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The locations and information contained in this article are primarily derived from academic papers, online resources, and other outside sources. 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. at Cedar Mountain. Tip: Not sure if the rock youve found is a geode? google_ad_width=120; See my hikes in to this area in the early spring, middle-summer, and late summer. You can follow the formations exposure along a great length of the escarpment. South of Douglas in Converse County is where you will find jade as well. 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 To get you started on prospecting, the Wyoming State Geological Survey has prepared a Take our Survey for a Chance to Win a Map! You can buy ithere(Amazon link). Go to Albany County, since agates are commonly found near Marshall, located in northwestern Albany. As with most states, each county in Wyoming will have records of who owns each piece of property. 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, Wyoming is home to Yellowstone National Park, which spans over 2 million acres. Rockhounding Wyoming by Kenneth Graham. This book is a 6" x 9" paperback with 246 pages, descriptions, maps and photos. I mention all this as it helps explain how to find the peridot. Let me know if this is useful or if I can improve it in any way! Fremont, Sweetwater, Washakie, Natrona, and Carbon Counties are all prime rockhound locations to find Jade. Here at Rockhounding Maps, we give you access and information to the best dig sites for crystals and minerals in Wyoming. 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 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. Below is a list of rockhounding locations in wyoming with a description of the minerals found there and pictures. Master Faceter, Avid Rock Hound, World Traveler. I had an odd experience last year. Rainbow agates are located along the Wind River near Riverton, in Fremont County. 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. These are mostly comprised of old mining prospects, washes, streams, and historically known rock and mineral collecting sites. Theyre excellent for novices and experts alike, not to mention the members can likely share some of the lesser-known locations. Proceed up canyon dirt road (12) until you reach the top plateau and it is flat. amzn_assoc_title = "Here is some of my favorite rockhounding gear from Amazon"; Check out how valuable different types of opal can be in the article below:8 Factors Why Opal is Valuable (Prices for Different Types). It looks as though theres something interesting around every bend within every county. The Riverton Mineral and Gem Society is an organization for people of all ages and experience levels. The Hot Park Area is near the Sierra Madre Mountains, and barite is commonly found a few miles southwest of Encampment. 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. Geodes can also reportedly be found in gravels in the southern reaches of the Absaroka mountain range. As you tour the State of Wyoming, feel free to contact any of the 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. The Wasatch Formation is a great place to find manganese and uranium minerals. But where else can rockhounds explore, and what can they find? The best place to find geodes in Wyoming is in Box Elder Canyon near the town of Glenrock. If you are interested in checking out the best book about rockhounding in Wyoming you can find it by clickinghere(Amazon link). You are sure welcome. RedLong-duration hikes, typically 5+days. TIP: Geodes can form anywhere in the world, but they do not form at random. 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. Check out the table down below to see where these specimens of sedimentary rocks are found in Wyoming. However, Jade can be located in the Sweetwater River district, just southeast of the Wind River Mountains. 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 ant hills are basically everywhere if you get out and walk around, and your biggest issue will most likely be needing 44 to get there, and especially across the creek to the north. Objective is to get to Road 4412. 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. While there may have been changes in hours of public viewing, business location and/or other ), Check ant beds in this area for peridot and other little gems. The majority of these locations are my interpretation of Robert Bestes A Location Guide for Rock Hounds in the United States. Also explore the WSMGS Topic Library for articles such as Black jade is a real prize to find. Hi!! 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. Its located in the southern part of the state, with Albany on its eastern side. High-clearance only. I have created guides for every U.S. state including thousands of rockhounding sites - and continue to add more every day. Gold can also be panned in Douglas Creek in the Medicine Bow Mountains of southeastern Wyoming, or the Sweetwater River and tributaries in the southern part of the Wind River Mountains. Fossilized leaves near Miles City, MT: 2.) types. Fossil Mountain & Darby Wind Cave near Jackson, WY: 8.) If youre looking to start collecting rocks in Wyoming, agates are a great place to start. Quartz crystals, chalcedony, and vein moss agate occur along outcrops of the Bridger formation in the regions north of Sweetwater County. NOTE! amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; "Rockhounding Rules on BLM Public Lands" and amzn_assoc_asins = "B01IEX2TEO,B0002YWWVE,B08N41884X,B00A4H4ZQ4"; If you explore the highway cut north of Laramie, you might find meteorites. We have listed each type of crystal in separate sections since we know how much you love them. Rocks there have a different variety of lab than down below. The entire region boasts many outcrops of bentonites, which are ash clay layers left over from ancient volcanic activity. Where are the best places for rockhounding in Wyoming? 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. google_ad_type="text_image"; at Cedar Mountain. In Wyoming, nearly all 18 million acres of public land are legal for gem enthusiasts to pursue their recreational activities. google_color_link="000000"; The higher hills to the west (the mesas and buttes) are all ultrapotassic and mafic rocks. My kid loved exploring it with me. In general, the best places to find agates in Wyoming are in gravels and washes, particularly in Sweetwater County, Fremont County, and along the Sweetwater and Wind Rivers. 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. amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; The Medicine Bow Mountains contain slate, platinum-sperrylite, galena, beryl, and barite. Petrified wood can be found in the Amethyst Mountains area of Yellowstone as well. TIP:Rockhounding is much easier when you use proper tools and equipment. Check out recommended tools for rockhounding here:Recommended tools and equipment for rockhounding, What Rocks Are Good For Tumbling? We wont be over that area probably until June but I like to plan ahead. 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). If youre looking for gemstones and crystals, Wyoming is home to quite a few that will make good additions to your collection. 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. Precambrian metamorphic rocks are abundant in Wyoming. The Sand Creek and Red Buttes areas of Albany County are full of sedimentary rocks. google_ad_client="pub-2930148589555936"; If you want to find agates in Albany, they are usually found near Marshall, located in northwestern Albany. here. Still, there may be privately owned mining claims inside those boundaries and youll need to get permission to collect on that location. google_ad_width=120; You can find these in the Mississippian limestone beds a few miles northwest of Guernsey, Wyoming. Follow the four-wheeler track down the mountain and into the badlands below. Select locations particularly the tailings of old mines are prime spots for specimens of minerals like azurite, malachite, beryl, tourmaline, and garnet. Lots of sand. Still, if you know where to look you may be able to find one for your collection. Jade can be found in the Sweetwater River district southeast of the Wind River Mountains in Fremont County. 08-07-11 Elusive Wyoming fluorite specimens. Be safe, never go underground, and make sure to get permission from the landowner to search for and collect specimens. Jades are present in Carbon County as well. Wyoming is home to Yellowstone National Park, which spans over 2 million acres. 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. Ammonite-like fossils, kimberlite, etc. Near the Sierra Madre Mountains, in the Hot Park Area, barite is commonly found, a couple of miles southwest of Encampment. Not a member of this organization? 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. An official website of the United States government. However, anywhere in the area around Black Rock should be good, and maybe to the west, too, which I havent checked yet. Guide to Prospecting and Rock Hunting in Wyoming google_color_url="FFFFFF"; Natrona County is located in central Wyoming, and it is another excellent county when it comes to rocks or minerals. I lost service and I dont think I went to the exact location because I didnt see much there. Azurite, Barite, Chalcopyrite, Cuprite, Galena, Gold, Limonite, Malachite, Pyrite, Quartz crystals, Sphalerite, etc. Wyoming rockhounding map on Google maps click link below. Congleton Hollow; Glass Buttes; Maury Mountain; Pigeon Springs; Skokomish River; . You can purchase a Bighorn National Forest visitor map for $14 at ranger district offices in Buffalo, Greybull, and Sheridan. Luckily, Wyoming is a prime spot for hunting your own crystals and gemstones. However, that hasnt limited their successful innovation and progress. Cancel. The Wiggins and Late Basic Breccia formations in the Absaroka Mountains of northwest Wyoming are also great for finding obsidian, but you should check the regulations before you attempt this. A single column may be searched using the blank field at the top of each column. as well as detailed information that will interest any rockhound. These rockhounding sights of Wyoming are mostly on public land but a good. Wyoming is among the top rockhounding locations in the United States. Rockhounding is recognized as a legitimate recreational pursuit on nearly all of the 18 million acres of public land in Wyoming. Pictures and notes on the fossils near Farson. In that case, you might want to explore the Kortes Dam area and the Sierra Madre Mountains. The clamber down through the woods and thicket is well worth the spectacular site of the mountainous, artesian well. Check back often as I add new places. I'm starting with the most popular and working my way to the more obscure. One of the most common questions rockhounds have is whether or not they are allowed to collect at a certain location. The ant hills are basically everywhere if you get out and walk around, and your biggest issue will most likely be needing 44 to get there, and especially across the creek to the north. Exploring the Laramie Mountain Range can lead to finding specimens like amphibole, epidote, plagioclase minerals, garnet, magnetite, and mica. However, there are no charges for attending club-led outings, and you dont have to be a resident of Wyoming to join. Simple Explanation, 8 Factors Why Opal is Valuable (Prices for Different Types), How To Cut & Polish Petrified Wood: Follow These 3 Steps, Recommended tools and equipment for rockhounding, Commonly found in the Paleozoic rocks, the Permian Phosporia formation, and the Mississippian Madison limestone, The northwest city of Cody and the Lovell town in Big Horn County, The Spirit Mountain Cavern, located west of Cody, along the Yellowstone Highway, The Eocene Green River Formation of southwestern Wyoming, or the town of Green River, Very common in all of the Precambrian mountain cores of Wyoming, On the west of Jay Em in Muskrat Canyon area of Goshen County, about 15 miles west of Wheatland, in the Marble Canyon area of Platte County, in the Medicine Bow Mountains of Albany and Carbon Counties, the Bighorn Mountains, near Douglas, in Converse County, and from the west flank of the Black Hills in Crook County, The Copper Mountain, Freemont County, in the Laramie Range of Albany and Converse counties, the Lewiston area of Fremont County, and the Bighorn Mountains area of Washakie County, Almost in all of the Precambrian pegmatites of Wyoming, Albany County, Carbon County, or 23 miles southwest of Wheatland, Platte County. Rainbow agates have been found along the Wind River near Riverton. 130 to Walcott Junction. Hi Frank. (DO NOT TAKE ANY FOSSILS! Down below is where you will find out where to find gold, fossils, and petrified wood in Wyoming. (Said Kimm-ur.). If youre into gemstones like amethyst, I suggest checking out Amethyst Mountain; it got its name for a reason. google_ad_width=120; Red Gulch Dino Track Site near Shell, WY: 8a.) A relatively large area between Labarge and Granger, Lincoln, Sweetwater, and Uinta Counties also contains chalcedony.