Bear Island

Bear Island sits in the Potomac River near Great Falls, Maryland, home to the popular Billy Goat Trail and co-managed by the National Park Service and The Nature Conservancy as part of Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. The batch's mineral list — apatite, epidote, amphibolite, sphene, zircon — points to the Mather Gorge Formation, the metamorphic bedrock that gives this stretch of the Potomac its dramatic rock scenery and rapids. It's a real geological feature and a well-loved hiking destination. It is not a collecting destination: as a unit of the National Park Service, removing any natural material here, mineral specimens included, is federally prohibited.

Bear Island is accessed via the C&O Canal towpath and the Billy Goat Trail system near Great Falls, on the Maryland side of the Potomac River, within Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park.

Not permitted. Collecting any natural material — rocks, minerals, plants, or anything else — is prohibited across all National Park Service units under 36 CFR 2.1, and Bear Island falls within C&O Canal National Historical Park. This applies to ordinary rocks and pebbles, not just significant specimens; there's no minimum-value exception.

Bear Island is managed by the National Park Service (with The Nature Conservancy as co-owner/partner) as part of C&O Canal National Historical Park. Pets and smoking are not allowed on the island. The Billy Goat Trail here is popular and can be strenuous in sections — check current NPS trail conditions before visiting. Removing any rock or mineral is a federal violation with real penalties; this is a look-and-photograph location only.