By editor
Little Belt Mountains, Cascade County
Near the town of Monarch, the ancient Precambrian rock is cut by pegmatites—igneous rocks that cooled very slowly, allowing the crystals within them to grow to massive sizes. In these unnamed pegmatites, rockhounds search for large, opaque, hexagonal crystals of beryl.
Visitor Access
The pegmatites are located on public Forest Service land. Access is free, and casual collecting of beryl crystals using hand tools is permitted under standard recreational rules. The terrain is steep and forested, requiring off-trail hiking to locate the outcrops.