places to collect specimens in Maple Falls, Washington

My girlfriends' parents have a place near Maple Falls Washington. I was wondering if anyone knows of any good places to search for minerals as well as what minerals can be found in the area. I am still new to rock hounding so we are looking for something easier. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

A little south of there is Walker Valley, I had great luck collecting there.

I just live over in Ferndale and have been all over the Maple Falls area in the last 35 years. There isn't much in that area for mineral collectors but there are lots of Eocene fossil leaves near the Racehorse Creek area. Church Mtn has some Jurassic clams and belemnites. The stilpnomelene locality is west of Alger on Blanchard Mountain (see mindat).
As Adam states, the Walker Valley locality is famous but I haven't been there in several years. During the weekends the ORV people will run all over the collecting sites. You will need some heavier tools to collect at WV as the rock there is very hard.
Moving east along the HWY 20 corridor you can collect nice serpentine and jade in any of the creeks around Marblemount. Several other localities are listed in the 2007 issue of GEM TRAILS OF WASHINGTON by Garret Romaine. I would recommend this book as your next purchase.

Ryan,
The active area for crystals at Walker is safe from ORV's. Come prepared to dig 3-5 ft. of packed andesite rubble. The upper transition zone is hottest/easier to get to right now. Blue agate rind with amethyst is found here in the grey rock along with agate rounds and beautiful calcite combinations often with rosettes of siderite in the orange/brown rock. The hollows can be spectacular! Look for big calcite flowers. Spring steel-chisel combinations and stiff long bar are best. Add a "hoebi", shovel and a small chunk of plywood for scaping the shovel against and you can move down quickly. I go there whenever I can. Keep the gate closed after you pass through as thoughtless people have left mounds of trash up there and necessitated the gate. ACCESS to the quarry is leased by WSMC from the DNR, not the crystal area itself. Wear gloves and safety glasses! and you'll have fun if you find one of the bubble zones!
Sal

thank you for the information. Jen and I will have to check it out.

Go to the WSMC site for the code to the gate Ryan...I tried it once though and couldn't get it open...but I probably just goofed it up. give me a buzz next time you are down this way and maybe we can hit it together.

That would be a great idea. It would be wise to go with someone who has been there.