This will be our first time rock hounding Wyoming. amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "rockhoundreso-20"; 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 Medicine Bow Mountains contain slate, platinum-sperrylite, galena, beryl, and barite. Of special note, a very interesting surge-flow outlet for a creek is found in the V section of the road by the pullout. 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. 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. Also lots of buzzworms. You can get an individual or family club membership at a low rate. This interest of mine has lasted until today, so I decided to create this website. However, there was some trouble with this in the recent past. I encourage you to check them out if you are curious about the legalities of rock and mineral collecting. Black jade is a real prize to find. 5 Crucial Signs. Im here to serve you! Geologic mapping of the Phantom Lake quadrangle in Carbon County is available. Volcanic type agates or chalcedony usually occur in stream gravels in the western half of the Bighorn Basin, of Big Horn, Hot Springs, Park, and Washakie Counties as well. GreenDay hikes; can be done as overnights. I f you are a rockhound and don't live in Wyoming, you may want to move here! Lets dig in! LockA locked padlock I would probably start by contacting the assessor in whatever county youre interested in and getting whatever contact information you can for the landowner. Find out where to find minerals in Wyoming down below. The higher hills to the west (the mesas and buttes) are all ultrapotassic and mafic rocks. 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. Wyoming is home to some incredible jade specimens, mainly of the classes nephrite and jadeite. Continue on the main path to Winton, Follow it. Collaborative Action and Dispute Resolution. 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 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. google_ad_client="pub-2930148589555936"; Sharktooth Ridge teeth and trace fossils near Rawlins, WY: 6.) It will turn slightly left for a short, steep incline. Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps. google_color_border="1B1B1B"; Below you will find maps published by the Wyoming State Geological Survey. Only very minor surface mining has been done here. I am wondering what it looks like on top of canyon. (I do not live in the US right now.). The locations and information contained in this article are primarily derived from academic papers, online resources, and other outside sources. 19. In the charred areas with coal youll find petrified wood. types. The Absaroka Mountains are an excellent place to explore. Ill be adding to this in the coming years. 15. You can also find it in the Wiggins formation of the Oligocene age near the head of Frontier Creek in the Absaroka Mountains. Obsidian isnt listed here since we know how much rockhounds love this igneous rock, so let us talk about obsidian separately. My little girl loves rocks now (gems and fossils both). If you want to find sapphires, you may go to the Palmer Canyon in Albany. Becoming a member of one or more clubs or societies comes with a wealth of benefits. I recommend walk-in access via the Radio Creek Road starting at a pullout located here. I lost service and I dont think I went to the exact location because I didnt see much there. From beginners to advanced collectors, everyone will find something in Wyoming! google_ad_height=600; If youre into gemstones like amethyst, I suggest checking out Amethyst Mountain; it got its name for a reason. TIP:Rockhounding is much easier when you use proper tools and equipment. Select locations particularly the tailings of old mines are prime spots for specimens of minerals like azurite, malachite, beryl, tourmaline, and garnet. You can find many types of feldspar minerals in Goshen County, including mica minerals, and in the Muskrat Canyon area of the county, you can find the marble. Fort Bridger, area gravels, streams, washes, etc. Manganese minerals or uranium minerals are found in the Wasatch Formation. Follow the four-wheeler track down the mountain and into the badlands below. 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. You can also read through my free rock identification guide and mineral identification guide which are filled with useful information and tools. Quartz crystals, chalcedony, and vein moss agate occur along outcrops of the Bridger formation in the regions north of Sweetwater County. However, anywhere in the area around Black Rock should be good, and maybe to the west, too, which I havent checked yet. Rockhounding is recognized as a legitimate recreational pursuit on nearly all of the 18 million acres of public land in Wyoming. Rockhounding in eastern Wyoming offers a lot of opportunities to find a wide variety of rocks and minerals. Rockhounding is recognized as a legitimate recreational pursuit on nearly all of the 18 million acres of public land in Wyoming. or Forgot password? Rocks there have a different variety of lab than down below. If youre looking for individual hiking tracks (rather than single-point GPS data), please see my GaiaGPS page, which is hosted off-site, and is free. 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. Obsidian is plentiful in Wyoming, especially abundant in Yellowstone National Park, where the Obsidian Cliff is located in the northwest part of the Park. Also explore the WSMGS Topic Library for articles such as Membership is only $15 for adults 18 and up. Wyoming State Mineral & Gem Society A locations listing here is not a guarantee of accuracy. Sweetwater County is located in the southwestern part of 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! Tip: Check out my Complete Rock Tumbling Guide to make your rocks and gemstones really shine! A quick jaunt down a nice dirt road brings you to the overlook, which is marked with a sign. 05-01-11 Water line and fortification agate and calcite geodes and selenite phew!! google_color_url="FFFFFF"; Places such as Fremont, Washakie, Sweetwater, Carbon, or Natrona County are where you can find jade, which is Wyomings official state gemstone. It is, simply put, the most comprehensive and easy-to-understand rock identification system youll find anywhere. Petrified wood can be found in the Amethyst Mountains area of Yellowstone as well. Wyoming rockhounding map on Google maps click link below. 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. Follow the road toward its terminus (going down toward a river) and easy, walk-in access is available. 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. This area was explored by a South African diamond company briefly but nothing came of it. Pegmatite and sedimentary rocks such as bentonite are also found in Johnson County. Rockhounding Site And Information Near Me (Clickable Map) - Rock Seeker Rockhounding Site And Information Near Me (Clickable Map) Must Have! 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. Jades are present in Carbon County as well. High-clearance only. I hope this will make it a bit easier to find information on my Wyoming rockhounding pages. There is of course another way to find larger pieces of peridot in the area. amzn_assoc_search_bar = "false"; Western Wyoming is hard to beat if youre a rockhound. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below. Rockhound Trip report spring 2008. Ammonite-like fossils, kimberlite, etc. I love finding agates because you never know what sort of beautiful patterns and colors they might contain. It will help show how non-descript the host is. Rockhounding Wyoming Table of Contents: About This Book ix. 08-07-11 Elusive Wyoming fluorite specimens. 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. This bundle of information includes a book, videos, and online tools. google_ad_type="text_image"; The GemHunter (Dan Hausel) found peridot and garnets in the area, the latter of which can also be found NNW of Cedar Mountain. Pictures and notes on the fossils near Farson. 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. Wyoming Rockhound Locations Wyoming is among the top rockhounding locations in the United States. Wyoming is home to some incredible jade specimens, mainly of the classes nephrite and jadeite. google_ad_client="pub-2930148589555936"; Albany County is in the bottom eastern portion of Wyoming and borders the northern Colorado state line. 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. 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. Thank you for your reply! Quartz crystals are relatively abundant in the feldspar pits just south of Laramie. Garnets near Custer We are using my Subaru forester. . Some of the most prominent metamorphic rocks in Wyoming are gneiss, marble, quartzite, schist, and slate, among many others. Despite the otherwise impressive rockhounding in Wyoming, geodes are a fairly rare occurrence in the state. Joining up with a local rockhounding club for a group trip can often get you access to otherwise off-limits locations like privately owned mines and quarries. Clear chalcedony and vein moss agate occur along this countys outcrops of the Bridger Formation. During my brief exploration, I didnt have time to find the gems, but did get diverted by the thousands of exposed fossils. While there may have been changes in hours of public viewing, business location and/or other I enjoy collecting and tumbling rocks with my daughter and traveling the world with my wife seeing geologic wonders. Albany is among the best rock-hounding places in Wyoming since you can find various rocks and minerals. Ammonite-like fossils, kimberlite, etc. 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 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. google_ad_client="pub-2930148589555936"; Petrified wood occurs in the Specimen Ridge and Amethyst Mountain area of Yellowstone. I recommend accessing the area from highway 414 to the west, turning right just above Behunin Reservoir. amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; Thanks! 17. Should I be digging ? Let us begin with gems. google_color_bg="1B1B1B"; 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. 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. Teepee Canyon Agates 13. The ownership and status of land can and does change frequently, making it impossible to document accurate information for every location on this page. 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. Take our Survey for a Chance to Win a Map! Similar to what you explained looking for topaz in the Thomas range. A single column may be searched using the blank field at the top of each column. You may also find gold along with parts of the Snake River in the southern part of Jackson Hole, northwest Wyoming. Phosphate rock is also located here. Blue forest petrified wood near Granger, WY: 11.) . 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. Tip: Not sure if the rock youve found is a geode? (I do not live in the US right now.). Here at Rockhounding Maps, we give you access and information to the best dig sites for crystals and minerals in Wyoming. The GPS coordinate I put up is right by a place called Black Rock, which is an ultrapotassic, lamproite volcaniclastic exposure. The state of Wyoming is noted for its copper minerals, lithium minerals, uranium minerals, feldspar minerals, manganese minerals, mica minerals, and quartz minerals. I cant thank you enough! Thanks!! 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. But sometimes you can mistake feldspar with quartz. If opals are something you hope to find, check around Smith Creek. 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. Winton petrified wood near Rock Springs, WY: 5.) 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. The True Worth of Agates.