Customer Reviews

Rockhounding New Mexico

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I enjoyed reading this book the author has put a good amount of time and effort in the collection of collecting sites. I like the format used including the best time of the year to collect. In the southwest it does get really really hot in the summer. The elevation is also important for people with mid winter cabin fever. I used that data to successfully collect petrified wood in Cuba in January. The forward introduction is important to read for people not used to living and hiking in New Mexico. I have given this book a three star rating based mainly on it's age. It's been around since 1995. that means that the site data is eight years old. I found that the sites near big cities like Albuquerque tended to be picked over or even worse closed to collecting. All of the west has had a population boom and New Mexico is no exception. the sites near smaller towns were fairly well intact. If you are going to use this book or any other guide I would check with local rock shops before traveling any distance to a new site. If the author or the published ever reads this review I would like to suggest that in the site location that they include the GPS data for main turn - offs and the initial starting points for collecting. In the case of this book eight years is a long time for forest service roads to stay intact or new ones created. I also use Mapping software on my PC to pull up topo and aerial maps of the area. I would also suggest a notation on every site listing the date when it was visited.

I essentially agree with the previous reviewer. We live in Albuquerque, and my son wanted to start rockhounding, so we used this book to get us going in January, 2007. Unfortunately, the first site we tried (one of those near the city and close to I40, of course) did not appear to be accessible any longer. The directions were fairly good, but the place we were to get off the paved road had a sturdy fence across it and signage that indicated it was not open to the general public, which was not what the book said (presumably becuase it was not like this in 1995). We decided to try a different site from the book that was south of the city and much farther from an interstate. In this case, the directions took us right to a good area, and we spent the last hour before sundown finding petrified wood, jasper, and a whole mess of other things that we have not gotten around to identifying, but sure turned out nicely after going through the tumble-polishing process.

In short, take care assuming the access and conditions have not changed substantially in the 12 years since this was published. One always has to take care not to trespass, but don't rely on the book to tell you if you need permission. Other than that, the more general information about areas to find certain things is still good - though you might have to go farther off the beaten path to find them on the surface now.

I also agree that any future editions that include GPS information would be very helpful.

A well written book and it's obvious the author is familiar with New Mexico and with her subject. I especially like the simple figure she uses in each area to show what part of New Mexico she's talking about. She uses a small New Mexico outline with a little mine symbol to indicate quickly where in the state the site is located. I recommend this book to rockhounds.

This book is similiar to Gem Trails of New Mexico. It contains some of the "good old reliable locations", but is more up to date as far as access, conditions, land ownership, etc. goes. It does leave out alot of well known and productive locations, though. The directions are somewhat vague and not nearly as good as James Mitchell's book. Alot of information is offered about the site and other attractions in the area, but the levels of difficulty can be quite wrong. Either the author does know the choice spots, or can't get you there easily. A little geological knowledge, a good map, a color field guide, and asking the locals all help with this book. This book uses alot of mine symbles to mark the locations. Really not helpful in a large area especially with the heat, wind, cold and rattlesnakes. An okay book to cross-reference with other guides, but if you are short on time or don't know the area well, try Gem Trails of New Mexico first. Even though it was published at a much earlier date- and alot can change- it is still the fastest, easiest and most accurate guide I've used.