Guide to Collecting Unique Michigan Rocks with your Children

Without a doubt, one of my children’s favorite pastimes is rock hunting. If you have a child whose pockets are constantly weighed down with rocks they’ve found, then you’ll need to find these 6 amazing rocks to add to their collections. Luckily, the Great Lakes State is a treasure trove of unique stones waiting to be unearthed. In my biased opinion as a lifelong Michigander, the shores of Lake Michigan, Lake Superior and Lake Huron are the best places to vacation and rock hunt.

This post may contain affiliate links that add no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission from your purchases with no additional cost to you.

Lake Superior Agates

No matter how many beautiful rocks I’ve found over the years, my heart always speeds up when I spot a distinct stripe on a rock’s surface. When searching for a Lake Superior Agate, a tell tale sign is banding, which is by far the most easily distinguishable characteristic of these stones.

The second way to confirm your find is by utilizing a light. With a flashlight put the stone through a light test and shine the beam behind it. If it is translucent, you’ve found an elusive Lake Superior Agate.

Where to Find Lake Superior Agates: These distinct rocks are primarily found along the shoreline of Lake Superior where there is gravel. Visitors have the best luck along the shore and beaches near Cooper Harbor and Misery Bay.

Petoskey Stone

Our family loves a challenge, especially when it includes a hunt for Petoskey Stones. On a recent camping trip to Petoskey State Park, our quest was to find one of these popular stones.

These unique six-sided pattern stones, which are actually fossilized coral, earned their name after the town of Petoskey, which is the prime areas that contain Petoskey Stones.

Where to Find Petoskey Stones: You guessed it, just like the name infers the coveted Petoskey Stone is predominately found along the rocky northern shores of Lake Michigan by Petoskey and the UP. Spring is especially an opportune time to search when the waters have turned over or after a storm. We had quite a bit of success when camping at Petoskey State Park. The south end rocky shoreline of Petoskey State Park’s beach contains both the Charlevoix Stone and Petoskey Stone. We also had luck at Magnus Park and when we took the boat out to Fisherman’s Island. Another spot in lower Michigan is the rocky shores by Port Huron at Palmer Park.

TIP When wet, Petoskey Stones are much easier to spot on the beach, so utilize a spray bottle or a collapsible bucket and rock collecting kit.

Charlevoix Stone

Satiate your children’s rock loving hearts with the hunt to find a Charlevoix Stone. The lesser known Charlevoix Stone is often referred to as the Petoskey’s sister stone. Related in pattern, their surface contains smaller hexagonal shapes similar to a bees honeycomb pattern. Often found on rocky shorelines alongside Petoskey Stones, a good spot to begin your rock hunting journey is while visiting the northern shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Beach combers relish discovering these hexagonal beauties.

Where to Find Charlevoix Stones: The Charlevoix zone area is mostly focused on the northern shores along Lake Michigan’s shoreline and Lake Huron. A popular area to scour the shores is in the northern beach towns of Charlevoix, Petoskey, Frankfort and Manistee. Personally we’ve found them at Petoskey State Park, Magnus Park, Point Betsie Lighthouse, Fisherman’s Island, Empire Beach by Sleeping Bear Dunes, and near Pointe Betsie Lighthouse.

Puddingstone

A cluster of various rocks and stones mashed together is known by locals as Puddingstones. According to some, it looks like a “big blob of pudding stuck with small colorful stones.” They can range in size from small stone that fit in your palm to massive boulders.

Puddingstones original formation occurred when glaciers compressed silt and an assortment of colorful rocks and tiny pebbles together, embedding them within. This medley of stones were brought from Canadian rivers that flowed into Michigan.

Where to Find Puddingstones: These colorful stones can be found by Lake Huron shores in Michigan. Notable areas to locate pudding stones include Drummond Island, Hammond Bay Harbor near Cheboygen, Alpena and Rogers City at Lakeside Park. Cheboygan even has a Puddingstone festival. Luckily, the lake’s constant churning of water, waves and ice melting recirculates the rocks. This reoccurring seasonal movement allows new rocks to come to the surface to the delight of steadfast rock hounds to find.

Leland Blues

A mash up of slag in colorful blues, purples, grays and greens is called a Leland Blue. These beautiful man-made stone are actually an unintended by-product from combining of blue glass with other chemicals.

It all began just north of the Leland’s river’s mouth at the Leland Lake Superior Iron Company where they produced 40 tons of iron per day. For 14 years in the 70’s and 80’s the company used a smelting process and liquid slag was produced as a waste product. Once solidified the slag became Leland Blues. Sadly, in 1884 when the business went bankrupt and sold, the slag was discarded into the waters of Lake Michigan. Ironically, this material, which was once considered waste, has now become treasure. Jewelry collectors, avid rock hunters, as well as the precocious child can be seen with heads bent searching the shorelines of Leland’s beaches for these illustrious stones to add to their collections.

Where to Find Leland Blues: Head to the shoreline of Lake Michigan where Leland Blues are most predominantly found. A prime picking location is north of the mouth of the Leland River. Michiganders of all ages love scouring the shorelines of Leland’s beaches for this distinctly beautiful slag.

Yooperlites

Armed with black UV lights, a night time adventure any child will adore is hunting for Yooperlites. Discovered in 2017, by Erik Rintamaki, these glowing rocks are unrecognizable by day, appearing as normal pieces of granite. These special stones can only be seen at night under UV rays. So when the stars come out, be prepared for the fluorescent glow of orange and blue speckled rocks shining back at you during your hunt.

Where to Find Yooperlites: These unique stones are found along rocky Lake Superior shorelines in the Upper Peninsula. Head to the rocky beaches in Grand Marais, White Fish Point, Porcupine Mountains and Keweenaw Peninsula.

Equipment Needed: UV Flashlight

Disclaimer: Always adhere to the rules in national parks, lakeshores and forests, which prohibit removal of rocks from their land. Please be aware of this information and note where you are picking. In addition, you are only allowed to collect 35 pounds of rocks a year from Michigan lands.

What to Pack for Rock Hunting with Children

Bucket/ Sprayer / Sifter The distinct pattern of fossils such as the Petoskey and Charlevoix stones can be seen more easily when stones are splashed with water. Utilizing a collapsible bucket and rock collecting kit is extremely helpful when searching.

Tripod/ Selfie Stick Capture your favorite moments when you discover that special rock. We especially love the dual remote timer tripod and selfie stick.

Bring a bucket or sand sifter to help find rocks

Sandals/ Water Shoes While scouring the rocky shorelines for stones, your toes will greatly appreciate quality water shoes or closed toed sandals.

Rock Tumbler Polish smooth your child’s treasured finds with a rock tumbler. The National Geographic Hobby Rock Tumbler was a favorite Christmas gift for my child to use on beach glass and his rock collection. When you purchase the rock tumbler it also comes with all the essentials needed including: four polishing grits, a sifter, 9 rough gemstones, and a guide.

Closing Thoughts

Whenever we travel in Michigan, the vast majority of our favorite family trips can be archived by the unique rocks, fossils, shells or nature items we’ve collected. We love the intricacies and uniqueness that God has created, each one with different textures, curves, and colors. There is something magical when a stone catches your eye, you scoop it up, exam its uniqueness, and hold onto the special few that hold a bit of wonder and interest. Luckily we don’t have to travel far since the Great Lakes State has a wealth of rocks to discover - home to fossils and rocks that will satiate your inner child’s rock-loving heart.

As you begin planning your family vacations, look for places that have a good source of rocks. Heading to northern Michigan, towards the shorelines is your best bet. Petoskey, Cheboygan, Leland, Cooper Harbor, Grand Marias or Whitefish Point are all great options. Start planning your Michigan getaway, by checking below for guides to these beautiful northern towns, Make sure to Pin and Save for later and follow Discovering Anew for more Michigan day trips with kids.