Turritella agates are most commonly found in southwest Wyoming, especially near the town of Granger. Some areas appear to have kimberlite, though we havent used a diamond detector yet. Here at Rockhounding Maps, we give you access and information to the best dig sites for crystals and minerals in Wyoming. They are most commonly found in gravels and the clays lining nearby streams. On top of that, weve created a resource page to assist with answering all of your gem and mineral collecting questions. Im doing a fossil camping trip near the buttes to a quarry where you can pay to dig for fish fossils. You can also usually get the landowners name and address by visiting the county records office. The Sand Creek and Red Buttes areas of Albany County are full of sedimentary rocks. This place is located in the south part of Wyoming, and Albany County is located on its eastern side. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS 08-07-11 Elusive Wyoming fluorite specimens. Peridot in ant hills and arroyos near Black Rock Butte. This website also participates in Google Adsense. 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. These public lands administered by the BLM are open to everyone to take limited amounts of rock material for noncommercial purposes without charge. If you explore the highway cut north of Laramie, you might find meteorites. Their annual Mineral and Gem Show is a massive hit with members and anyone interested in the field of topics. Though there are many locations listed here, this list is far from exhaustive. 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 rockhounding sights of Wyoming are mostly on public land but a good. The state fossil Knightia-fish is located in the Green Fiver Formation of Wyoming. You can find plenty of minerals in Wyoming, especially in the mountains, such as Casper Mountain, Absaroka Mountain, Laramie Range, or Medicine Bow Range. Wyoming is full of jades, mostly of the nephrite class, and the jadeite class, which sounds like something out of Star Wars. 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. 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. google_color_link="000000"; Since rockhounds are highly prize geodes, we have made a special section on where to find these sedimentary rocks in Wyoming. Use caution. When you look for it, it often just looks like ugly, whiteish or greyish rocks. Still, if you know where to look you may be able to find one for your collection. Keep me signed in. LockA locked padlock From beginners to advanced collectors, everyone will find something in Wyoming! We are using my Subaru forester. GreenDay hikes; can be done as overnights. Membership is only $15 for adults 18 and up. Belemnites and other fossils near Bridger, MT: 3.) BTW: Do you want to know more about rock and mineral identification? Continue on the main path to Winton, Follow it. Sweetwater County is located in the southwestern part of Wyoming. (Said Kimm-ur.). I had an odd experience last year. If you want to know more about rockhounding in Wyoming or you prefer paper books, I recommend buying the book Rockhounding Wyoming: A Guide to the States Best Rockhounding Sites (2nd Edition). google_color_bg="1B1B1B"; The Great Wyoming Rockhounding Page!! - Google Sites Bighorn National Forest - Maps & Publications - US Forest Service Rockhounds can find all sorts of rocks and minerals, including: A look around the Wood River and Sunlight Basin areas can potentially lead to finding gold. Sublette County, located in western Wyoming, is noted for its jade findings, while the mineral molybdenite is found in the Wind River Mountains. You can get an individual or family club membership at a low rate. . An official website of the United States government. I am wondering what it looks like on top of canyon. TOP Please respect the claim owners rights and stay off active claims withoutpermission. Black Rock itself is ultrapotassic and in the past (and even still now) shed peridot. No rockhound excursion would be complete in Wyoming without exploring Yellowstone National Park. So where to rockbound in Wyoming, and what can you find? The Medicine Bow Mountains contain slate, platinum-sperrylite, galena, beryl, and barite. You can find them in volcanic conglomerates in the Tertiary rocks of the southern part of the Absaroka Mountains of northwest Wyoming. Make a right on it. Rockhound Trip report spring 2008. The Owl Creek Mountains, Fremont, and Hot Spring counties also have jade. 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. Kemmerer, all washes and draws over a large area, Owl Creek, in placers SE of Washakie Needles, Lander, area surface over a very large region, Laramie Mountains, draws and washes of eastern slopes, Seminoe Reservoir, all area draws and washes, Saratoga, area draws and washes N to Walcott, Poison Spider Creek, area washes and draws, Check out my article about how to identify a geode, Rockhounding on Public Land: Laws and Regulations, Can You Collect Rocks in State Parks? Gator Girl Rocks provides useful information about amzn_assoc_linkid = "aac5e87b1ca95eb9841c18e11fbbd48f"; If you want to dig for gems in Wyoming, Amethyst Mountain would be an excellent place to start. It will help show how non-descript the host is. Cracking them open reminds me of opening a Kinder-Egg with a surprise toy inside. 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. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Agatized fossil shells near Rock Springs, WY: 14. I would probably start by contacting the assessor in whatever county youre interested in and getting whatever contact information you can for the landowner. This collecting area contains several lithum enriched pegmatites. We also hope to find Jade on same trip. In the Absaroka Mountains, you may discover opal, galena, or molybdenite. Black jade can be found in Fremont County as well. You can follow the formations exposure along a great length of the escarpment. TIP:Rockhounding is much easier when you use proper tools and equipment. ArcGIS Web Application Teepee Canyon Agates 13. Rockhounding in Wyoming is a great way to get out and enjoy the states expansive landscapes and beautifully unique terrain. A locations listing here is not a guarantee of accuracy. 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. Moonshine Arch near Vernal, UT along with a dinosaur track site at Red Fleet: 10.) I find the watermelon stone about halfway up the canyon. 19. Check out the table below to find where to find the more important metamorphic rocks in the state of Wyoming. Quartz crystals are typically found everywhere north of Saratoga along Highway 130 to Walcott Junction. Gold can also be found in Park County, specifically the Wood River and Sunlight Basin areas. 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. South of Douglas in Converse County is where you will find jade as well. Knightia Fish fossils are primarily uncovered in the Green River Formation of Wyoming. These public lands administered by the BLM are open to everyone to take limited amounts of rock material for noncommercial purposes without charge. 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. They were easy to dig out of formation, but even more easily were found eroded perfectly on the surface. Rainbow agates have been found along the Wind River near Riverton. 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. If youre looking to start collecting rocks in Wyoming, agates are a great place to start. 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. In order to really find the good stuff in the main area, go on sunny day with a spray bottle, a rock hammer, chisel, and a 4-lb/10-lb sledge hammer. And you can typically find them laying around, but often youll have to pry open the rocks. The majority of counties in Wyoming contain numerous minerals, rocks, gemstones, and fossils. We are here for any questions or concerns that might arise about your adventures in mineral collecting. State-By-State Rockhounding Location Guides & Maps No matter where you live in the U.S., there are likely many exciting rockhounding sites nearby. google_ad_type="text_image"; //-->,