Check out recommended tools for rockhounding here:Recommended tools and equipment for rockhounding, What Rocks Are Good For Tumbling? However, that hasnt limited their successful innovation and progress. Hi Frank. Agate, calcite-aragonite, copper minerals, and uranium minerals are found in Park County, located in the northwestern part of Wyoming. If you head to Copper Mountain, you might find some specimens like beryl, feldspar, lithium, magnetite, and manganese. Becoming a member of one or more clubs or societies comes with a wealth of benefits. 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. This book is a 6" x 9" paperback with 246 pages, descriptions, maps and photos. That was a joke. However, anywhere in the area around Black Rock should be good, and maybe to the west, too, which I havent checked yet. And you can typically find them laying around, but often youll have to pry open the rocks. This area was explored by a South African diamond company briefly but nothing came of it. Albany is among the best rock-hounding places in Wyoming since you can find various rocks and minerals. The pyroxene group of minerals is confined to Precambrian rocks and the Tertiary volcanic rocks of the Absaroka Mountains and Yellowstone National Park. Suitable for the advanced backpacker. . I found this book very useful and clearly written. 5 Crucial Signs, Gemstone & Crystal Properties (Quick Study Home), Ultimate Explorer Field Guide: Rocks and Minerals (National Geographic Kids), Difference Between Real & Fake Geodes: Focus on These Signs, What Is Agate And How Do Agates Form? Wyoming State Geological Survey Wyoming is also noted for its abundance of discovered meteorites. I recommend accessing the area from highway 414 to the west, turning right just above Behunin Reservoir. 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. These rockhounding sights of Wyoming are mostly on public land but a good. google_ad_width=120; You can also find it in the Wiggins formation of the Oligocene age near the head of Frontier Creek in the Absaroka Mountains. It will help show how non-descript the host is. This interest of mine has lasted until today, so I decided to create this website. Albany County is home to some of the best rockhounding locations in Wyoming because there are various rock and mineral specimens, including: Sand Creek and the Red Buttes areas in Albany County are full of sedimentary rocks. google_ad_client="pub-2930148589555936"; The Sublette County Rock Hounds Club is relatively new to the scene of formal rockhound organizations. (Rough Draft, 05/02/2021 Revision), Hiking and Adventure Map (Work in Progress). Fort Bridger, area gravels, streams, washes, etc. Follow the road a short distance until it splits; stop at the fork and walk up the washed-out left road for a few hundred feet. That said, lab is pretty much a plagioclase feldspar. For additional reading, Id highly recommend these books you can find on Amazon: Please remember that rock collecting locations are constantly changing. google_color_url="FFFFFF"; Select locations particularly the tailings of old mines are prime spots for specimens of minerals like azurite, malachite, beryl, tourmaline, and garnet. 11 Essential Rock Tumbling Tips - Get Better Results! A number of the best locations are on private land, and while Ive gotten access from the owners, I cant list them here. 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, 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. Guide to Prospecting and Rock Hunting 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. I lost service and I dont think I went to the exact location because I didnt see much there. Rockhounds can explore most of Wyoming's geologic products up close because over 50% of the state is public land! Most of the gold produced in Wyoming comes from the Atlantic City-South Pass-Sweetwater district. I spent about an hour at this location, and . Wyoming State Mineral & Gem Society These gemstones are found throughout Wyoming in Albany, Carbon, Natrona, Park, Platte, and Fremont Counties. The counties are alphabetized, and within each county the locations are . 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. Rockhounding Wyoming by Kenneth Graham. Take our Survey for a Chance to Win a Map! Here, rockhounds can find agates. Follow the four-wheeler track down the mountain and into the badlands below. This paper has an alternate location along the logging road. The famous Triceratops fossils are plentiful in Wyoming; however, the Knightia Fish is the official state fossil of Wyoming. The Medicine Bow Mountains are excellent places to find slate, galena, beryl, barite, and platinum-sperrylite. In fact, Wyoming is home to a unique variety of agate called Turritella agate that is extremely popular with local collectors. Wyoming isnt just rich in rocks and minerals; it also has gold, fossils, and petrified wood. To this general information we might add: The article Places to See Geologic Displays in Wyoming RedLong-duration hikes, typically 5+days. Map of Locations 1.) Rockhounding is incredible, but its even better when youre a member of a club or society. Bookmarked. 15 Best Rocks & Minerals, Are Agates Valuable rocks? google_ad_format="120x240_as"; 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 . amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; This way I can make arrangements to make trip as enjoyable and stress free as possible. Hello and thank you for posting this information. Maps showing the location of public lands in Wyoming can be obtained from 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 I mention all this as it helps explain how to find the peridot. google_ad_host="pub-6693688277674466"; Sign In. In Wyoming, you can find sedimentary rocks such as bentonite, chert, coal, concretion-geode, conglomerate, gypsum, limestone-dolomite, oil shale, shale, taconite, or trona, among many others. Phosphate rock is also located here. A relatively large area between Labarge and Granger, Lincoln, Sweetwater, and Uinta Counties also contains chalcedony. Follow the dirt roads toward and past the water tower on the ridge. Here at Rockhounding Maps, we give you access and information to the best dig sites for crystals and minerals in Wyoming. Please take our survey about how you use and access the data we provide on our website. See my hikes in to this area in the early spring, middle-summer, and late summer. I have tried to take care not to list locations within National Park boundaries since collecting is illegal there, but please remember that it is up to you to make sure you have permission to collect wherever you are. , ,