SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
22 BACKPACKER.COM
JADE COVE TRAIL
LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST, CA
The crashing waves of the Pacific
Ocean can crush almost any rock
into fine sand. But not jade. Untold
clusters of this mineral, which
ranges from opaque forest green to
clear emerald, are buried in the soft,
serpentinite bedrock around Jade
Cove. Between the winter storms
that break fresh pieces out of the
cliffs and the plate tectonics slowly
pushing new gems to the surface,
the treasures scattered across the
shoreline are frequently replen-
ished. Comb the beach to find your
own on this 1.5-mile loop near Big
Sur. Hike northwest from the
Plaskett Rock Point trailhead
through sagebrush and other coastal
grasses to reach an outlook at mile
.3, where hang gliders soar above
and elephant seals bark belowbefore retracing your steps 150 feet
back to the first intersection. Turn
right and follow the coastal trail
(watch for poison oak) straight for .6
mile. At the second intersection,
turn right and edge your way down a
steep slope—look for a fixed rope,
which assists with the last 100-foot
drop. Maximize your chances of
finding a hunk of jade by timing your
hike to hit the beach at mile 1 during
low tide (collecting above the mean
high tide line is prohibited, as are
tools). Retrace your steps up the
steep slope and head north, taking a
right at the intersection along the
cliff to complete your journey.
Contact http://www.fs.usda.gov/lpnfPROSPECTOR TRAIL
CRATER OF DIAMONDS STATE PARK, AR
At first glance, southwest Arkansas’s
thick stands of pine, hickory, and oakseem an unlikely place to look for
diamonds. But that’s exactly what
John Huddleston found sparkling in
the dirt while farming his fields in- This corner of the Ouachita
Mountains was home to an ancient
volcano that pushed 3-billion-year-
old lumps of pure carbon to the
Earth’s surface 100 million years ago.
Take a 1.4-mile stroll around the
81-acre crater (what’s left of that
extinct volcano) to witness its human
and geologic history. Head north-
west from the Diamond Discovery
Center across a plowed field (dia-
mond hunting is confined to this
area), passing by markers noting the
locations of the park’s biggest
finds—the 40-carat Uncle Sam dia-
mond to the south and the 15-carat
Star of Arkansas to the north. Hit the
Prospector Trail at the base of 430-
foot East Hill (the high point in the
TAKE ONLY JEWELS
Hunt for buried treasure on one of these
gem-studded dayhikes, where gathering8 rocks is legal. By Laura Lancaster
Find green gems
among the waves
and stones at
Jade Cove.