You can get an individual or family club membership at a low rate. It is, simply put, the most comprehensive and easy-to-understand rock identification system youll find anywhere. This site contains affiliate links to products. 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, 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. Concretion and geodes are common in many of the sedimentary rocks in the state, but a good way of finding geodes in Wyoming is to search for the conglomerate in limestone or sandstone. Agates, copper minerals, uranium minerals, and calcite-aragonite can be found throughout Park County in northwestern Wyoming. Welcome to the Wyoming State Geological Survey Interpreting the past, providing for the future Take our Survey for a Chance to Win a Map! Peridot in ant hills and arroyos near Black Rock Butte. If youre looking to start collecting rocks in Wyoming, agates are a great place to start. However, that hasnt limited their successful innovation and progress. 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. 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. Follow the dirt roads toward and past the water tower on the ridge. If you want to dig for gems in Wyoming, Amethyst Mountain would be an excellent place to start. See my hikes in to this area in the early spring, middle-summer, and late summer. 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. Use caution. Proceed up canyon dirt road (12) until you reach the top plateau and it is flat. (Said Kimm-ur.). Keep me signed in. (I do not live in the US right now.). It looks as though theres something interesting around every bend within every county. The ranchers might harass you, but I just harass them back, since its public. The ownership and status of land can and does change frequently, making it impossible to document accurate information for every location on this page. Cody 59ers Rock Club was established in 1959 to help promote and share knowledge surrounding rocks, minerals, gems, and fossils through field trips. In the table down below, you can see what other minerals can be found in Wyoming, and their exact locations. Meteorites have been found on a highway cut north of Laramie. Drive up the garbage road toward White Mountain and park near the area with the in-ground tank, then follow the trails west into the lower hills. 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. 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. This site is devoted to sharing my love of rocks with you. Geodes can also reportedly be found in gravels in the southern reaches of the Absaroka mountain range. (Rough Draft, 05/02/2021 Revision), Hiking and Adventure Map (Work in Progress). (I do not live in the US right now.). Sweetwater County is located in the southwestern part of Wyoming. TIP:Dont forget to follow all the safety recommendations when rockhounding because your health is always the most important. This area was explored by a South African diamond company briefly but nothing came of it. Becoming a member of one or more clubs or societies comes with a wealth of benefits. If you want to find sapphires in Fremont, you should go to Grizzly Creek and Sweeny Basin. The Riverton Mineral and Gem Society is an organization for people of all ages and experience levels. If you explore the highway cut north of Laramie, you might find meteorites. As you tour the State of Wyoming, feel free to contact any of the Wyoming is among the top rockhounding locations in the United States. 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. You can find them in volcanic conglomerates in the Tertiary rocks of the southern part of the Absaroka Mountains of northwest Wyoming. 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. Calcite for making lamps and also nice bots in roadside cut near Lander. You can find agate, allanite, lithium minerals, magnetite, manganese minerals, uranium minerals, and bentonite. Places such as Fremont, Washakie, Sweetwater, Carbon, or Natrona County are where you can find jade, which is Wyomings official state gemstone. Use caution, be respectful, and play by whatever the rules are now. Everyone enjoys the prospect of finding their very own geodes out in the wild, and its easy to see why. You will find everything about rocks, minerals, and crystals here. Follow the road toward its terminus (going down toward a river) and easy, walk-in access is available. As for what you should be looking for, the following link provides better examples than I have (since Im on my phone). That is partly because of about 50 percent of the states public land. The minerals listed above are among the most famous in Wyoming; however, Wyoming is full of other minerals. Wyoming is home to some incredible jade specimens, mainly of the classes nephrite and jadeite. google_color_url="FFFFFF"; Follow posted signage and always get permission from the landowner to collect. The specimens found here vary from blue, and light gray, to deep colors such as violet. Jade can be found in the Sweetwater River district southeast of the Wind River Mountains in Fremont County. The 75 sites described in this guide take you across the red desert to the high mountain majesty of the Big Horns and Wind Rivers as well as the geologic wonders of Yellowstone National Park. Fremont County, washes and draws in extreme SE corner, Wind River and tributaries, in gravels near Riverton, Warm Springs, area draws and hills over a large area, Rattlesnake Mountain, area N of Shoshone River, Sweetwater County, all area outcrops of Green River formation, Rock Springs, washes and draws over large area to E, Blacks Fork Creek, NE corner of Uinta County. Rocks there have a different variety of lab than down below. A lock ( You can follow the formations exposure along a great length of the escarpment. google_ad_host="pub-6693688277674466"; google_ad_host="pub-6693688277674466"; Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Rockhounding Locations in WY, MT; UT. My neighbor and i hopefully will be heading out to Wyoming if our health is good, sometime this summer. Introduction 1. Modern Rockhounding and Prospecting Handbook $19.73 A must have for every serious rockhound! Albany is among the best rock-hounding places in Wyoming since you can find various rocks and minerals. I hope my articles will be useful to you. Places for rockhounds to explore in Wyoming. The Wyoming State Mineral and Gem Society is an umbrella organization. This is a simple guide to my website. as well as detailed information that will interest any rockhound. The Medicine Bow Mountains are excellent places to find slate, galena, beryl, barite, and platinum-sperrylite. I would probably start by contacting the assessor in whatever county youre interested in and getting whatever contact information you can for the landowner. Do NOT attempt unless dry. 2. Thanks!! You can also find other types of agates like moss agate and Sweetwater agate, another variety that is unique to the state of Wyoming. ), let me know. If youre unsure where to start, try looking into some of Wyomings rockhound clubs and societies. Goshen County is located in the southeastern end of Wyoming. YellowOvernight hikes, typically 2 nights. You can find pegmatites in the Haystack Range of Goshen County. If you want to find fossils, you should know that the Triceratops is the states official dinosaur, while the Knightia Fish is the official state fossil of Wyoming. The 12 Best Places to See Lava (With Helpful Tips) Tip: Not sure if the rock youve found is a geode? 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. A locations listing here is not a guarantee of accuracy. The Sierra Madre Mountains are noted for their jade findings too. If you head to Copper Mountain, you might find some specimens like beryl, feldspar, lithium, magnetite, and manganese. Find out how these beautiful minerals are formed and more in this article:What Is Agate And How Do Agates Form? I cant thank you enough! google_ad_height=600; Enter your email address to subscribe to this the content of this site, some of which, we hear, is worthwhile. If you want to find geodes in Wyoming, you should look for places with many sedimentary rocks, such as in the beds of the conglomerate, which crop out throughout the state. 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. google_ad_client="pub-2930148589555936"; 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. While there may have been changes in hours of public viewing, business location and/or other Tip: Check out my Complete Rock Tumbling Guide to make your rocks and gemstones really shine! The GPS coordinate I put up in the map at the top of the page is right by a place called Black Rock, which is an ultrapotassic, lamproite volcaniclastic exposure. In Sweetwater County, west of Wamsutter along the old road to Baggs, the Green River Basin is plentiful in agates. Turritella agates are most commonly found in southwest Wyoming, especially near the town of Granger. google_ad_format="120x600_as"; See my Wyoming Rockhounding Location Guide for more places to rockhound. Check out how valuable different types of opal can be in the article below:8 Factors Why Opal is Valuable (Prices for Different Types). NOTE! The sapphire specimens found in the Canyon vary from blue and light grey to deeper colors, including violet. Agate, calcite-aragonite, copper minerals, and uranium minerals are found in Park County, located in the northwestern part of Wyoming. ROCK SHOWS Gem, mineral. Lots of sand. In case you wondering, the official state dinosaur of Wyoming is the Triceratops dinosaur, which is primarily uncovered in the Hell Creek Formation in the Black Hills region of South Dakota or eastern Wyoming. All 50 States Answered, contacting the assessor in whatever county youre inte, Gastroliths, Petrified dinosaur bones, Fossils, Gypsum, Dinosaur bones, Gastroliths, Fossils, Fossils, Ammonites, Dinosaur bones, Gastroliths, Agate, Chalcedony, Gold, Nephrite jade, Jade, Jasper, Muscovite, Quartz crystals, Agatized wood, Opalized wood, Tourmaline, Agate (banded, moss), Aventurine, Garnet, Sapphire, Agate (Sweetwater agate), Nephrite jade, Jade, Aquamarine, Beryl, Feldspar crystals, Muscovite, Agate, Chalcedony, Jasper, Jade, Nephrite jade, Quartz crystals, Silicified wood. Here you can find minerals, rocks, and varieties of quartz such as allanite, beryl, calcite-aragonite, columbite-tantalite, copper minerals, euxenite, galena, hematite, jade, mica minerals, monazite, opal, pyrite, agates, uranium minerals, vermiculite, gabbro, pegmatite, sedimentary rocks, taconite, and slate, among other things. Other great places to find opals are the Absaroka Mountains, which are in the area of northwest Wyoming, near Smith Creek in Carbon County, or near Lusk in Niobrara County. 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. //-->, , Sign in|Recent Site Activity|Report Abuse|Print Page|Powered By Google Sites. I'm starting with the most popular and working my way to the more obscure. Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps. Rockhounds can explore most of Wyoming's geologic products up close because over 50% of the state is public land! google_ad_type="text_image"; It is located in the northwestern part of Wyoming, and you can find amethyst, opals, and many other types of valuable gems and minerals. Wall of crystals found hiking Big Balls of Cowtown Trail. It is going to take me a while to get all the locations in here. 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. Theyre excellent for novices and experts alike, not to mention the members can likely share some of the lesser-known locations. Black jade is a real prize to find. Its located in the southern part of the state, with Albany on its eastern side. Devils Kitchen walk-in access near Red Gulch, Wyoming: 9.) I find the watermelon stone about halfway up the canyon. The GPS map below shows how I drove, as well as the two main places I walked which had good anthills. Rockhounding in Wyoming never seems to let down rockhounds. I will update this to add many locations as I am able, but its one of my lower priorities. 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. The Hartville district in Platte County may contain some copper minerals, while the kyanite is found 23 miles southwest of Wheatland, Platte County. They are most commonly found in gravels and the clays lining nearby streams. 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. Sharktooth Ridge teeth and trace fossils near Rawlins, WY: 6.) Geologic Map of Phantom Lake Quadrangle. Wolsey Shale yields abundant articulated trilobites (Albertella helena, Kochina gordonensis, Strotocephalus gordonensis, Ptarmigania gordonensis, and Vanuxemella contracta), as well as brachiopods (Acrothele colleni and Micromitra scuptilis) and hyoliths (Hyolithus convexus). You can also find quite a few more interesting minerals like amazonite, tourmaline, and beryl in the tailings of old mines scattered across the hills and mountain ranges. The clamber down through the woods and thicket is well worth the spectacular site of the mountainous, artesian well. So pack up your stuff, since once you read this, you might want to move to Wyoming and start rockhounding! You can also usually get the landowners name and address by visiting the county records office. Wyoming happens to be among the best states in the entire country for rockhounding thanks to the sheer volume of prospective collecting sites and the impressive array of rocks and minerals to be found. google_color_bg="1B1B1B"; Some of the more unique specimens you may be interested in are Turritella agates and nephrite jade which can both be found in relative abundance if you look in the right places. Rockhounds can find opal within the deposits associated with the parks hot springs. Belemnites and other fossils near Bridger, MT: 4.) I keep a good GPS on me so that they cant fuss me out too much, because they can and do fence in public land and claim its private. That said, lab is pretty much a plagioclase feldspar. Public access with nice walk in. Natrona County is located in central Wyoming, and it is another excellent county when it comes to rocks or minerals. Blue forest petrified wood near Granger, WY: 11.) During my brief exploration, I didnt have time to find the gems, but did get diverted by the thousands of exposed fossils. TIP: A great deal of petrified wood is not suitable for rock tumbling or lapidary work because it has too many faults and fractures. Here at Rockhounding Maps, we give you access and information to the best dig sites for crystals and minerals in Wyoming. 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. Fish fossils and some shark teeth near Farson, WY: 13.) A number of the best locations are on private land, and while Ive gotten access from the owners, I cant list them here. NPS Public Domain Photo. It is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. Beryl, columbite-tantalite, copper minerals, feldspar minerals, lithium minerals, magnetite, manganese minerals, and mica minerals may be found in Copper Mountain in Fremont County. google_color_url="FFFFFF"; Be safe, never go underground, and make sure to get permission from the landowner to search for and collect specimens. We are here for any questions or concerns that might arise about your adventures in mineral collecting. This publication can be downloaded directly from the WSGS Rainbow agates have been found along the Wind River near Riverton. If you would like to read some of the source material for yourself I have listed them below. The road is really easy going, but the locals arent friendly, even by my states standards. Some areas appear to have kimberlite, though we havent used a diamond detector yet.
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