Steamboat Rock State Park

Generally, state parks don't allow any rockhounding. The "trick" is to go just outside the park, and you'll usually find whatever you would have found inside the park. Park rangers can sometimes be very helpful in pointing you to good areas just outside the park, because they tend to bump into us rockers quite a bit. The Bureau of Land Management is also an excellent resource for finding the rocks you're looking for, and they're just a phone call away.

Yup, there are restrictions on collecting on BLM land. Each state has their own guidelines. Generally, they seem to share a few basic things:

* Collecting is for personal use only

* There is a daily limit to how much you can collect. Some allow "whatever you can fit in a daypack", while others allow "whatever you can fit in the trunk of your car".

* Most states only allow hand excavation, using hand tools. Power tools and blasting are forbidden.

Regardless of laws, always respect Mother Nature when rockhounding:

* Always be concsiencious with fire

* NEVER leave trash in the wilderness

* NEVER purposely deface nature

* Only take what you need and will use

Remember to leave nature's miracles for other people to discover and appreciate. Don't be selfish and greedy. Don't tear-up an entire area just to take "the good stuff", while leaving behind a huge mess of the lesser-quality stuff. Remember, someone probably left that good stuff there for YOU to find!