

Historic pegmatite mine in the Alabama Piedmont. Known for quartz crystals, garnet, and tourmaline specimens.

🌐 Visit Official Site →
Quartz Crystals Garnets Tourmaline 🪨 Rockhounding

🪨 What You Can Find Here

Quartz Crystals

Clear, smoky, and rose quartz crystals are among the most common and rewarding rockhounding finds. Arkansas produces world-class quartz.

Also found at:

Garnets

Deep red almandine garnets are found in many states. Idaho's star garnets are among the rarest in the world.

Also found at:

Tourmaline

Also found at:

📍 Nearby Locations in Alabama

Golden Stake Mine

Lineville, Alabama · Fee Dig

Alabama Piedmont mine producing garnet and kyanite crystals. Part of the mineral-rich eastern Alabama region.

GarnetsKyanite

Alabama Gold Panning (Clear Creek)

Wedowee, Alabama · Public Land

Recreational gold panning in the Clear Creek area. Alabama's gold belt was historically productive. Pan in streams on public lands.

Gold

M & G Mine

Ashland, Alabama · Fee Dig

Old mine in Clay County producing apatite, garnet, and smoky quartz crystals. Located in the pegmatite-rich area near Ashland. Permission required.

ApatiteGarnetsQuartz Crystals

Hog Mountain

Alexander City, Alabama · Fee Dig

Historic gold mining area NE of Alexander City in Tallapoosa County. Known for gold, pyrite, galena, and other sulfide minerals. Old mines and prospec...

GoldPyriteGalena

Millsite Tin Mine

Rockford, Alabama · Fee Dig

Historic tin mine 1 mile NE of Rockford in Coosa County. Produces cassiterite, apatite, epidote, garnet, lepidolite, topaz, tourmaline, and sillimanit...

CassiteriteGarnetsTopaz

Lake Martin Rockhounding Area

Alexander City, Alabama · Public Land

Outcrops along the shores of Lake Martin in Tallapoosa County. Known for epidote, actinolite, bronzite, feldspar, hematite, quartz crystals, unakite, ...

EpidoteQuartz CrystalsActinolite

⛏️ Recommended Gear

Make the most of your visit to Horseshoe Mine with the right equipment.

Rock Hammer

The most essential rockhounding tool. Choose a hammer with both a flat striking face and a pointed pick end.

Typical: $25-45

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Safety Glasses

Mandatory protective gear. Rock chips fly unpredictably when hammering.

Typical: $10-20

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Chisel Set

Cold chisels in 3-4 sizes for precise extraction from matrix rock.

Typical: $15-30

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Geologist's Pick

A heavier crack hammer for splitting hard rock. Essential for hard rock mining areas.

Typical: $35-60

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Sifting Screen

Stackable mesh screens for sifting gravel and dirt. Essential for gem and fossil hunting.

Typical: $20-40

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UV Flashlight

Long-wave UV light for finding fluorescent minerals and Yooperlites.

Typical: $15-35

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