Moat Mountain Mineral Site Trailhead High Street, Conway, NH 03818

"Great little hike to go dig in the dirt. Found a few small crystals and cool rocks. We had no experience, just went and dug in the dirt. It was fun"

"Didn't find heaps of crystals but had a good time nonetheless. Check out Big Dave's bagel shop nearby for some great sandwiches. It's quite a hike, and with an infant in a stroller, took about an hour to get to dig site."

"A great place for a beautiful hike. This trail can easily be taken by children. Don't forget your permit to gather, it's free, and you get it right at the site. Bring your own bucket or bag for what you collect. We brought rock hammers and stuff, but there's a lot loose you can find as well. There is a chance of moose or bears. We didn't get to see any. Very cool, and we found some actual gems! Mostly smoky quarz here, but plenty more. I'm sure we'll return!"

"I had heard about this collecting site from various rockhounding facebook groups and finally decided to take the 3-hour journey. Totally worth it! It was a beautiful, scenic drive through the white mountains. At the trailhead, you are required to fill out a mineral collecting permit - it's self-serve, you basically fill out 3 pieces: one for your dash, one to keep on your person, and one to leave in a box. It's about a mile hike in. Pretty easy walk; there are a couple areas where it dips down into dried up rocky stream beds, so just take note if you have mobility issues. The site is scattered with large boulders. Most people opt for breaking apart the smaller boulders to see what's inside. You can also surface scan or dig into the ground, but there are rules about how deep you can go (I think it's 3 feet). You can take 1 bucket of material out of the site. We found some neat stuff: a couple pieces of amazonite, some small quartz clusters, and a nice little smoky quartz crystal. One couple we spoke to on the way in said they found a geode. My recommended tools: - long handled screwdriver is a MUST - safety glasses - gloves - backpack - bucket - rock hammer - sledgehammer - spray bottle - trowel Definitely pack a lunch, snacks, and water. It'll be a long day! This is a great locality for kids and beginner rockhounds. And it's free! Check it out if you've been considering going. It's a lot of fun, and it is a budget-friendly option for folks who like the outdoors."

"Nice walk, about 2 miles round trip. Relatively easy trail although there are a couple of spots that you will need to slow down on to get through safely. Could be a need to cross over water at certain times of the year. The mineral site itself wasn't that impressive on its own. In warmer weather it could be more entertaining especially if you take a hammer and chisel as well as a bucket of backpack to carry out any interesting finds you may come across."