A New Ranch Has Opened for Rockhunting!

The Pigmon Ranch, located between Balmorhea and Toyah, is Open NOW!

Teri Smith Rockhunts is pleased to announce the opening of the Pigmon Ranch for rockhunting.  This ranch is located between Balmorhea and Toyah, on rolling hills and flats, where you can find agate, jasper, petrified wood, flint, and chert.  There is quite a bit of blue agate on the ranch, and some of it has black, grey, or white plumes in it.  There’s also lots of other types of agate, such as fortification agates, tube agates, water-level agates, seam agates, banded agates, and saginitic agates.  And there is petrified wood, flint, and chert in great colors and patterns.

I hope to get photos and a description up on my website in the next day or so. The agates are so beautiful and varied that it will take lots of photos to give you an idea of what you can find there.

The Pigmon Ranch is about 70 miles from Alpine. It will be easy to access, as a paved county road goes right through the ranch!

Cost for the hunt is $50 per adult per day.  Children are free.  Rollin’ Rock Club membership is required ($10 for a single membership, or $16 for a dual membership.)  Contact Teri Smith at agatehunter@sbcglobal.net, or text or call (432) 386-3431.

Schedule created on 10/7/2024. If the schedule changes, a new post will be created with the new schedule.

Spring 2024 Rockhunts Start SOOOOON

Hi y’all! Spring rockhunting season is here, and it’s time to round up the rock bags and oil up the wheelbarrow for some great rockhunting adventures.

This Spring my schedule will be more flexible than it has been in the recent past. Aaron Thomas has said he’s not leading field trips this spring, so I have no reason to just schedule hunts for Thursdays, Fridays, and Mondays. I’ve waited til now to send out my schedule because I’ve been trying to make contact with the 06 Ranch to see whether anyone else would be leading hunts on the 06 this Spring, but I haven’t been successful, so I’m assuming that there will be no hunts there at all. If that changes, I’ll let you know ASAP.

Instead of scheduling rockhunts now and hoping those days work for rockhounds, I’ll tell you when I can lead rockhunts, and you pick the days that work best for you and let me know. It only takes one person to sign up for a rockhunt to happen, and I love to go on rockhunts, so I will be glad to lead a trip for one person. And if you’ve got a group, so much the better. I’ve had up to 30 people with me on hunts, and everyone had a good time and found great rocks!

I’ll still be leading rockhunts on the Ritchie Ranch, the South Larremore Ranch, and East Needle Peak. Jean and Bryan Larremore will also be leading trips to the South Larremore Ranch when they can.

For further information on the ranches I lead rockhunts on, and what you’ll need to do to prepare, follow this link: http://terismithrockhunts.com/for-rockhunters/ To sign up for one of my rockhunts, send me an email at agatehunter@sbcglobal.net or text me at (432) 386-3431. Please include a phone number so I can call you if necessary. I’d prefer not to have you call me because I’m forgetful, and having a text or email that I can refer to will ensure I remember the right dates and other information.

The only requirement for my hunts in addition to the fees stated below is that you need to join the Rollin’ Rock Club. This club costs $10 per year for a single membership ($16 dual membership), and provides insurance that protects the landowner from any damage we may accidentally cause.

So without further ado, here’s my schedule:

Green= Ought to be available
Yellow=Probably not available, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.

Once again, the hunts will begin highway 118 south.in the parking lot of Little Caesar’s Pizza in Alpine, at the corner of Holland Avenue and Highway 118 south.

East Needle Peak S. Larremore Ranch Ritchie Ranch
Meets at 8 am in the parking lot of Little Caesar’s Pizza in Alpine Meets at 8 am in the parking lot of Little Caesar’s Pizza in Alpine Meets at 9 am in the parking lot of Little Caesar’s Pizza in Alpine
Cost:  $50 per day.  First bucket of rocks you collect is included in cost. Cost:  $60 per day.  First bucket of rocks you collect is included in cost. Cost: $20 entrance fee and $1 per lb for cutting material and crystals.
Leader:  Teri Smith (432) 386-3431 Leader:  Teri Smith (432) 386-3431 Leader:  Teri Smith (432) 386-3431

Regards,
Teri

P.S. I’ve still got great rocks for sale. I‘ll be cataloging what I’ve got starting next week when I’m back in Texas, and I’ll send out an email about that as soon as I have an idea what I have.