Wiley's Well----the Perfect Desert Getaway

 If you are looking for a place to go before the desert heats up and the rocks are too hot to pick up, the Wiley's Well area near Blythe, CA is just the place.  This is a large area consisting of BLM land and open camping, with several square miles of good collecting areas.  The Coon Hollow campground is a primitive campground administered by the BLM, with toilets, fire rings, and a pump for fresh water. There is no electricity here, but it makes a good base camp for the rockhound as the collecting areas are all within ten miles of this spot.  The fee collecting site known as Opal Hill, owned by Howard Fisher and Nancy Hill, is located just two miles from Coon Hollow.  For a small daily fee, you can collect fire agate, geodes, barite, dogtooth calcite, and many other minerals at this well-known location.

The geode beds are the best known areas here at Wiley's Well, with names such as the Hauser Beds, the Potato Patch, the Strawberry Patch and Road's End.  There is great potential for finding geodes in the ash layers wherever they are seen around the area, so don't restrict yourself to the ones mentioned above.  It is entirely possible to find your own great geode pit if you do a little hiking over the hills away from the roads.  However, as no vehicle traffic is allowed except on the established roads, if you go too far from your vehicle you may have a heavy load to carry if you strike it rich!

Most people start their hunt for geodes where they have been found before---by digging in the pits that you will find at the above mentioned geode sites.  Just start by looking for broken geodes that have been thrown aside to get an idea of what you will be looking for as you widen and deepen the pits you find.  Just be careful not to create any overhangs as you could find yourself in trouble from a collapsed overhang.  Aside from the geodes, there is lots of different colors of agate and rhyolite in seams on the hills.  Good tumbling and cutting material can be had everywhere you look, as well as amygdules and crystal centers from broken geodes. 

An extra bonus in the form of miles of beautiful wildflowers in bloom will be had for those who travel to this wonderful area. Miles of flowers line the approach to the Wiley's Well exit from Interstate 10, with the purple verbena and yellow brittlebush being the most abundant.  Ocotillo is now showing good color at its tips, like flaming spears of flowers.  All sorts of tiny flowers are popping up in the washes and anywhere there was enough moisture to germinate them, with the added bonus of clumps of barrel cactus showing the promise of blooms soon. Be sure and bring your wildflower guide book as you may find some rare and unusual varieties out here in this part of the California desert.

For those of you who may want a guide to  help you in your hunt for the "big ones", Kim Jensen has set up an outdoor rock shop at Middle Camp, where the road forks between the Hauser bed and the Black Hills locations.  He will guide individuals or groups for a fee through the middle of May this year--call him for reservations and pricing at 760 587 1561.  He is also very helpful when it comes to deciphering the road maps in the various gem guide books available on the market for use in this area.  Gem Trails of Southern California by James Mitchell, Rockhounding California by Gail Butler, and the old standby Desert Gem Trails by Mary Frances Strong are the classics for this area, and may be purchased at my shop, Crossroads Treasures.

Happy hunting!!!