Del Rio Mining District

The Del Rio Mining District runs about 19 miles long and up to 7 miles wide through southeastern Cocke County, Tennessee, near the unincorporated community of Del Rio along the French Broad River. It's a real, well-documented barite district with around a dozen mines and prospects, including the Williams Mine (also called the Mims or Krebs Barite Mine), the West Meyer/Herr Barite Mine, and the Moccasin Gap Mine. Moccasin Gap is the best bet for a straightforward visit: it sits on public Cherokee National Forest land with trailhead parking directly off the highway. Don't expect showy crystals — a 2012 field-trip report describes modest specimens (ankerite, dolomite, barite, quartz, pyrite) rather than fine mineral pieces, with some material "borderline cabbable." Access to the district's other named mines is mixed; at least one (Williams Mine) has had a private landowner post a road despite a documented public forest easement.

Del Rio is an unincorporated community in southeastern Cocke County, Tennessee, along the French Broad River. Moccasin Gap Mine sits atop a ridge west of TN-107, with trailhead parking directly off the highway inside Cherokee National Forest — the easiest of the district's mines to reach.

Dump-picking and light hard-rock work at the abandoned adits and open cuts — bring a rock hammer. Expect dense rhododendron thickets and briars off-trail. One collecting report notes GPS coordinates from multiple sources were off by roughly a quarter mile, so don't rely on a single pin; use the highway-adjacent trailhead as your anchor and work outward.

Moccasin Gap Mine is on Cherokee National Forest land (USFS) — public, with a trailhead directly off TN-107. The Forest Service generally allows personal-use collection of common rocks and minerals without a permit on National Forest System land; confirm current rules with the Cherokee National Forest office before you go. Other district mines are less certain: the Williams Mine's access road has been posted "private" by a landowner, though hunters in the area confirmed it's covered by a permanent public easement to reach the national forest — treat any route beyond Moccasin Gap as permission-required until you verify it yourself.