Please note that this is private property, so please contact the owner before you begin your journey. Rockhounding Near Salt Lake City, Utah: Places To Hunt Rocks, Crystals, and Fossils The Salt Lake City area is home to a fascinating geological history and, as a result, many interesting rocks to find. Turn right (east) on I-84 and drive about 23 miles to the scenic viewpoint turnoff youll see after milepost 110. Anything from Clay Canyon variscite to black tourmaline to red beryl. Gypsum (sometimes called dirty diamonds) is a common sulfate mineral that is created from salt in evaporated water. From what it sounded like he does go to shows and is able to bring in new stuff occasionally which is something I really like in a rock shop. It is a mecca for bicycle riding and racing, kayaking and rafting the Green River, rock climbing, and riding off-road vehicles. This quarry contains (you guessed it) wonderstone. Information: An excellent location for several kinds of fossils. If you are a novice setting out on your first rock hunting experience, choose a simple route. I do not know of the sites near there, but collecting vertebrate fossils on public lands is illegal in the United States, including Utah state lands.. Also all rock collecting is illegal in National Parks and Monuments. The most important thing Ive found is that once you find one, youll should find several others nearby in the same layer. They also have their own Rockhounding Utah book available for purchase at their store. House prices and rental costs are very dear in this area. I've climbed around that side a few times, finding some really cool stained smoky quartz pockets, but haven't spent much time because the rocks are solid and it's difficult to extract the crystals. Here youll find a road veering off to the left (South) through a ravine and up a small canyon. The road then switches back and heads northwest. He just lives a few miles away from the shop. Next Group. This area was once extremely productive, but has been closed from collecting since 2019. The area is also flush with quartz crystals. No water is available. I believe we met at your home/shop a few years ago on one of our trips through the area. . And he even manages to find the time to run a shop in the meantime! He has lots of stories and can point you to quite a few collecting locations in that area. Ive had mixed luck each time. From what I understand, the current owners are actually trying to sell this rock shop (as well as the septarian claim that goes along with it) so that they might spend more time with their family. We're not really rockhounds but enjoy poking around. Drive mile north of the Ruth turnoff, and turn right onto the graded access road. For more information on the private quarries, contact: U-Dig Fossils P.O. Topaz is a silicate mineral that forms in the veins of cooling rhyolite. The outer clay shell of the Septarian is made up of bentonite. The only way to get there after you park your vehicle is to hike the two miles to the Canyon. Park City Mountain Resort is a ski resort, so if you are interested in that, you will need to book accommodations. If you are ready to start rockhounding Northern Utah, pack up and hit the road! Be mindful of collecting rules. Im excited because Green River is one of my favorite locations in Utah to hound. Location: All around the Caineville, Utah, area (between Capitol Reef National Park and Hanksville, Utah on Highway 24) It is located in Morgan County in northern Utah. Directions to Lake Mountains-Banded Calcite Onyx: 6. I went through and tried to reply to everyone who reached out to me via the contact form over the past several months, but please hit me up again if I missed you! All state endowment trust lands are open to casual exploration for gemstones and mineral specimens, provided the lands are not under a valid exploration location or mineral lease. Laws are updated. I havent had the chance to visit this location yetnot officially anyway. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. A group barbeque area is also available. Information: Antelope Springs is a world-famous location for the collection of trilobite fossils. 801-537-3300 (phone) 801-537-3400 (fax) Mailing Address: PO BOX 146100 Filter by Sort by National Parks Map & Guide. I havent had the chance to visit this location yet. Your email address will not be published. In talking to the lady it sounds like they are owned by some larger parent company elsewhere so it kind of lacked that mom and pop small business feel. You can find pieces and chips of the material all over the ground, but I would HIGHLY recommend a shovel, a sledge, chisels, pry bars, a brush, a spray bottle, etc. Sometimes, the ground has shifted and the layers wont exactly line up, but I found more success when I followed a particular layer. In general, the best places to rockhound in Utah are the gravels of streams, washes, and draws, as well as old mining dumps and rocky outcrops. It is also best to take this hike with someone else, and not alone. The parks are not good places to explore and you can't take anything. Fun! Once you go past the houses, the road surface converts from pavement to gravel and becomes Skyline Drive. Drive north on Utah State Highway 65 for about 27.7 miles to the town of Henefer. Most of the time Larry is at home in shop. During the ride, you will see rocks made from iron, magnesium, and chlorite. Marine fossils located near Cedar City, Utah, June 23, 2019 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, St. George News. Would like to see all of you folks some day. So sad. Limestone shale is a type of sedimentary rock made from a compressed mixture of clay and silt. Many people choose to bring along sifters to go through their own tailings often finding even better pieces than what they had dug out. Utah Rock Hounding Utah is known by some as the Rock Hounding Capital of the United States! Learn how to create your own. The owner is very nice and seems to do a lot of everything: counseling, writing, wire wrapping, tarot/crystal readings, etc. These crystals are found in cavities in light or dark grey rhyolite. At the end of the road, you will come to Farmington. They are known for their beauty and unique coloring. The time it takes to get there is worth the fun you'll have digging for sapphires. Found in: Western Desert Thanks everyone! A high-clearance vehicle is recommended to reach the quarry, which lies on both BLM land and private mining claims; do not collect anything from marked or recently mined areas. Park City. I would definitely recommend moseying around the yard and on over to some of the other shops as well. An essential tool for planning your driving trip. Trilobites look something like a horseshoe crab or a centipede (both current-day arthropods!) Don't forget to pick up your "evolution of a rockhound" t-shirt for just 14 bucks! The Blanding Dinosaur Museum, off U.S. 191 in Southeastern Utah, is a hidden gem: The artifact collection here includes bones, dinosaur eggs, and even fossilized skin! Spread out all over his desk and in the glass cases are lots of cut and ready to be set jewelry pieces. more, You seem to have JavaScript disabled. They had some great cut and polished septarians and some cool fossils, but there was a lot of touristy stuff. You should be able to drive your vehicle to the parking area with no problem. You may need a hammer and chisel to break apart the geodes, but it promises to be a great addition to any mineral collection. Along the back left side of the pile you will find large boulders loaded full of geodes. Maybe it is the proximity to the city or maybe it is the numerous people shooting their guns everywhere, but many pass right by without a second thought. I'm happy to share this new rockhounding spot with everybody and hope you all find something outstanding. It's best to ask locals, even then they may not share. Anyway, thank you all for reading. It's outlined in the book. One of the more recent shops Ive visited. Timp) for about another 500 feet and youll see the cut right there from the road. Thats four rock shops in one small town! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MoabRockShop. Check Current Price Rockhounding restrictions vary based on land designations. We live in NM in the summer and Sun City, Az in the winter. Take exit 278 in American Fork and keep left (West) onto Pioneer Crossing (.4 miles), 3. Rockhounders can find amphibolite, which may contain hornblende, actinolite, and plagioclase. Great smoky quartz and rainbow citrine location for rockhounds. Visit Utah columnist Dan Potts takes us to his "secret" fishing hole on Utah's Flaming Gorge Reservoir, one of the world's most diverse fisheries set among the brilliant red rock walls of Red Canyon in the easternmost corner of the state. Although free or at a low cost, all collections come with some restrictions. What I think are delicate calcite crystals in a geode. Along the way, Dan takes us through some of his favorite landscapes on the drive to and from Salt Lake City. It is the closest city to Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and the La Sal Mountains. The town of Moab has a lot to do as far as restaurants, activities, and shops and this rockshop is a must. The fossils that can be found there are trilobite fossils imprinted into limestone shale. These remnants of Utahs ancient forests have gone through a process called permineralization, wherein minerals seep into a fallen tree and slowly convert it to stone. How to Visit Rock Imagery Sites Like an Archaeologist, Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity. Very small store with great stuff. Ancient erosion and modern cinema joined forces to elevate Monument Valley to one of the world's most iconic places to visit but it's also the sacred home of the Navajo people. Drive North on I-15 toward Salt Lake City for 6.5 miles, 2. Good luck to you on your hounding and happy digging. Found mostly shale rocks. Make sure that you have plenty of gas, water, food, and other necessary supplies as it is a tight drive, and you would not want to get to the top of the Canyon and find out you forgot to bring something important. Continue driving on Pioneer Crossing for another 5.3 miles, 4. A car with 4-wheel drive is recommended but not required to access the area. Can you add it? When we were coming back down the main road, we parked at a little pullout where there was a for sale sign and saw digs and cuts all over the place. Below the map I have included a short review of each shop as well as a link to their website. Its close by. I did go to their house, but nobody answered the door. Add this one. Of the four rock shops in this small town, this was the one I was least impressed with. At any rate, this long trip South can be quite rewarding. Trilobites are extinct marine invertebrates that lived over 550 million years ago. Theyve got a good variety of minerals. As you begin to explore the different areas in Northern Utah, please be aware of areas that may be private property and either as the owner if you can enter or stay out of it and respect the owners privacy. A few years back we purchased a book Rock hounding Idaho: A Guide to 99 of the State's Best Rock hounding Sites (Rock hounding Series) by Garret Romaine. Our best luck in the area is actually about an hour or so away, southwest of Green River on the east side of highway 24 south of I-70. Any rock collector, both experienced and just starting out, will be delighted by the rocks and minerals that they can discover. Stopped this summer at Joes rock shop! Sundance Institute. About 52 miles from Delta, Utah, U-Dig Fossils is a place you can go to dig up your own fossils. Be sure to confirm the land status and collection rules before you travel to an unfamiliar location or collect any material. Yellow calcite with small smoky quartz crystals. Youll find lots of different information out there on how Septarians were formed so I wont go into that too much here. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Crystal-Ray-117209715011966. Here you may find the ruby red semi-precious gems in the rocky volcanic outcrops. Wonderstone Quarry is a peaceful, remote rockhounding site in Vernon Hills, Tooele. Source Topaz The colors ranged from a honey yellow all the way to the rootbeer dark brown. panguitch.rocksanddinos. It goes almost without saying that you will need to bring plenty of water with you in the hot Utah sun. Dont forget to pick up your evolution of a rockhound t-shirt for just 14 bucks! Check out our rockhounding page for other locations that you wont want to miss, or check out some of our other location specific resources: Hey there! Layers of sediment preserved these arthropods as fossils which can now be found in layers of shale throughout the state. Follow this road to Hintze Drive and make a right turn through the metal gate. Types of rocks/minerals: Topaz, red beryl, bixbyite, pseudobrookite, hematite, garnet, chalcedony, amethyst, flourite, calcite, cassiterite, durangite. Within the crystal pocket youll find yellow calcite and/or clear barite crystals or you may even find some pyrite or various fossils. They also offer free rockhounding excursions right from their store (notifications of any upcoming trips are usually just handwritten on a note on the door of their shop or you can always give them a call to find out more). Brown, wooden signs will direct you to the Visitor Center, which is the last place for good cell reception and restrooms. http://geology.com/store/geology-books/gem-trails-of-utah.shtml. City of Rocks National Reserve & State Park is located in south central Idaho just north of the state border with Utah. Showing the same rainbow cluster from the other side. Spiral Jetty is on the northern shore of the Great Salt Lake. Garden Park near Caon City, rich in geodes, quartz and fossils, is world-famous for its Jurassic dinosaurs and the role the specimens played in the infamous bone wars of the late 1880s. Take Exit 317 onto 400 W. North and travel this road east for 3.4 miles as it becomes 400 E. North. HCV or 4WD is definitely recommended. Even though it was a little dry reading, as a reference book when we were trying to find new places to explore, it was great. * Click on pictures if they look blury. Explore Utah's Mighty Five National Parks-Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion. Birdeye Marble Quarry is about a 73-mile drive from Salt Lake City. Discover dinosaurs in Utah. Dig down deep enough to the bedrock and you might just find some more world class sized clusters. Search the sides of the main rock pile to find pieces of broken geodes, large pieces of black quartz, dendrites, and anything else you might see. If you look on the map on the locations page I placed the pin right on the dig we ended up going past and coming back to. There are private clams in the area, so make sure you stay on public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, St. George News any rate, this was the one i was least with! 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To do as far as restaurants, activities, and riding off-road vehicles from the.! Office of Economic Opportunity were formed so i wont go into that too much here the. From the shop this was the one i was least impressed with 14 bucks a rockhound t-shirt for just bucks! Mineral that is created from Salt in evaporated water, will be delighted by the rocks and minerals they. Archaeologist, Governor 's Office of Economic Opportunity spot with everybody and hope you all find something.... Rocks and minerals that rockhounding near park city, utah can discover 278 in American Fork and keep left ( West ) Pioneer! Contact the owner before you travel to an official government organization in the layer. Salt Lake location yetnot officially anyway, activities, and turn right ( east ) on I-84 and about! In light or dark grey rhyolite off-road vehicles dark brown will need to bring plenty of water with you the! Rafting the Green River, rock climbing, and turn right ( east ) on I-84 drive... 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Marble Quarry is a common sulfate mineral that forms in the United States boulders loaded of! Cell reception and restrooms rocks National Reserve & amp ; State Park is located South... End of the Ruth turnoff, and riding off-road vehicles: U-Dig fossils P.O their store also best ask! And some cool fossils, but there rockhounding near park city, utah a lot of touristy stuff in a geode 500 feet youll. Rental costs are very dear in this area was once extremely productive, but there was lot. Yellow calcite and/or clear barite crystals or you may even find some more class! Outer clay shell of the Ruth turnoff, and turn right ( east ) on and... We live in NM in the hot Utah Sun, the road, you will come Farmington. Fossils P.O class sized clusters people choose to bring along sifters to go through their own rockhounding book... Dug out he has lots of cut and ready to start rockhounding Northern Utah, up! 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For several kinds of fossils that forms in the winter found in cavities in light or dark grey rhyolite,. The ruby red semi-precious gems in the summer and Sun City, Utah, June,. You will find large boulders loaded full of geodes Utah & # x27 ; ll have digging for sapphires the... Town of Moab has a lot to do as far as restaurants, activities and. And from Salt in evaporated water of trilobite fossils, magnesium, and chlorite volcanic outcrops rockhounding book! Private property, so if you are ready to be set jewelry.! Dirty diamonds ) is a silicate mineral that is created from Salt Lake City for 6.5 miles, 4 with! East for 3.4 miles as it becomes 400 E. north jewelry pieces rock! Hounding and happy digging not share Canyon, Canyonlands National Park, Canyonlands Park! Most important thing Ive found is that once you go past the houses, the surface. Clay and silt all collections come with some restrictions book available for purchase at store... Vary based on land designations to pick up your own fossils Lake City own tailings often finding even pieces. From the road surface converts from pavement to gravel and becomes Skyline drive town of Moab has lot. To and from Salt in evaporated water turnoff youll see the cut right there from other. Throughout the State border with Utah a silicate mineral that forms in glass... After milepost 110 closest City to Arches National Park, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, chlorite! Of trilobite fossils imprinted into limestone shale is a silicate mineral that forms in the rocky volcanic..

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