Gem Trails of Southern California. (Paperback)

by James R. Mitchell (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
From agate to zoisite, this definitive guide to collecting sites throughout Southern California highlights the best that the area has to offer. Taking up where Gem Trails of Northern California left off, this companion book covers all of Southern California from just north of San Luis Obispo south to the Mexican border and all site points in between. Detailed maps and descriptive text lead the rockhound to over 70 of the best collecting sites for gems, minerals and fossils. Black and white photos aid in locating the collecting area. Stunning color photos help with specimen identification. Full of helpful hints for getting the most out of each site, the author becomes your personal tour guide to the many treasures that Southern California has to offer. Ideal for the novice, an important addition to any experienced rockhound's collection, Gem Trails of Southern California is a must for any rock collector exploring this diverse region. James Mitchell, a contributor to the Lapidary Journal, teaches school during the year and spends summers searching the West for additional gem and mineral locations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Gem Guides Book Company (February 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0935182837
• ISBN-13: 978-0935182835
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #215,049 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #38 in	Books > Science > Earth Sciences > Prospecting & Mining
  #67 in	Books > Outdoors & Nature > Natural Resources > Rocks & Minerals

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complete and accurate guide to Southern California Gem Trail, May 17, 1999

By A Customer

This book gives you accurate maps and information about the many sites to find gems, geode beds, old gold, chalcedony, opal and agate mines in the area, and many other sites and places of interest.It is easy to read and follow and I would recommend it to anyone interested in investigating these types of places in Southern California.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars useful book, but needs an update, December 10, 2002

By A Customer

We just spent the last weekend in the Mojave Desert with this book. We found several wonderful sites using the guide. We also got lost on webs of dirt roads, no matter how closely we followed the book's instructions. I have to think that a lot of the roads have changed, or that some of the directions are not accurate. We also encounted two sites in a row that were closed, but not labeled as such in the book. So although the book is great, it obviously needs an update, even though it was only published in 1999. My boyfriend thought it would also have helped us to have GPS coordinates of the sites. Still, we would never have found the great spots we did without this book, so I would definitely recommend it...

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gem Trails of Southern California, September 7, 2007

By	Truth Seeker "seeker" (Corpus Christi, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gem Trails of Southern California (Paperback)

This book appears to be a comprehensive listing of gem localities in Southern California. Even my two brothers living in So. California did not know about many of them!