Rockhounding: Places to Visit or Collect in Southwestern USA

[Thomas Farley]

San Diego County (San Diego)

The Collector Fine Jewelry/Pala International Inc
912 South Live Oak Park Road
Fallbrook, CA 92028
760-728-9121
33°22.471' N 117°12.556' W
A one-of-a-kind jewelry and rare mineral store specializing in tourmaline. The Collector is only
a few miles from the Pala Mining District. The owner is Bill Larson, known world-wide as a
geologist and authority on gems and rare minerals. He has made more than 150 overseas trips in
his pursuit of minerals and colored stones. With any luck, Bill may be around and you will
discover how little you know. I don’t mean that despairingly, only with humor. Larson is
someone you learn from, someone who honors you with his time.

The store’s central show room emphasizes jewelry, however, there is a marvelous gem pegmatite
pocket exhibit off the main floor. It took four months to recover the pocket intact. If personnel
and time permit, a rockhound may be shown other areas featuring displays of extremely rare
minerals and high-end gems. These equal or surpass any museum or Tucson exhibit.

Fallbrook Gem and Mineral Museum
123 W Alvarado St B
Fallbrook, CA 92028
760-728-1130
33°22.946' N 117°15.125' W
Few gem and mineral clubs have a museum or gift shop, let alone one of this quality. It’s an
outstanding effort of the Fallbrook Gem and Mineral Society, containing examples of San Diego
County minerals and gems and a fluorescent mineral room. Many local specimens for sale,
including three-dollar grab bags of local materials, each small mineral duly described.

The Ocean View Mine and the Pala Chief Mine
37304 Magee Rd, Pala, CA 92059
Jeff Swanger, Owner and Chief Operator
760-415-9143
$75 a person
Special instructions to reach the mine at their website and also discussed below. Oceanview Mines, LLC offers two fee/dig experiences in the Pala Mining District. Commonly found are tourmalines, kunzites, and morganites, along with other sparkly things like pink
lepidolite. The Pala area, a pegmatite mining district, has been actively worked for gemstones
since the turn of the 19th century.

A screen and wash activity is held three times a week in season throughout much of the year. Online videos produced by Jeff Swanger and crew show the entire process. This easy-to-do activity will return attractive stones.

The second experience is held twice a month for part of the year. Bring your own tools. The Pala Chief fee/dig allows rockhounds to search through old tailings and mine dumps, along with hacking at the side of Chief Mountain itself. At some point the mine operator might work an
excavator, digging a six-foot deep trench to bring up fresh dirt and rock for searching. Anything found can be kept.

Follow website directions to the mine with care. Their directions start in Pala. First, get to Magee Road using Highway 76; the mine’s entrance road is a few miles from there. Only Magee’s south entrance from Highway 76 should be attempted. In Pala there is a Magee Place that is not Magee Road. If Magee Road is not in one’s navigation device, try looking for the Pala Raceway. Magee Road is further east on 76.

The mine property road is rough but this author did see a Mini Cooper negotiate its entire length. Staff will happily load people and gear into a buggy if a driver does not wish to drive the road. Bring sunscreen even if it is overcast, snacks, and tools if you are doing the Pala Chief. Full
details at their website. Driest weather month may be May. Resist taking too many photographs, instead, dive into digging or screening as long as you can and as hard as you can. You are going to find something wonderful. Oh, and if you can’t go, you can order a bag of pay dirt if they are still offering it. I found enough nice things in what they sent me to convince me to go to the mine in person.
Magee Road and Highway 76 coordinates:
33°21.830' N 117°03.440' W

Himalaya Mine
c/o/ Lake Henshaw Resort
26439 Hwy 76
Santa Ysabel, CA 92070
775-225-4245
775-772-7724.
33°14.166' N 116°45.823' W
This is another screen/wash activity located at the Lake Henshaw Resort. It’s on the road to Julian, with other rock related attractions along the way. Rockhounds go through tailings from the famous Himalaya Mine. Open year-round, generally Thursday through Sunday from 10 AM
to 3 PM. Call ahead to confirm details.

The screen and wash is out of view in back. To get there, go into the market on the property and get a gate pass code. Drive through the gate to the fee/dig. $75 for an adult. Minerals found may be pink and green tourmaline, black tourmaline, quartz crystals, spessertine garnet, lepidolite, and clevelandite. Keep anything found.

Crossroads Treasures
30219 CA-78, Santa Ysabel, CA 92070
760-765-2530
33°06.521' N 116°40.501' W
Rock shop and birding. Thursdays through Sundays. Seasonal hours. Near the intersection of Highways 76 and 79, making it a convenient stop on the way to Wynola and Julian. Minerals and Places to Visit or Collect in the Southwestern United States gems from the Himalaya, Cryogenie, and Pala Chief Mines. The tri-colored blackbird, the western tanager and the black-headed grosbeak frequent the grounds.

Julian Mountain Gems & Minerals
2015 Main Street, Suite B
33°04.653' N 116°36.068' W
Seasonal days and hours. They are generally open Thursday through Sunday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. “While we do specialize in mostly quartz, fluorite, and tourmaline, we also carry other crystals and minerals.” Check them while heading to the Eagle and High Peak Mines just a mile or two away.

Update June 2025 (RTA): The original link for Julian Mountain Gems & Minerals is no longer active. In January 2004, there was a Julian Gem and Jewelry at 2000 Main Street, but we don't know if it is the same place the post referred to. There is a Facebook page for a similarly-named place.

Eagle and High Peak Mines
2320 C St
Julian, CA 92036
760-765-0036
33°04.926' N 116°35.710' W
1000’ feet of hard rock tunnel on old gold mine property. Guided tour. Low headroom and a steep stairway at the two-thirds mark. Call to see if a mobility-challenged person can be accommodated for the first stretch. There’s much to see before that stairway. Great introduction
to a hard rock mine. After the tour, visitors can chat with their guide about local rockhounding.

$10 charge. Gold panning taught. Visitors can’t keep the gold but learning to pan is worth more than any colors found. Impressive non-working stamp mill on the property along with other gold mining related equipment. Gift shop with rocks from different countries. Tip your tour guide if you can afford to. These are nice people.

The Julian area has been called the Southern Mother Lode of California.

Goffs Schoolhouse
37198 Lanfair Road (Near Goffs Road and Lanfair Road)
Goffs, CA 92332
34°55.281' N 115°04.026' W
Restored ore crushers including a working 10-Stamp Mill. To see it in operation, one must attend
a scheduled event when the mill is in operation. E-mail or check their website to see if any such
events are scheduled.

Next up: Southern Colorado and beyond.