Rockhounding New York:     A Field Guide to the                                State’s Best Rockhounding Sites                                     by Robert Beard        Falcon Guides (2014)

With this informative guide, you can explore the mineral-rich state of New York, from the beaches to the mountains. The book describes the states’ best rockhounding sites and covers popular and commercial sites as well as numerous little-known areas.  Although the technical and mineralogical data on the 98 sites is a bit brief, this handy guide does include maps and directions to each site and enough rockhounding information to at least prepare you for your visit.

Brief sections in the front of the book review the state’s bedrock geology and natural resources and there is also a short section on basic rockhounding.

The book contains a healthy number of both mineral and fossil sites.  I count 33 fossil sites from the 98 total sites covered in the 276 pages.  Many of these are in the Alleghany Plateau region of western NY. Another third of the locations are mineral sites in the Adirondacks.  The book does include many of the classic sites we have all come to love, but there are many smaller and lesser known sites included also.  I bought mine online for less than the $19.99 price printed on the back (even with shipping).