Best Rockhounding Sites In Utah & What You Can Find

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Known for its rural beauty and almost unlimited assortment of rocks, minerals, and fossils, Utah is, without a doubt, one of the best places to go rockhounding in the U.S. Additionally, the majority of the land in Utah is open to the public for rockhounding, making it an attractive state for any geology or rockhounding enthusiast. In this guide, you’ll discover all the best rockhounding sites and what you can find in the vast state of Utah.

The best rockhounding spots in Utah are:

Site	Public or Private	GPS Coordinates
Great Salt Lake	Public	41.132333, -112.793231
San Juan County	Public	37.738434, -110.213506
Beaver County	Public	38.251122, -112.899268
Topaz Dome Quarry	Private	39.696736, -113.097870
Iron County	Public	37.681854, -113.225468
Horn Silver Mine	Private	38.449010, -113.276482
Dugway Geode Beds	Private	39.894057, -113.137003
Toole County (area mines)	Public	40.807870, -112.778289
U-Dig Fossils	Private	39.354694, -113.278767
Marysville	Public	38.443810, -112.238065
Black Rock	Public	38.714951, -112.967373
Garfield County	Public	37.744063, -111.601992
Big Indian Wash	Public	38.153546, -109.335670
Wah Wah Mountains	Public	38.440309, -113.561674
Juab County	Public	39.719013, -112.246222

No matter where you go in Utah, you’ll have endless opportunities to collect various rocks and minerals. While the well-known rockhounding sites in Utah are definitely worth a visit, you don’t have to visit the Great Salt Lake or the Topaz Dome Quarry to have a great rockhounding experience.

Unless you are planning to stay in the state for a couple of months, it’s almost impossible to visit all the rockhounding sites in this state. The easiest way to find out which locations you should visit is to use this guide, decide what you want to collect, and choose a location that fits into your route.

If you are interested in checking out the best rockhounding book about rockhounding in Utah you can find it by clicking here (Amazon link).

Rockhounding Regulations & Laws in Utah

Fortunately, Utah has its rockhounding rules and regulations listed on the state website, so you always have a resource to reference if you are unsure of a specific location. All you have to do is determine whether the land is private or public, and if it is public, you’ll need to know which department manages it.

For private land in Utah, the rule is that you need the landowner’s or manager’s permission to collect. Fortunately, you don’t need any other special permits or permissions before collecting on private property.

For public land, you’ll need to determine who manages the area. Most federal lands, especially if they are managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or the U.S. Forest Service, typically allow rockhounding without a permit or special permissions. However, most wildlife refuges, tribal lands, national monuments, and national parks generally do not allow rockhounding.

Best Rockhounding Sites in Utah

As we go over the best rockhounding sites in Utah, we’ll cover both the well-known locations and some of the less famous areas that are just as good, if not better, than the popular areas. Without further ado, let’s dive right in!

In case you need it, the map below shows you the exact locations for all of the best public sites mentioned below:

Great Salt Lake

Since the Great Salt Lake is the largest salt lake in the Western hemisphere, it’s virtually impossible to miss during your Utah travels. One of the reasons why rockhounds flock to the Great Salt Lake is that you can collect rare and unusual minerals from its shores, including halite, aragonite, thenardite, bloedite, and glauberite.

There are a couple of highways that surround the Great Salt Lake, including Interstate 80 and Interstate 15. Most people stay in Salt Lake City and then venture to the Great Salt Lake from there.

Rocks & Minerals	Rarity
Halite	Occasional
Aragonite	Occasional
Thenardite	Rare
Bloedite	Rare
Glauberite	Rare

San Juan County

Wedged between the Colorado and New Mexico borders, San Juan County encompasses a large area, so it’s no surprise that it possesses many types of rocks and minerals. In this county, rockhounds can find garnet (Arizona Rubies), gold, azurite, malachite, galena, fluorite, amethyst, and vanadium.

There are many routes leading in and out of San Juan County, but one highway that cuts right through the entire county is Highway 191.

Rocks & Mineral	Rarity
Garnet (Arizona Rubies)	Occasional
Gold	Occasional
Azurite	Common
Malachite	Common
Galena	Common
Fluorite	Common
Amethyst	Occasional
Vanadium	Rare

Beaver County

Beaver County lies on the Nevada border and just slightly north of the Arizona border. While it’s a smaller county, it holds many treasures for rockhounds, including agates, jaspers, malachites, tourmalines, sphalerites, gold, wulfenite, garnet, and selenite.

The best route to take to reach Beaver County is Interstate 15 to Highway 21, which goes through the entire county.

Rocks & Minerals	Rarity
Agate	Common
Jasper	Common
Malachite	Common
Tourmaline	Common
Sphalerite	Common
Gold	Occasional
Wulfenite	Occasional
Garnet	Occasional
Selenite	Occasional

Topaz Mine Quarry

Topaz Mine is aptly named after Topaz Mountain, and, as you might have suspected, topaz is the most popular mineral collected from this area. The topaz specimens from this area are beautiful, plentiful, and color-changing. They are originally yellow but turn clear once exposed to sunlight. Although this location is famous for its topaz, you can also find other minerals here, including beryl, fluorite, hematite, and calcite.

To reach Topaz Dome Quarry, take Weiss Highway to Topaz Road. The quarry is located right next to Topaz Mountain.

Rocks & Minerals	Rarity
Topaz	Common
Beryl	Occasional
Hematite	Common
Calcite	Common
Fluorite	Occasional

BTW: Do you want to know more about rock and mineral identification? The books listed below are the best ones you can find on the internet (Amazon links):

• Smithsonian Handbooks: Rocks & Minerals
• Gemstone & Crystal Properties (Quick Study Home)
• Ultimate Explorer Field Guide: Rocks and Minerals (National Geographic Kids)

Iron County

Iron County resides just below Beaver County, and it is also right next to the Nevada border, but it is closer to Arizona. This county has many of the same rocks and minerals as Beaver County, and during your explorations, you might come across geode, petrified wood, agate, gold, fluorite, garnet, selenium, malachite, and even cinnabar.

You can visit Iron County by driving along Interstate 15 or Highway 56. It’s a pretty remote location, so there are a couple of backroads you can take as well, but these two routes are usually the easiest ways in and out of the area.

Rocks & Minerals	Rarity
Geode	Occasional
Petrified wood	Occasional
Agate	Occasional
Gold	Occasional
Fluorite	Common
Garnet	Common
Selenium	Common
Malachite	Common
Cinnabar	Rare

Horn Silver Mine

After opening in 1971, the Horn Silver Mine continued to operate until 1929, but today, the mine and the town of Frisco are abandoned. In this area, rockhounds collect opal, zircon, barite, azurite, galena, wulfenite, and malachite.

The Horn Silver Mine is located just outside of Frisco, so you can use Highway 21 to reach it. It’s located next to Squaw Gulch and Grampian Hill.

Rocks & Minerals	Rarity
Opal	Rare
Zircon	Common
Barite	Common
Azurite	Common
Galena	Common
Wulfenite	Occasional
Malachite	Common

Dugway Geode Beds

Any rockhound who’s exploring the United States has to stop by the famous Dugway Geode Beds at least once. These beds are famous throughout the nation for their gorgeous geodes, typically filled with clear, pink, and purple quartz crystals.

Drive along Pony Express Road till you reach Geode Bed Road. This road leads directly to the Dugway Geode Beds, and there are a couple of other streets nearby you can take as well.

Rocks & Minerals	Rarity
Geode	Common
Quartz crystals	Common
Amethyst	Common

Toole County

Just south of the Great Salt Lake is Toole County, an area overflowing with all kinds of treasures in the mines, mountains, and lake shores. For example, some rocks and minerals that exist in this county are amethyst, agate, galena, silver, jasper, opal, onyx, cinnabar, geodes, and gold.

Since Toole County is right next to Salt Lake City and includes a portion of the Great Salt Lake, it’s a pretty easy find as long as you go west of Salt Lake City.

Rocks & Minerals	Rarity
Amethyst	Common
Agate	Common
Galena	Common
Silver	Occasional
Jasper	Occasional
Opal	Rare
Onyx	Rare
Cinnabar	Rare
Geode	Occasional
Gold	Occasional

U-Dig Fossils

Who doesn’t want to add trilobite fossils to their collection? At U-Dig Fossils, rockhounds are able to collect all sorts of fossils, mainly marine life like trilobites. It’s a fun place for rockhounds of all ages, and it’s popular among families.

Rocks & Minerals	Rarity
Fossils	Common

Marysville

While many of the other places we mention in this article cover large distances, such as the counties, Marysville is the opposite, but it provides a wealth of rockhounding treasures. Surprisingly, this small area off Highway 89 produces plenty of high-quality finds for rockhounds, including fluorite, amethyst, selenite, quartz, opal, cinnabar, and calcite.

Marysville is located right next to Highway 89, between Alunite and Sevier.

Rocks & Minerals	Rarity
Fluorite	Common
Amethyst	Common
Selenite	Common
Quartz	Common
Opal	Rare
Cinnabar	Rare
Calcite	Common

Black Rock

Experienced rockhounds visit Utah for one stone and one stone only: snowflake obsidian. While this might not be true for all rockhounds, a majority of collectors visit Utah just to collect this mineral, which is often found in this area of Utah.

You’ll find Black Rock in Millard County, north of Malone. You’ll have to take Highway 257 to reach this area.

Rocks & Minerals	Rarity
Snowflake obsidian	Occasional

TIP: Obsidian is among the most prized rocks that all rockhounds want to have in their collections. Check out the best places to find obsidian in the USA in the article below:Finding Obsidian: 6 Best Locations Near Me (United States)

Garfield County

Want to add petrified dinosaur bones to your rockhounding collection? If your answer is yes, then you need to swing by Garfield County. In addition to these fossils, you can bring home agate, silicified wood, jasper, onyx, zircon, gold, and platinum from this area.

Garfield County is a large area that covers a significant portion of Utah, and it’s surrounded by National Parks. There are countless routes in and out of the county, so the best route will depend on your starting point.

Rocks & Minerals	Rarity
Agate	Common
Silicified wood	Common
Jasper	Common
Onyx	Occasional
Zircon	Common
Gold	Occasional
Platinum	Occasional

Big Indian Wash

One area that’s perfect for collecting a diverse assortment of minerals is Big Indian Wash, which is located in San Juan County. While you might not be able to find the famous pyrope garnets, or Arizona Rubies, in this wash (you’ll need to go to Comb Ridge or Moses Rock for those), you can uncover vanadium, azurite, cuprite, galena, fluorite, malachite, pyrite, and cerussite.

After taking the U.S. Highway 191, turn onto Big Indian Road, and you’ll be able to reach the Big Indian Wash.

Rocks & Minerals	Rarity
Vanadium	Occasional
Cuprite	Common
Galena	Common
Fluorite	Common
Malachite	Common
Pyrite	Common
Cerrusite	Common

Wah Wah Mountains

Red beryl is extremely rare, and it’s considered one of the rarest gemstones in the world. Utah is one of the few places where it has been found, specifically in the Wah Wah Mountains. So, if you want to add red beryl, topaz, garnet, fluorite, hematite, galena, or pyrite to your collection, it’s time to visit the Wah Wah Mountains.

The Wah Wah Mountains are in a remote area west of Frisco, so the only route there is Highway 21, unless you take an off-road vehicle.

Rocks & Minerals	Rarity
Red beryl	Rare
Topaz	Occasional
Garnet	Common
Fluorite	Occasional
Hematite	Common
Galena	Common
Pyrite	Common

Juab County

Juab County is a must-see for rockhounds who want to collect beryl. It’s particularly abundant all throughout the county, although red beryl is still rare, and you can also bring home other popular stones, including fluorite, sphalerite, agate, jasper, garnet, and marcasite.

Juab County is on the Nevada border, southwest of Salt Lake City and Provo. Interstate 15 runs through a portion of it, along with Highway 6.

Rocks & Minerals	Rarity
Beryl	Occasional
Fluorite	Common
Sphalerite	Occasional
Agate	Common
Jasper	Common
Garnet	Common
Marcasite	Common

Other Notable Rockhounding Spots in Utah

Utah is an enormous state, so even though we can’t cover all its rockhounding spots, we’ve gathered a few more for anyone who wants a bit more information.

Site	Public or Private	GPS Coordinates	Common Rocks/Minerals
Comb Ridge	Public	37.273709, -109.678831	Garnet (Arizona Rubies)
Moses Rock	Public	37.082024, -109.734031	Garnet (Arizona Rubies)
Central	Public	37.415123, -113.625178	Geodes (blue banded chalcedony)
Tushar Mountains	Public	38.369307, -112.382027	Fluorescent calcite
Blue Valley	Public	38.363344, -110.839887	Blue-banded agate
Fish Lake	Public	38.541467, -111.705002	Opal

TIP: Keep a lookout for all the common rocks and minerals that exist in the Beehive State in the article below:16 Common Rocks & Minerals You Can Find in Utah

Rockhounding Clubs in Utah

Utah is a popular state for rockhounding, and the list of rockhounding clubs in Utah is a long one. To get you started on your search, here are a few of the best rockhounding clubs in the Beehive State.

Beehive Rock and Gem Club

If you’re in the area, the Beehive Rock and Gem Club is a great place to meet fellow rockhounds, go on rockhounding field trips, and learn all about cutting, polishing, and displaying your finds. The annual dues are $15 for a single membership and $20 for a family membership.

Cache Rock & Gem Club

The Cache Rock & Gem Club aims to help rockhounds “increase knowledge of minerals, rocks, gems, fossils, and the lapidary arts.” They host rock shows, field trips, and provide rock saws, cabbing machines, and polishing stations for a small fee.

Southern Utah Rock Club

The Southern Utah Rock Club is a non-profit organization with a mission to “educate members and the community to disseminate knowledge about rocks, minerals, and other geological materials.

To encourage mineral study, collecting, lapidary, and jewelry making as a hobby, and to conduct meetings, lectures, displays, field trips, and to promote appreciation of our natural resources.” No membership is required to attend the meetings, which are held on the first Thursday of every month.

State Rock, Mineral, Gem, and Fossil of Utah

Since Utah is a rockhounding hotspot, it’s no surprise that it has a state rock, mineral, gem, and fossil. Learn more about this state’s geological symbols below.

State Rock

Due to its economic importance in the state, Utah designated coal as its state rock in 1990. It’s extremely plentiful throughout the state, and while it might not be the prettiest rock, its usefulness is undisputed.

State Fossil

Instead of a trilobite or other marine life, Utah decided to give the title of state fossil to the allosaurus. This dinosaur roamed the land approximately 150 million years ago, and it was a large carnivore that spanned 30 to 40 feet in length.

State Mineral

As shown in the prior sections, there are countless minerals that exist in Utah, but the state mineral is copper. It was chosen due to its significant historical, economic, and environmental impacts on Utah throughout the years.

State Gem

Interestingly, Utah’s state gem is topaz. This gemstone is found in multiple counties, but the main reason it was chosen is that the topaz crystals from this state are nearly perfect in shape and of excellent quality, especially the ones discovered in Juab, Toole, and Beaver.

Recommended Rockhounding Gear

While special gear is not required to find nice rocks and fossils, having the right tools will help you find more than what’s simply laying around on the open ground. Here are some of the more basic tools and safety gear for interested rockhounds.

Geological Hammer

This 22oz Pointed-Tip Rock Pick by Estwing (Amazon link) is recommended for its durability and shock-reducing grip.

A rock pick is essential when collecting mineral specimens from a hard substrate such as stone. The pick’s handle is shock-resistant, making it more comfortable for use for longer times in the field.

Buy Now on Amazon

Geology Pick

The Geology pick by Estwing (Amazon link) is a good choice for those starting out in the hobby as well as seasoned professionals.

The hammer comes with a pointed tip on one side of the head and a chiseled end on the other. This pick is good for excavating interesting mineral and fossil specimens.

Buy Now on Amazon

Mini Shovel

The Mini D-Handle Round Point Shovel by Stanley (Amazon link) pairs convenience with durability. Especially in areas of soft material such as sand or clay, it is nice to have a sturdy shovel that is easy to carry.

The D-shaped handle gives you more leverage when digging on your knees, which is something that similarly sized standard-handled shovels wouldn’t provide.

Buy Now on Amazon

Heavy Duty Work Gloves by Ironclad

Working with your hands in rockhounding environments can be rough; it is easy to get cuts or abrasions when in the field. Protecting your hands is important, especially while working with sharp or abrasive rocks.

The Heavy Duty Work Gloves by Ironclad (Amazon link) protect your hands from sharp rocks and tools. They are machine washable, highly abrasion resistant, and durable.

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Safety Glasses

Eye protection is a must when breaking up a rock or any sort of work where debris could cause injury to your eyes.

The 3M Safety Glasses (Amazon link) are anti-fog and have a corded earplug system, as well as a removable foam gasket. The clear, scratch-resistant lenses shield the eyes against harmful ultraviolet light as well as prevent eye injury from flying rock chips.

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First Aid Kit

With its 299 pieces, the Only Emergency First Aid Kit (Amazon link) is a good one for rockhounds. Of course, it’s best to avoid injuring yourself but if things go wrong it’s good to be prepared.

Some of the items found in the kit include fabric and plastic bandages, painkillers, gauze and pads, cold packs, wound closers, and many more.

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Conclusion

Utah, a land of rugged, natural beauty, is a must-see destination for any rockhound who is on adventures in the United States. You never know exactly what to expect from this state during your travels, which makes your excursions even more exciting.

Perhaps you’ll uncover some stunning red beryl from the Wah Wah Mountains or a piece of sparkling topaz from Juab County. No matter where your rockhounding plans take you in Utah, you’ll have unlimited opportunities to add treasures to your current collection or create a whole new collection from this state!

TIP: From its flowing rivers and streams to its rocky mountainous landscapes, Utah has long been a destination for those seeking to find gold. Find out more in the article below:Gold Prospecting in Utah: 7 Best Locations & Laws