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My mother was an avid rockhound. She always drug us (myself and my siblings) along on her field trips around California when we were kids. I hated it then, but now I kinda miss it. She's crippled now from an accident she had at Opal Mountain, so she doesn't collect anymore, but her entire yard and drive way is covered in 50 years worth of collecting. Pretty neat stuff.
What area of Southern California?
I was in the Bakersfield area, and a few I remember were Ant Hill and Shark Tooth Hill for fossils. I believe Shark Tooth Hill is private property, though. My mother is good with the family that owns it and we were allowed in when we wanted, but otherwise I believe the only way to collect there now is to go through a local museum (It's called Buena Vista Museum of Natural History) that goes on trips there every few months. I'm not sure if it costs, but from my experience that place is amazing and probably worth the money if it does. I remember stepping out of the truck and just seeing dozens of shark teeth laying around. Plus, it's a pretty good bone bed, too.
Opal/Black Mountain are ones that stuck out, too. Opal was my mothers favorite, so we'd collect it there. I think black mountain is private, but I really have no idea. I remember the roads being pretty bad leading there, though. If you have a good truck you should be ok. It's near Barstow I think.
Another place is Trona, Ca. The place is a wasteland and it smells horrid, but they have an event called Gem-O-Rama every year, and it's something you really shouldn't miss. It's like a rockhound's paradise. I think it lasts a few days, and people flock there and camp out, and throughout the few days the gem and mineral society do several field trips involving collecting, such as letting you pry up the crystals from the lake bed, or bringing people in to blow holes 50 feet under the ground and spraying the mud/crystals on to the ground for the people to dig around in and collect.
