Mineral Gathering in Maine (Hedge Hog Hill Quarry)

Before taking a trip to this quarry, you better make sure you have a sturdy vehicle. Anything without four-wheel drive will have a hard time getting there. I would also make sure you have a spare tire along with the means to change a tire. A cell phone is also recommended. You can always drive until the road gets rough, park to the side, and then walk up. There is an open area, which looks like a gravel pit that is a good area to park. This mine can be difficult for some to locate, because it has grown too large and you notice that few people make collection trips to this location. That is good, because it means that the area has not been cleaned. The Hedge Hog Hill quarry is located in Peru Maine in Oxford County. Few minerals have been found here, in my opinion it is a simple granite pegmatite, but it is still worth the trip. For one thing, the view from there is worth the trip alone. The fact that few people seem to come here is another draw. This is because you have to drive on a dirt road through the forest to get to the mine.

The minerals seen here are albite, almandine garnet, beryl, biotite, chrysoberyl, fluorapatite, microcline, muscovite, quartz, and schroll. That’s it, and I only found garnet, biotite, muscovite, and quartz on my trip. So just because all those other minerals were listed, don’t count on finding them. The jackpot at this location is the almandine garnets. Here you can find some very large almandine garnets. The face of the open mine is littered with them, but don’t count on pulling them out. It can be done, but it takes a lot of work and you better put on a pair of glasses. Not to mention, you can go to all that effort only to end up damaging the sample you are looking for. I didn’t see any garnets worth that kind of effort, although some very gem quality samples are said to have been found in quart bags. I found one such garnet sample at another mine location for the Grossalur garnet variety. This garnet was about the size of a golf ball and was gem-quality. I was hanging around that thing for an hour without even making a dent. The crystal rested in a quartz pocket. I left it there with a tear in my eye. The almandine crystals in the Hedge Hog quarry are quite large. I would recommend digging through the talise piles. I can almost guarantee you that you will find one of these great garnets. Simply because very few people have dug through these piles. This fact becomes obvious when you first arrive at the mine. In fact, I’d almost bet that the only digging signs you’ll find are from my trip there over five years ago. I only spent four hours here, but I came out of there with some great samples. The best was a perfectly formed and complete almandine garnet crystal, the size of a golf ball. I thought I wasn’t going to do much better than that, so I left. I plan to come back and spend more time on this site. Maybe take a tent and do a weekend with it.

Driving directions are as follows:

From the four-way intersection at Route 108 in western Peru, drive 3.05 miles south on Dickvale Highway. Turn left onto Mineral Springs Road and proceed 0.95 miles to the intersection. Turn right onto Paradis road (gravel) and drive 1.05 miles to abandoned cabin on the left. Park here. Walk down the main road from here about 150 feet to the quarry street on the right. Follow this forest road 270 feet to the fork, keep left at the fork. Continue 675 feet to the next fork, keep right. Walk 390 feet to the stone wall. Follow the path through the opening in the wall and follow another 150 feet to the end of the obvious path. Continue straight up a steep incline following the trail for 360 feet to the quarry. (Maine Mineral Localities 3rd EDT. By WB Thompson, DL Joyner, RG Woodman, VT King)

These addresses make it seem very difficult to find, but in reality it is not simply because there is nothing else here. Make sure you stay on the right track when the road forks and you will have no trouble finding the mine. I walked past the cabin and followed the directions until I reached the gravel pit area. I parked here but don’t try to do it unless you have four wheel drive. From here it is a short walk down a steep dirt road to the quarry. It is essentially the top of a small mountain where the mine is. One side has been mined. The talice stack is to the side and down. I shouldn’t call the area where I parked a gravel pit. It really is just an open area that looks like a natural dirt parking lot. I assumed it was a gravel pit, because that was the only reason I could think of it being there. Perhaps it is what remains of when the mine was open and in operation. It would be a good idea to bring a sub-block and bug spray. I can’t stress the bug spray enough. This is a wooded area and black flies and mosquitoes abound here. It’s also a good idea to bring a screen to sift through. Especially when the main objective is to find garnet crystals scattered throughout the talise piles. You can also bring a chisel and hammer although they are not necessary. A small shovel would be more useful. I highly recommend doing this trip. Garnet samples are worth it, and you never know. You may be lucky and find some of the rarest minerals ever found here.