google_ad_host="pub-6693688277674466"; I have created guides for every U.S. state including thousands of rockhounding sites - and continue to add more every day. Monthly educational meetings are held during the autumn and winter on the second Monday of every month. Hi, do you have the gps coordinates for the peridot/ant hills? Rockhounding in Wyoming is a great way to get out and enjoy the states expansive landscapes and beautifully unique terrain. Most of the mining has been less than 20 feet . Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps. Thanks again for this site. Files WYNF-0004_rockhounding (051418).pdf (PDF / 264 KB) Publication Date Zirkel Mesa to the west is actually remnants of exposed cinder cone volcanoes. TIP:Feldspar minerals are very common in Wyoming. Zirkel Mesa to the west is actually remnants of exposed cinder cone volcanoes; the cinders can be found at Black Rock, too. The ranchers might harass you, but I just harass them back, since its public. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. You can find these in the Mississippian limestone beds a few miles northwest of Guernsey, Wyoming. I encourage you to check them out if you are curious about the legalities of rock and mineral collecting. As a group, members learn so much about the local geology and spend time sharing knowledge of lapidary techniques necessary to enhance the appearance of their finds. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. at Cedar Mountain. Select locations particularly the tailings of old mines are prime spots for specimens of minerals like azurite, malachite, beryl, tourmaline, and garnet. Rockhounding Site And Information Near Me (Clickable Map) - Rock Seeker Rockhounding Site And Information Near Me (Clickable Map) Must Have! If youre hoping to find agates in Albany County, check around Marshall in the northwestern region of the county. Wyoming is among the best rockhounding places in the U.S., and this is partly because around 50% of its lands are public! google_color_url="FFFFFF"; The counties are alphabetized, and within each county the locations are . (Said Kimm-ur.). | You can also find it in the Wiggins formation of the Oligocene age near the head of Frontier Creek in the Absaroka Mountains. The Riverton Mineral and Gem Society is an organization for people of all ages and experience levels. One of the most common questions rockhounds have is whether or not they are allowed to collect at a certain location. Use caution, be respectful, and play by whatever the rules are now. The best rockhounding locations in the United States include the Oregon Beaches, Lake Superior, Crater of Diamonds State Park, Emerald Hollow Mine, Jade Cove Trail, Gold Prospecting Adventure, Fossil Butte National Monument, Rainbow Ridge Opal Mine, Spectrum Sunstone Mine, or Gem Mountain Sapphire Mine. 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. Rockhounds have several excellent locations to choose from in Wyoming. We have listed each type of crystal in separate sections since we know how much you love them. These rockhounding sights of Wyoming are mostly on public land but a good. Obsidian is abundant in the park, with the most famous location to find these beauties being the Obsidian Cliff. 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. Forgot username? Belemnites and other fossils near Bridger, MT: 3.) Its an excellent society that provides education and experience to its members. The GPS coordinate I put up is right by a place called Black Rock, which is an ultrapotassic, lamproite volcaniclastic exposure. Manganese minerals or uranium minerals are found in the Wasatch Formation. What a great reason to go rockhounding. Fort Bridger, area gravels, streams, washes, etc. If you want to find nephrite-type jades in Carbon County, which is the state mineral of Wyoming, you may want to look in the Kortes Dam area or the Sierra Madre Mountains. Thats why I wrote an article about all helpful safety tips and more:PRO Tips for Beginner & Experienced Rockhounds + Safety Tips. popular museums of interest to rockhounders, places to visit, and rockhounding sites for children and families. I am wondering what it looks like on top of canyon. Rockhounds can find all sorts of rocks and minerals, including: A look around the Wood River and Sunlight Basin areas can potentially lead to finding gold. google_ad_format="120x600_as"; To get started, you can check out my recommended gear page which contains my full reviews for every Geologists favorite rock hammer and the best hiking backpack Ive ever owned. Rockhounding in Wyoming is a great way to discover the states diverse geology and fossilized wildlife. 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. Post navigation. She said she was looking for Sand People.. Still, there may be privately owned mining claims inside those boundaries and youll need to get permission to collect on that location. In general, the best places to find crystals and gemstones in Wyoming are washes and draws across the western half of the state, particularly near Kemmerer, Atlantic City, and Rock Springs. Garnets near Custer google_color_text="FFFFFF"; Modern Rockhounding and Prospecting Handbook $19.73 A must have for every serious rockhound! amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; Here at Rockhounding Maps, we give you access and information to the best dig sites for crystals and minerals in Wyoming. Sharktooth Ridge teeth and trace fossils near Rawlins, WY: 6.) This interest of mine has lasted until today, so I decided to create this website. google_ad_width=120; No rockhound excursion would be complete in Wyoming without exploring Yellowstone National Park. Rockhounding is recognized as a legitimate recreational pursuit on nearly all of the 18 million acres of public land in Wyoming. Some of the most prominent metamorphic rocks in Wyoming are gneiss, marble, quartzite, schist, and slate, among many others. The famous Triceratops fossils are plentiful in Wyoming; however, the Knightia Fish is the official state fossil of Wyoming. The books listed below are the best ones you can find on the internet (Amazon links): How can we talk about rockhounding in Wyoming and not mention the famous Yellowstone National Park? If you sign up for GaiaGPS (free, takes about 2 clicks, and Ive never gotten mail from them, as its a husband+wife team that runs it), you can download the GPS data in the map to use on your phone or to import to Google Earth; just get the KML file. The Medicine Bow Mountains are excellent places to find slate, galena, beryl, barite, and platinum-sperrylite. Most of the gold produced in Wyoming comes from the Atlantic City-South Pass-Sweetwater district. Find out more in the article below:Difference Between Real & Fake Geodes: Focus on These Signs. I love finding agates because you never know what sort of beautiful patterns and colors they might contain. google_color_url="FFFFFF"; Wyoming is home to some incredible jade specimens, mainly of the classes nephrite and jadeite. google_color_bg="1B1B1B"; In the case of petrified wood, you are only allowed to take around 25 pounds, plus one piece, each day, and you cant exceed 250 pounds of petrified wood in any calendar year without a permit. Public access. google_ad_format="120x240_as"; Albany is among the best rock-hounding places in Wyoming since you can find various rocks and minerals. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. 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. 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. google_ad_format="120x240_as"; Only very minor surface mining has been done here. ), let me know. google_ad_type="text_image"; 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 Phosphate rock is also located here. Some icons at default view contain 5+ hikes when zoomed in. Agate, calcite-aragonite, copper minerals, and uranium minerals are found in Park County, located in the northwestern part of Wyoming. The relatively recent volcanic and metamorphic activity in Wyoming has given rise to many desirable and sought-after rocks and minerals, but it helps to have an idea of where to look and what to search for. You can probably find it just about anywhere in the area, though I had good success looking along the eastern flank of Black Rock. If you want to know more about rockhounding in Wyoming or you prefer paper books, I recommend buying the book Rockhounding Wyoming: A Guide to the States Best Rockhounding Sites (2nd Edition). Tip: Not sure if the rock youve found is a geode? Rockhounding is recognized as a legitimate recreational pursuit on nearly all of the 18 million acres of public land in Wyoming. Geologic Map of Phantom Lake Quadrangle. That is partly because of about 50 percent of the state's public land. I mention all this as it helps explain how to find the peridot. Jade can be found in the Sweetwater River district southeast of the Wind River Mountains in Fremont County. Sublette County, located in western Wyoming, is noted for jade findings. here. Now that weve talked about the best places for rockhounding in the state of Wyoming let us take a look at where you might find individual specimens, such as gemstones, minerals, and rocks. After a little bit it will split; right goes to Superior, and left goes to Winton. It looks as though theres something interesting around every bend within every county. Carbon County is also a famous location for rockhounding in Wyoming. Second edition. Belemnites and other fossils near Bridger, MT: Winton petrified wood near Rock Springs, WY: Sharktooth Ridge teeth and trace fossils near Rawlins, WY: Interesting sedimentary features near Adobe Town, WY: Fossil Mountain & Darby Wind Cave near Jackson, WY: Red Gulch Dino Track Site near Shell, WY: Devils Kitchen walk-in access near Red Gulch, Wyoming: Moonshine Arch near Vernal, UT along with a dinosaur track site at Red Fleet: Blue forest petrified wood near Granger, WY: Fish fossils and some shark teeth near Farson, WY: Agatized fossil shells near Rock Springs, WY: Calcite for making lamps and also nice bots in roadside cut near Lander. I find the watermelon stone about halfway up the canyon. Rockhounding Locations in WY, MT; UT. Official websites use .gov However, I have compiled a list of resources here so that you may investigate and obtain permission for any locations (found here or elsewhere) for yourself. This is where the famous Yellowstone National Park is located, which stretches for more than 2 million acres. 19. Cryptocrystalline quartz varieties like agate, jasper, chalcedony, and petrified wood are prevalent over much of the region. I cant tell you exactly where to go due to land-access issues. Find out the differences between these two minerals in the article below:Feldspar vs. Quartz: Whats the Difference? I had an odd experience last year. State-By-State Rockhounding Location Guides & Maps No matter where you live in the U.S., there are likely many exciting rockhounding sites nearby. Where are the best places for rockhounding in Wyoming? ,