The East Texas Weekend Preview — There is just something special about finding a really cool rock.
It’s hard to describe. Maybe its the shine, cool colors or unique shape?
I suppose it draws on that childlike excitement of finding treasure!
Whatever that fascination is, we definitely have it. And, if you had to chance to watch our East Texas Fossil Hunting Trip, you know we are all about outdoor adventures here in East Texas.
One activity were recently stumbled across is that of “rock hounding.” (Which is just a fun term for rock/gem hunting!)
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Upon some research we found that the Davy Crockett National Forest has some great opportunities to find jasper, petrified wood and other stunning rocks.
We settled on the Ratcliff Recreation Area, which is just a little ways west of Lufkin.
According to experts in the hobby, creek beds are your best bet to find these millennium-old relics. Just behind the Ratcliff Lake dam, you will find such a creek. (Just be prepared for mud, an uncut path and everything that a trek in the woods may bring.)
With a digging tool in hand, we combed the sides of this tiny flow of water. And to our delight we found many rocks with varying degrees of jasper! Shiny, roundish rocks filled with dashes of captivating red.
The feeling was as if we had just struck gold! (Despite the rocks having basically no monetary value, haha.)
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We even found many pieces of petrified wood, where you could even see the lines that depicted its ancient age.
It’s safe to say, we have caught the rock hounding bug!
The The Ratcliff Recreation Area is also a wonderful destination for camping, swimming in their beautiful lake and a spot to discover what was once the largest sawmill in Texas! We definitely recommend this spot for an incredible weekend in the piney woods with the whole family.
A great app that we used is called RocckHoundR. It’s free and provides a GPS map to show you many areas in East Texas where you can set off on a gem hunting experience.
The Ratcliff Recreation Area can be found at: 100-410 Forest Service Rd 520, Kennard, TX 75847
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