wyoming rockhounding locations google maps

I find the watermelon stone about halfway up the canyon. google_color_link="000000"; See my hikes in to this area in the early spring, middle-summer, and late summer. National forest and national grassland maps are also available from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) USGS Store, which offers secure, online ordering ($5 service charge applies), along with ordering by phone . 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. 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. Petrified wood can be found in the Amethyst Mountains area of Yellowstone as well. Lets dig in! In Johnson County, located in the north-central part of Wyoming, you can find agate. This book is a 6" x 9" paperback with 246 pages, descriptions, maps and photos. google_color_link="000000"; Petrified wood is also found in the Early Basic Breccia of Eocene age, in the Specimen Ridge and the Amethyst Mountains area of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. It is, simply put, the most comprehensive and easy-to-understand rock identification system youll find anywhere. A majority of counties in Wyoming contain numerous rocks, minerals, fossils, and gemstones. google_color_text="FFFFFF"; Since rockhounds are highly prize geodes, we have made a special section on where to find these sedimentary rocks in Wyoming. Gator Girl Rocks provides useful information about Wyoming is home to some incredible jade specimens, mainly of the classes nephrite and jadeite. The state fossil Knightia-fish is located in the Green Fiver Formation of Wyoming. Black Hills, South Dakota: 1. Places such as Fremont, Washakie, Sweetwater, Carbon, or Natrona County are where you can find jade, which is Wyomings official state gemstone. that describes some of the most common rocks and minerals to be found in Wyoming, along with general localities in the state where they might be found. The ACEC encompasses approximately 41,500 acres, of which about 23,600 acres are public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Barstow Field Office. I would probably start by contacting the assessor in whatever county youre interested in and getting whatever contact information you can for the landowner. 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. Proceed up canyon dirt road (12) until you reach the top plateau and it is flat. You can find agate, allanite, lithium minerals, magnetite, manganese minerals, uranium minerals, and bentonite. While Yellowstone makes the list for being one of the top rockhounding locations in Wyoming, unfortunately, rockhounding is not permitted there. Similar to what you explained looking for topaz in the Thomas range. They are most commonly found in gravels and the clays lining nearby streams. google_color_bg="1B1B1B"; This is where the famous Yellowstone National Park is located, which stretches for more than 2 million acres. TIP:Feldspar minerals are very common in 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. Fossils in Sanders County, MT: 4.) Feldspar vs. Quartz: Whats the Difference? google_ad_width=120; 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). https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=17-pa3pYy0AqN0D2Zh4cXklR9A7g&ll=39.483150381536596%2C-111.60763899999999&z=8, Rated R and 5 Stars: Septoplasty and More, Review: Green River Lakes Campground and Kayaking Green River, Wyoming, Review: Fun Overnight Hike to Powell Lakes, Wyoming, Review: Brewster, Lunch, & Shoal Lakes via Big Balls of Cowtown Trail. I enjoy collecting and tumbling rocks with my daughter and traveling the world with my wife seeing geologic wonders. An official website of the United States government. This publication can be downloaded directly from the WSGS TIP:Rockhounding is much easier when you use proper tools and equipment. Maps showing the location of public lands in Wyoming can be obtained from You can find plenty of minerals in Wyoming, especially in the mountains, such as Casper Mountain, Absaroka Mountain, Laramie Range, or Medicine Bow Range. The True Worth of Agates. TIP: A great deal of petrified wood is not suitable for rock tumbling or lapidary work because it has too many faults and fractures. We are here for any questions or concerns that might arise about your adventures in mineral collecting. These are mostly comprised of old mining prospects, washes, streams, and historically known rock and mineral collecting sites. Is the watermelon rock you mentioned in article of the tourmaline family? Obsidian is abundant in Yellowstone, with the most famous location being the Obsidian Cliff, located in the northwest part of the Park. There are many rockhounding clubs in Wyoming so you can most likely find one you like nearby. Johnson County is located in north-central Wyoming. Im here to serve you! This bundle of information includes a book, videos, and online tools. Use caution. Post navigation. If you have any questions, let me know in the comments section below. google_ad_height=600; Find out how these beautiful minerals are formed and more in this article:What Is Agate And How Do Agates Form? google_ad_width=120; Jades are present in Carbon County as well. Rockhounding in eastern Wyoming offers a lot of opportunities to find a wide variety of rocks and minerals. Ammonite-like fossils, kimberlite, etc. We have listed each type of crystal in separate sections since we know how much you love them. As you can see, opals are found in many places in Wyoming, so let us dive into where to find chalcedony in Wyoming. I am in Farson WY and went to check out the fish fossil/shark tooth location listed. Of special note, a very interesting surge-flow outlet for a creek is found in the V section of the road by the pullout. First of all, check the Tertiary igneous rocks in the Wood River and Sunlight Basin areas of Park County and the Black Hills area of northeastern Wyoming. 15 Best Rocks & Minerals, Are Agates Valuable rocks? The many mountain ranges and associated volcanic activity throughout the state have created a perfect geologic environment for the creation of many interesting gemstones that you can now find in countless locations across the region. You can also read through my free rock identification guide and mineral identification guide which are filled with useful information and tools. Carbon County is the home to some excellent specimens, including: Suppose youre interested in finding nephrite-type jade specimens. Bula, yall! Now lets look at what sedimentary rocks are found in Wyoming. 2. Peridot in ant hills and arroyos near Black Rock Butte. Black Rock itself is ultrapotassic and in the past (and even still now) shed peridot. You can find pegmatites in the Haystack Range of Goshen County. Rockhounding Wyoming by Kenneth Graham. The gravels of streams and rivers like the Sweetwater and Wind Rivers are great places to search for rocks and minerals like quartz, agate, and petrified wood. Buy on Amazon We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Please take our survey about how you use and access the data we provide on our website. Below you will find maps published by the Wyoming State Geological Survey. Wyoming is an incredible place for rockhounds. Members can expect various educational speakers and a lot of group interaction. You can also find it in the Wiggins formation of the Oligocene age near the head of Frontier Creek in the Absaroka Mountains. google_ad_height=600; Geologic mapping of the Phantom Lake quadrangle in Carbon County is available. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; The locations and information contained in this article are primarily derived from academic papers, online resources, and other outside sources. (I do not live in the US right now.). Meteorites have been found on a highway cut north of Laramie. Triceratops fossils are mostly found in the Hell Creek Formation in the Black Hills region of South Dakota, eastern Wyoming. Keep me signed in. Wyoming is perhaps most well known for its world-class National Parks like Yellowstone and Grand Teton. amzn_assoc_search_bar = "false"; Western Wyoming is hard to beat if youre a rockhound. lol Thanks again! google_ad_width=120; BTW: Check out this amazing metal sign (Amazon link) which is perfect for everyone who loves rockhounding in Wyoming! Atlantic City, area stream gravels, draws, etc. Wyoming is also noted for its abundance of discovered meteorites. Forgot username? Membership is only $15 for adults 18 and up. | , Places to See Geologic Displays in Wyoming, Guide to Prospecting and Rock Hunting in Wyoming, "Rockhounding, Prospecting, and Fossil Hunting on the Shoshone National Forest". We wont be over that area probably until June but I like to plan ahead. Winton petrified wood near Rock Springs, WY: 5.) At the same time, some reports of meteorite findings are also standard in this region. 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. Still, if you know where to look you may be able to find one for your collection. Please direct technical questions (including broken links) about this Web site to webmaster@wsmgs.org. google_color_link="000000"; The GPS coordinate I put up is right by a place called Black Rock, which is an ultrapotassic, lamproite volcaniclastic exposure. The link in the heading goes to what I consider the best egress point, whereas the pin in the main map shows a better location for finding material. This site contains affiliate links to products. Goshen County is located in the southeastern end of Wyoming. These rockhounding sights of Wyoming are mostly on public land but a good. But sometimes you can mistake feldspar with quartz. Wyoming is home to Yellowstone National Park, which spans over 2 million acres. The ants use them for construction material. The prominent minerals found in Wyoming are agates quite a variety of them, jades, opals, chalcedony, and other varieties of quartz crystals, among others. 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. Rockhounding is recognized as a legitimate recreational pursuit on nearly all of the 18 million acres of public land in Wyoming. Wyoming is home to Yellowstone National Park, which spans over 2 million acres. You never know what type of crystals or patterns youre going to find inside and it makes them incredibly exciting. may be of interest to rockhounds. If youre planning on heading to the field, make sure you have all the gear youll need! Modern Rockhounding and Prospecting Handbook $19.73 A must have for every serious rockhound! Introduction 1. The best we have for GPS is cell phones. Rocks there have a different variety of lab than down below. You can find them in volcanic conglomerates in the Tertiary rocks of the southern part of the Absaroka Mountains of northwest Wyoming. To determine what type of public land a particular location is on, I would recommend starting with the Wyoming Game & Fish Departments Public Access Summary. In the Absaroka Mountains, you may discover opal, galena, or molybdenite. Wyoming is among the top rockhounding locations in the United States. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Public access. If you have a public-lands GPS map, you can proceed up the Plumbago Canyon road to the top, where people dont go, and find some nice specimens lying on the roadside. If youre hoping to find agates in Albany County, check around Marshall in the northwestern region of the county. These public lands administered by the BLM are open to everyone to take limited amounts of rock material for noncommercial purposes without charge. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. However, it is legal to hound the areas surrounding this famous park. Wyoming is among the best rockhounding places in the U.S., and this is partly because around 50% of its lands are public! Also explore the WSMGS Topic Library for articles such as Most of the geodes in Wyoming tend to be lined with chalcedony, and more rarely with microcrystalline quartz. You can also find agatized and opalized wood specimens here. If youre really nice and want a piece, maybe Ill send you some. "Rockhounding Rules on BLM Public Lands" and You can also find other types of agates like moss agate and Sweetwater agate, another variety that is unique to the state of Wyoming. at Cedar Mountain. 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 Agatized fossil shells near Rock Springs, WY: 14. In Wyoming, nearly all 18 million acres of public land are legal for gem enthusiasts to pursue their recreational activities. To find petrified wood in Wyoming, you should go northeast of Eden, Sweetwater County, or the Wind River Formation where the Eocene age petrified wood is, 35 miles north of Medicine Bow, near the old Casper road. They are some of the most popular rocks to tumble, and its easy to see why with their intricate banding and unique designs. No, this wont make you rich. google_color_border="1B1B1B"; NPS Public Domain Photo. If you are a rockhound and don't live in Wyoming, you may want to move here! I hope this will make it a bit easier to find information on my Wyoming rockhounding pages. 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. Some people say that they have a lot of success near the reservoir, but this hasnt been too true for my family. Each of the included tracks will eventually have its own transcription of events. But where else can rockhounds explore, and what can they find? Agate, calcite-aragonite, copper minerals, and uranium minerals are found in Park County, located in the northwestern part of Wyoming. If you would like to read some of the source material for yourself I have listed them below. I encourage you to check them out if you are curious about the legalities of rock and mineral collecting. (I do not live in the US right now.). Check out the table down below to see where these specimens of sedimentary rocks are found in Wyoming. However, lets talk about the 11 best places to rockhound in Wyoming. Rockhounding in Wyoming is a great way to get out and enjoy the states expansive landscapes and beautifully unique terrain. To gain permits for rockhounding in Wyoming, please check the BLM website here. 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). This new version of the guide arranges the sites into counties and regions, with a different chapter for each county. Wall of crystals found hiking Big Balls of Cowtown Trail. This area was explored by a South African diamond company briefly but nothing came of it. If you explore the highway cut north of Laramie, you might find meteorites. Whether you're one of the thousands who come to Wyoming each year to admire its unique geologic features or you've come to rockhound and prospect for gemstones and gold, You can probably find it just about anywhere in the area, though I had good success looking along the eastern flank of Black Rock. 05-01-11 Water line and fortification agate and calcite geodes and selenite phew!! Precambrian metamorphic rocks are abundant in Wyoming. The pyroxene group of minerals is confined to Precambrian rocks and the Tertiary volcanic rocks of the Absaroka Mountains and Yellowstone National Park. 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! In the Bighorn Range part of Natrona County, you may discover pegmatite, while the igneous rock pumice-pumicite is located in the Split Rock area of Natrona County. Belemnites and other fossils near Bridger, MT: 4.) The GPS map below shows how I drove, as well as the two main places I walked which had good anthills. Here, rockhounds can find some incredible specimens, including: The Casper Mountains contain chromite, feldspar, and beryl. at Cedar Mountain. If you want to find sapphires, you may go to the Palmer Canyon in Albany, or go to Fremont, to the Grizzly Creek and Sweeny Basin. This site is devoted to sharing my love of rocks with you. Bookmarked. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. "Rockhounding, Prospecting, and Fossil Hunting on the Shoshone National Forest" Though there are many locations listed here, this list is far from exhaustive. Fossilized leaves near Miles City, MT: 2.) As you tour the State of Wyoming, feel free to contact any of the 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. And of course, nephrite jade can be found in such abundance that it is Wyomings state gemstone. Some of the most prominent metamorphic rocks in Wyoming are gneiss, marble, quartzite, schist, and slate, among many others. WSMGS Affiliated Clubs when planning your visit. Rockhounding is recognized as a legitimate recreational pursuit on nearly all of the 18 million acres of public land in Wyoming. google_color_text="FFFFFF"; No rockhound excursion would be complete in Wyoming without exploring Yellowstone National Park. You can even find geodes in Wyoming. Below is a list of rockhounding locations in wyoming with a description of the minerals found there and pictures. Albany County is in the bottom eastern portion of Wyoming and borders the northern Colorado state line. The ranchers might harass you, but I just harass them back, since its public. You can buy ithere(Amazon link). Member Clubs can be found in Casper, Big Piney, Cody, Cheyenne, Gillette, Riverton, Powell, and Torrington. 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. Geology of WyomingCompile digital bedrock and surficial geologic maps at 1:100,000 scale for the state in order to revise the 1:500,000 scale geologic map of Wyoming and surficial geologic map of Wyoming. Only very minor surface mining has been done here. Some areas appear to have kimberlite, though we havent used a diamond detector yet. ), let me know. Note: stramatolites can be found in some washes at the base of the Pryors nearby. 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. Check out how to cut and polish petrified wood in the article below:How To Cut & Polish Petrified Wood: Follow These 3 Steps. You may also find gold along with parts of the Snake River in the southern part of Jackson Hole, northwest Wyoming. google_ad_height=240; These gemstones are found throughout Wyoming in Albany, Carbon, Natrona, Park, Platte, and Fremont Counties. Welcome to the Wyoming State Geological Survey Interpreting the past, providing for the future Take our Survey for a Chance to Win a Map! Second edition. YellowOvernight hikes, typically 2 nights. Cracking them open reminds me of opening a Kinder-Egg with a surprise toy inside. Quartz crystals are relatively abundant in the feldspar pits just south of Laramie. We also hope to find Jade on same trip. 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. For all of my maps, you can use my maps page. It will turn slightly left for a short, steep incline. The famous Triceratops fossils are plentiful in Wyoming; however, the Knightia Fish is the official state fossil of Wyoming. //-->,