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Great Lakes Rock Hunting
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items I live in Michigan which is a great place to rock hunt! Our Great Lakes are amazing and have so many beautiful rocks and fossils. I make and sell jewelry from the rocks I find so not only is this my hobby it's also my business. My favorite stone ...
Sections
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Best Beaches to Rockhunt in the Great Lakes
Rock Hunting Essentials
Rocks & Sea glass Polishing
Best Beaches to Rockhunt in the Great Lakes
Here are some of the top beaches to visit in the Great Lakes for the best rockhounding!
This is a great beach to search for Leland Blue Slag Glass. It is very coveted and pretty hard to find. You may also find some Petoskey Stones and fossils here. This beach is located right next to Fishtown in Leland, Michigan. Fishtown has shopping, tours, great food and much more, Great destination to look into!
Van's Beach
This is a fantastic Beach to visit right on Lake Huron. The Sturgeon Point goes out over a mile of nothing but beautiful rocks. You can wade out forever it seems and if you go on a smooth wave day you will find so many Petoskey Stones. I think I found 30+ stones when I was there for 2 hours. There is also plenty of other neat rocks such as Charlevoix, Unakite, Horn Coral, Quartzite and many other fossils. Bonus to the rock hunting is the cool Lighthouse you can visit.
Sturgeon Point Lighthouse Beach
Hands down my favorite beach to rockhunt in Michigan! There is the Day Use Lakeport area which is nice and there is also the Lakeport State Park Campground that is right on the water. I have stayed here many of times just to go rock hunt and its never dissapoints. This is a great place for all over cool rocks. Tons of Petoskey Stones, Charlevoix, Pudding Stones, Unakite, Coral, Quartzite, Beach Glass and the most unique fossils I have found.
Lakeport State Park
This is the best place to find Beach glass! There is also Petoskey Stones and other neat fossils.
Magoon Creek Beach and Natural Area
This is overall a great place to visit as well as Rock Hunt!! Beautiful beach, Lighthouse and the cute town of Frankfort. Definitely worth a trip. You will find a sorts of rocks here.
Point Betsie Lighthouse Beach
This is such a beautiful beach and area. It is located in the upper point of Leelanau Country. Cherry Orchards are everywhere, Make sure to stop at a roadside stand to buy fresh cherries! This beach is just packed with rocks. Its actuallly overwhelming so allow a couple hours here to look. You will find slag glass, Petoskey Stones, Beach glass, Charlevoix, Coral, Fossils and so much more.
Christmas Cove Beach
Rock Hunting Essentials
These are the things that I use when I go rock hunting which is quite often. My favorite thing for sure is my rock scooper!
I have these and gifted one to my friend and mom to use! So far they have been very durable and I like that the straps are adjustable
ISADENSER 5-Pack Colorful Mesh Beach Bags
This is the rock scooper I own. While it is a bit more expensive than some of the other ones out there it is worth it. The end scoop can be easily removed to make it a walking stick and it is height adjustable. It is very well made and durable.
Sand Dipper Full Size Beach Scoop Shovel & Sifter
Definitely need a good pair of water shoes to walk on a rocky beach. These keep most of the sand out , are grippy in the water even when waves crash. A must have!
WateLves Water Shoes Mens Womens Beach Swim Shoes
Nice easy portable sun canopy: easy to set up and take down. Just fill the 4 pockets with a bit of sand or rocks. Fits nicely in the carry bag.
Beach Tent - Beach Canopy UPF 50+ UV Protection
A more neutral color mesh rock bag for the guys!
Mesh Bag, Cross Body Mesh Beach Bag for Kids
Great high powered UV light for finding those Yooperlites!
uvBeast New V3 385-395nm Black Light UV Flashlight
Great book for a beginner Rockhound!
Rockhounding for Beginners: Guide to Minerals & Gems
If your Rock hunting in Michigan this is a must- have! Great gift too!
Michigan Rocks & Minerals: Field Guide
Great collapsing buckets for your rock finds!
Large Foldable Pail Bucket Set of 2, 1.5 Gallons
Super cool! Great for adults and kids. Works really well.
Reef Tourer Underwater Viewing Bucket
Must have to take a break in the shade! Rock hunting sure hurts your back !
Coleman Utopia Breeze Beach Chair, Lightweight
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Rocks & Sea glass Polishing
I have my own business selling jewelry and gifts from the rocks and glass I find so I use these items almost on a daily basis. These are tried and true and so you know you're getting what you need to get started.
Great sandpaper . Lots of different grits to choose from
Sand Paper, 48 PCS, 120 to 5000 Assorted Grit
Super high grits to really get that shine
AUSTOR 30 Pieces Wet and Dry Sandpaper Fine Grit
I have this model and it works great! Comes with a kit of tools and it's cordless which is great!
Dremel Lite 7760 N/10 4V Li-Ion Cordless Rotary Tool
This is what you will need to drill holes into your stones and sea/beach glass. These diamond drill bits fit into a Dremel and work great. Make sure to use water when drilling!
Drilax Diamond Drill Bit Set 30 pcs, 1/8 Shank
Mineral oil is nice to rub into the stones to give them a natural shine. I also use it after I sand my beach glass I rub the oil on it and it gives it a shine.
Swan Mineral Oil 16 oz
My Rock hunting partner and business partner has this machine. She loves it. She takes the bigger stones and cuts them with her wet Tile Saw and then uses this to shape them and then gives to me to hand polish and do the finishing details.
CabKing 6" Cabbing Machine | Model CABKING-6V3
This is the polish I use to get that glass like shine. You just put a small amt on a piece of denim and polish the rock to a glistening shine.
Simichrome Polish