The GPS coordinate I put up is right by a place called Black Rock, which is an ultrapotassic, lamproite volcaniclastic exposure. Still, there may be privately owned mining claims inside those boundaries and youll need to get permission to collect on that location. I had an odd experience last year. If you explore the highway cut north of Laramie, you might find meteorites. They were easy to dig out of formation, but even more easily were found eroded perfectly on the surface. google_ad_type="text_image"; The Bridger Formation in areas north of Wamsutter, Sweetwater County, and in an area north and east of Farson, Sweetwater, and Sublette counties, the western half of the Bighorn Basin of Bighorn, Hot Springs, Park, and Washakie Counties, or the Steamboat Mountain in the Leucite Hills. I'm starting with the most popular and working my way to the more obscure. Follow the dirt roads toward and past the water tower on the ridge. While much of the region is difficult to access, a large portion of the land is managed by the National Forest Service and is largely open to the public for collecting. Stream gravels, washes, and draws all over this region will have the potential to contain nephrite jade as well as agates and petrified wood. I cant tell you exactly where to go due to land-access issues. You are sure welcome. To this general information we might add: The article Places to See Geologic Displays in Wyoming You can find these in the Mississippian limestone beds a few miles northwest of Guernsey, Wyoming. Obsidian is abundant in Yellowstone, with the most famous location being the Obsidian Cliff, located in the northwest part of the Park. Search for maps by using the main search field (this will search all columns and some un-displayed information such as keywords, counties and product SKU numbers). After a little bit it will split; right goes to Superior, and left goes to Winton. The best place to find geodes in Wyoming is in Box Elder Canyon near the town of Glenrock. Many other varieties of agates, jasper, petrified and opalized wood are also very commonly found in gravels and washes all over the state. A lot of theseWyomingrock collecting sights have mining claims that come and go. There is plenty of BLM and National Forest land to collect on in Wyoming which is, in general, open for public use. These gemstones are found throughout Wyoming in Albany, Carbon, Natrona, Park, Platte, and Fremont Counties. circumstances since the article was originally published in 1989, it remains a valuable guide for anyone seeking additional resources in the pursuit of their interests, Here are 10 of the best rockhounding sites for rocks and minerals in Wyoming: If youre doing some rockhounding in Wyoming, you wont be lacking for rocks and minerals to find. . In the Absaroka Mountains, you may discover opal, galena, or molybdenite. Let me know if this is useful or if I can improve it in any way! Winton petrified wood near Rock Springs, WY: 5.) amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; Fossils in Sanders County, MT: 4.) Peridot in ant hills and arroyos near Black Rock Butte. This interest of mine has lasted until today, so I decided to create this website. NOTE! Pegmatite and sedimentary rocks such as bentonite are also found in Johnson County. Map of Locations 1.) Im here to serve you! Speaking of Laramie, you can find in the Laramie Range amphibole, cordierite, epidote, orthoclase and plagioclase minerals, garnet, magnetite, and mica minerals, among many other materials. Opal is found near Smith Creek in Carbon County, and if you want to find quartz minerals, they are located from north of Saratoga along Wyoming Highway no. Public access with nice walk in. Use caution, be respectful, and play by whatever the rules are now. Various outcrops along the road contain specimens. Quartz crystals, chalcedony, and vein moss agate occur along outcrops of the Bridger formation in the regions north of Sweetwater County. Member Clubs can be found in Casper, Big Piney, Cody, Cheyenne, Gillette, Riverton, Powell, and Torrington. Rockhound Trip report spring 2008. Blue forest petrified wood near Granger, WY: 11.) Wyoming is home to some incredible jade specimens, mainly of the classes nephrite and jadeite. If you want to dig for gems in Wyoming, Amethyst Mountain would be an excellent place to start. The majority of counties in Wyoming contain numerous minerals, rocks, gemstones, and fossils. So where to rockbound in Wyoming, and what can you find? Quartz crystals are typically found everywhere north of Saratoga along Highway 130 to Walcott Junction. You can find pegmatites in the Haystack Range of Goshen County. Black jade can be found in Fremont County as well. what are the host rocks associated with watermelon rock and the labradorite? Maps showing the location of public lands in Wyoming can be obtained from Here, rockhounds can find agates. This is where you will find what is legal or not in Wyoming, in regards to rockhounding, where you are allowed to rockhound, what, and how much. Suitable for the advanced backpacker. Knightia Fish fossils are primarily uncovered in the Green River Formation of Wyoming. To get you started on prospecting, the Wyoming State Geological Survey has prepared a This article will dive deeper into the many great rockhounding sites across the state (along with maps), but Id like to highlight a few standouts here. Still, if you know where to look you may be able to find one for your collection. Please take our survey about how you use and access the data we provide on our website. The real gems that rockhounds are eager to get their hands on in Platte County are banded agates and drusy quartz specimens. Hello, I am John.As a little boy, I was fascinated by stones and liked to take them home. Despite the otherwise impressive rockhounding in Wyoming, geodes are a fairly rare occurrence in the state. In general, the best places to find agates in Wyoming are in gravels and washes, particularly in Sweetwater County, Fremont County, and along the Sweetwater and Wind Rivers. Wyoming is among the best rockhounding places in the U.S., and this is partly because around 50% of its lands are public! I mention all this as it helps explain how to find the peridot. The GPS map below shows how I drove, as well as the two main places I walked which had good anthills. As you travel through Wyoming's basins and across its mountain ranges, you can pass over all of the geologic eras of time which produced a variety of rocks, minerals, and fossil types. The majority of national parks located in the U.S. prohibit gem hunting/rockhounding. Check out my article about how to identify a geode. Precambrian metamorphic rocks are abundant in Wyoming. These include allanite, beryl, calcite-aragonite, columbite-tantalite, cordierite, feldspar minerals such as orthoclase, plagioclase, galena, graphite, kyanite, magnetite, manganese minerals, mica minerals, uranium minerals, and varieties of quartz. Sapphires and other treasures lie north of Yellowstone. The Hartville district in Platte County may contain some copper minerals, while the kyanite is found 23 miles southwest of Wheatland, Platte County. Meteorites have been found on a highway cut north of Laramie. Find out the differences between these two minerals in the article below:Feldspar vs. Quartz: Whats the Difference? 08-13-11 A very hot day to rockhound with cool marcasite, 09-03-11 Crystal park quartz crystals and bread, 10-15-11 Another world class pseudomorph deposit, 2012 Denver gem and mineral show report fall, 2013 Denver gem and mineral show report fall, 2013 Rockhounding and mineral collecting reports, 04-06-13 Shirley basin agates and calcite, 04-13-13 red feather quartz crystals and a surprise mineral, 2014 Denver gem and mineral show report fall, Denver Coliseum Mineral Fossil and Gem Show, International Gem Jewelry Show denver 2014, Denver gem and mineral show 2010 report fall, Denver mineral show report 2010 fall part 2, Denver mineral show report 2010 fall part 3, Denver mineral show report 2010 fall part 4, Denver mineral show report 2010 fall part 5, Photo report Denver gem mineral rockhounding show 2011, Denver gem and mineral show report 2010 spring, Denver gem and mineral show report 2011 spring, Links to other Rock show reports Tucson , Denver, Blue Forest Wyoming petrified wood location, Copper Mountain Pegmatite District Wyoming. Is the watermelon rock you mentioned in article of the tourmaline family? (I do not live in the US right now.). I recommend accessing the area from highway 414 to the west, turning right just above Behunin Reservoir. No rockhound excursion would be complete in Wyoming without exploring Yellowstone National Park. You never know what type of crystals or patterns youre going to find inside and it makes them incredibly exciting. In Johnson County, located in the north-central part of Wyoming, you can find agate. Everyone enjoys the prospect of finding their very own geodes out in the wild, and its easy to see why. When you look for it, it often just looks like ugly, whiteish or greyish rocks. . TIP:Feldspar minerals are very common in Wyoming. Agates also happen to be some of the most commonly collected rocks in the United States, including Wyoming. Hi Frank. So pack up your stuff, since once you read this, you might want to move to Wyoming and start rockhounding! Wyoming is home to a large array of rocks and minerals that will be of interest to the collector, some of which are fairly unique to the area. From beginners to advanced collectors, everyone will find something in Wyoming! We hope you enjoy your time on our site and come back often because were always adding new dig locations and crystal collecting updates. google_ad_client="pub-2930148589555936"; Here, rockhounds can find some incredible specimens, including: The Casper Mountains contain chromite, feldspar, and beryl. Copyright 2022 Rockhound Resource | Birch on Trellis Framework by Mediavine, Greybull, area washes and draws btwn Big Horn River and Mountains, Lovell, E to Big Horn Mountains in draws and washes, Fremont County, all regional washes and draws. Here are 10 of the best rockhounding sites for rocks and minerals in Wyoming: Fremont County - Agate, Chalcedony, Jasper, Jade Split Rock - Ruby, 'Sweetwater' Agate Sweetwater County - Agate, Quartz crystals, Chert Rock Springs - Silicified wood, Agate, Jasper Box Elder Canyon - Geodes, quartz crystals Wamsutter Agate Beds - Turritella agates google_ad_type="text_image"; Wall of crystals found hiking Big Balls of Cowtown Trail. The best we have for GPS is cell phones. State-By-State Rockhounding Location Guides & Maps No matter where you live in the U.S., there are likely many exciting rockhounding sites nearby. You can find opal here, in the deposits associated with the hot springs. PDF Maps; Google Maps. Below is a list of rockhounding locations in wyoming with a description of the minerals found there and pictures. Down below is where you will find out where to find gold, fossils, and petrified wood in Wyoming. In that case, you might want to explore the Kortes Dam area and the Sierra Madre Mountains. And if you have any tips (Ill keep your finds a secret! This is where the famous Yellowstone National Park is located, which stretches for more than 2 million acres. The Rocky Mountain area, the Encampment district in Carbon County, Hartville district, Platte County, the Copper Mountain district, Precambrian pegmatites in Fremont and Natrona Counties, the Black Mountain, and the Copper Mountain, The Eocene Wind River formation of the Gas Hills area, Fremont and Natrona Counties, the Shirley Basin area of Carbon County, the Fall River, and Lakota sandstones in the Black Hills area of Crook County, The Casper Mountain, Natrona County, Haystack Range, Goshen County, Laramie Range, Albany, and Laramie Counties, In Albany, Fremont, Johnson, Natrona, Washakie, and Weston Counties, north of Sundance in the Warren Peaks area of Crook County, In the Laramie Range, Albany and Platte Counties, the southern part of the Medicine Bow Range, Albany and Carbon Counties, the Copper Mountain area, The western half of the Bighorn Basin, of Bighorn, Hot Springs, Park, and Washakie Counties, the area between Labarge and Granger, Lincoln, Sweetwater, and Uinta Counties. popular museums of interest to rockhounders, places to visit, and rockhounding sites for children and families. If youre looking to start collecting rocks in Wyoming, agates are a great place to start. Rockhounds can explore most of Wyoming's geologic products up close because over 50% of the state is public land! Any tips would be great! google_color_border="1B1B1B"; The Triceratops was designated as the official state dinosaur of Wyoming in 1994, while the Knightia Fish gained the status of state fossil in 1987. This new version of the guide arranges the sites into counties and regions, with a different chapter for each county. Here are 10 of the best rockhounding sites for rocks and minerals in Montana: Crystal Park - Amethyst, Quartz crystals Gem Mountain Sapphire Mine - Sapphire Jefferson River - Agate, Chalcedony, Jasper American Bar - Sapphire, Garnet, Kyanite Yellowstone River, Custer County - Moss Agate Pryor Mountains - Agate, Geodes, Fossils Find out where to find minerals in Wyoming down below. Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution. My neighbor and i hopefully will be heading out to Wyoming if our health is good, sometime this summer. The state fossil Knightia-fish is located in the Green Fiver Formation of Wyoming. Johnson County is located in north-central Wyoming. Go to Albany County, since agates are commonly found near Marshall, located in northwestern Albany. This paper has an alternate location along the logging road. Rockhounding in Wyoming is a great way to discover the states diverse geology and fossilized wildlife. This area is very close to Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite. Make a right on it. google_color_url="FFFFFF"; Additionally, you cannot progress away from Black Rock to the southGoogle Earth and maps for the area are old, but mining concerns have cordoned off the area and dug huge swaths of land away, so youll just drive for 30 minutes and get stuck. Go north on 191, take a right on the dirt road (GPS should lead you there), continue on dirt road until you see a sign that is marked for Winton and Superior. If you have limited time and want to have the best chance of success, you might prefer to use either of these private areas which have fees associated: Both are located near Kemmerer! Some people say that they have a lot of success near the reservoir, but this hasnt been too true for my family. Goshen County is located in the southeastern end of Wyoming. travel through Wyoming's basins and across its mountain ranges, you can pass over all of the geologic eras of time which produced a variety of rocks, minerals, and fossil It is the responsibility of each rockhound to obtain permission from a landowner to search and/or collect on a piece of property. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; Ammonite-like fossils, kimberlite, etc. google_ad_host="pub-6693688277674466"; These rockhounding sights of Wyoming are mostly on public land but a good. Zoom in for full list. Wyoming rockhounding map on Google maps click link below. 2. Sublette County, located in western Wyoming, is noted for its jade findings, while the mineral molybdenite is found in the Wind River Mountains. I love finding agates because you never know what sort of beautiful patterns and colors they might contain. Rock Hound Etiquette 7. Thank you for sharing this! Thank you for your reply! Natrona County is located in central Wyoming, and it is another excellent county when it comes to rocks or minerals. The ownership and status of land can and does change frequently, making it impossible to document accurate information for every location on this page. Now that you know where to find agates in Wyoming, lets see where you can find the official state gemstone of Wyoming, the famous nephrite variant of jade. See my Wyoming Rockhounding Location Guide for more places to rockhound. Hi!! You can also find agatized and opalized wood specimens here. The most commonly found and collected rocks and minerals in Wyoming are: If youve already found a rock and youre not sure what it is, I would highly recommend checking out my Practical Rock Identification System. Places such as Fremont, Washakie, Sweetwater, Carbon, or Natrona County are where you can find jade, which is Wyomings official state gemstone. If you are interested in checking out the best book about rockhounding in Wyoming you can find it by clickinghere(Amazon link). As you 11 Essential Rock Tumbling Tips - Get Better Results! You can also find it in the Wiggins formation of the Oligocene age near the head of Frontier Creek in the Absaroka Mountains. Agates, copper minerals, uranium minerals, and calcite-aragonite can be found throughout Park County in northwestern Wyoming. Post navigation. Through quite a bit of research and cross-referencing of available literature, I have compiled this list of some prospective locations in Wyoming which I would recommend to people looking to do some rockhounding. amzn_assoc_region = "US"; I enjoy collecting and tumbling rocks with my daughter and traveling the world with my wife seeing geologic wonders. you can access Utah rockhounding locations https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=17-pa3pYy0AqN0D2Zh4cXklR9A7g&ll=39.483150381536596%2C-111.60763899999999&z=8. Note: magnetite is also present. google_color_bg="1B1B1B"; The best place to rockhound in Wyoming is Fremont County where you can find nephrite jade and Turritella agates in relative abundance. Exploring the Laramie Mountain Range can lead to finding specimens like amphibole, epidote, plagioclase minerals, garnet, magnetite, and mica. BTW: Do you want to know more about rock and mineral identification? Sharktooth Ridge teeth and trace fossils near Rawlins, WY: 6.) Proceed up canyon dirt road (12) until you reach the top plateau and it is flat. Black jade is a real prize to find. If you want to hunt for Jade in Wyoming, you can start from the northern part of the Granite Mountains, or to the south of Crooks Countys Gap-Green Mountain. Do NOT attempt unless dry. But sometimes you can mistake feldspar with quartz. It will turn slightly left for a short, steep incline. Rainbow agates are located along the Wind River near Riverton, in Fremont County. Gold can also be panned in Douglas Creek in the Medicine Bow Mountains of southeastern Wyoming, or the Sweetwater River and tributaries in the southern part of the Wind River Mountains. amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "rockhoundreso-20"; Guide to Prospecting and Rock Hunting in Wyoming Rockhounding Wyoming by Kenneth Graham. Continue on the main path to Winton, Follow it. 15. During my brief exploration, I didnt have time to find the gems, but did get diverted by the thousands of exposed fossils. However, it is legal to hound the areas surrounding this famous park. Fossil Butte National Monument Use caution. TIP: Geodes can form anywhere in the world, but they do not form at random. You can also read through my free rock identification guide and mineral identification guide which are filled with useful information and tools. However, lets talk about the 11 best places to rockhound in Wyoming. I cant thank you enough! google_color_border="1B1B1B"; google_color_link="000000"; This region is full of mica minerals, phonolite, pumice, and Wyomingite in the Leucite Hills area. The Sand Creek and Red Buttes areas of Albany County are full of sedimentary rocks. Petrified wood can be found in the Amethyst Mountains area of Yellowstone as well. The ant hills are basically everywhere if you get out and walk around, and your biggest issue will most likely be needing 44 to get there, and especially across the creek to the north. Modern Rockhounding and Prospecting Handbook $19.73 A must have for every serious rockhound! This site contains affiliate links to products. If you want to find agates in Albany, they are usually found near Marshall, located in northwestern Albany. Some icons at default view contain 5+ hikes when zoomed in. google_ad_client="pub-2930148589555936"; HowtoFindRocks.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Sign In. Welcome to the Wyoming State Geological Survey Interpreting the past, providing for the future Take our Survey for a Chance to Win a Map! If you want more locations before i get these done and a different view of theWyomingmineral collecting area check out my, ___________________________________________________, ____________________________________________________, Welcome to Wyoming Rockhounding Adventures, 2010 Rockhounding and mineral collecting reports, 03-27-10 Wyoming rock hounding agate and jasper, 04-23-10 Schrckingerite or schroeckingerite found at lost creek, 05-22-10 Riverton rockhound club field trip, 05-30-10 Orthoclase the other white crystal, 09-04-10 Wiggins fork moss agate petrified wood, 10-09-10 Malachite and azurite in the rain copper mountain part 3, 10-23-10 Azurite and malachite copper mountain pt4, 2011 Rockhounding and mineral collecting reports, 04-10-11 Schrckingerite or schroeckingerite found at lost creek part2. If youre really nice and want a piece, maybe Ill send you some. Pictures and notes on the fossils near Farson. Let us begin with gems. Obsidian is plentiful in Wyoming, especially abundant in Yellowstone National Park, where the Obsidian Cliff is located in the northwest part of the Park. Rockhounding in Wyoming never seems to let down rockhounds. google_color_text="FFFFFF"; Geologic mapping of the Phantom Lake quadrangle in Carbon County is available. We are using my Subaru forester.