Kingston Mountains
California
Find: Amethyst, quartz clusters (smoky quartz, milky quartz) possibly citrine as well.
GPS: 35.77626, -115.89875
Nearest city: Las Vegas, NV
Summary:
I discovered this spot from a cool local channel, called Solomon’s Outdoor Adventures. His channel is a must-watch if you’re curious about the Nevada/Cali desert. As for the Kingston Range, it is an incredibly vast area littered with exceptional crystal clusters that occur within quartz veins in the bedrock.
I began finding crystals the more South I went, especially as I climbed the slopes. Be cautious of rattlesnakes out here, and I would assume there are large spiders as well based on my other experiences in the region.
An off-road vehicle like an ATV or Polaris would be fantastic to get around this spot. You can get to the wash (where I marked the GPS coordinates) with any car, but you’ll have to hike in. The roads to get here from the nearby town of Baker are a little beat up, but they’re paved.
Video Guide
Check out the video for a better look at what can be found when exploring this spot.
Crystal clusters like this can be found laying around without swinging a hammer.
Some locals I talked to like to use hardened ice picks as a more nimble option than a pickaxe to work out the amethyst.
My guess is that explosives have been used in the past here to free up big crystal clusters like this.
I thought this material was citrine for quite some time. Although I think it is more accurately iron-stained smoky quartz.
Gneiss.
Another example of prevalent iron staining here.
Some larger crystals can be found separate of the clusters.
And this one looked like a dragon's spine, so it came home with me.