VGMS Field Trips

Lavic Siding trip

The VGMS holds field trips throughout the year. We regularly take trips to collect the following (not a complete list):

Nephrite jade, actinolite, serpentine, various agates and jaspers, obsidian & calcite in Northern California locales;

Plasma agate, quartz, various agates and jaspers, jadeite, petrified palm wood, pink chalcedony and travertine onyx in Eastern California locales;

Petrified whale bone, garnets, DeeDeeite, biconoids, tourmaline, various agates and jaspers, serpentine, invertebrate fossils, psilomelane and geodes in Southern California locales.

We are also welcome at several fee-dig areas, museums and public events like:

La Brea Tar Pits/Page Museum – excellent displays of fossil flora and fauna. See their website for entry fee.

Ocean View Mine, San Diego County – private mine, by reservation only; fee area.

Shark Tooth Hill, Bakersfield – fossil shark teeth, fish and marine mammal bones. By reservation; fee area. This is on private land.

UCLA Meteorite Gallery – extensive collection on UCLA campus. By donation.

Benitoite Mining Company – private mine, by reservation only; fee area for the state gem and other local minerals.

Big Sur Jade Festival – jade, jadeite jewelry and carvings for sale.

Avilla Beach, 2024

As field trips are a benefit of membership, full information is only available in the Members-only area.  Members wanting to attend trips must sign up in advance; information and sign up link in the Members Only area.