Utah Rock Hounding

Utah is known by some as the Rock Hounding Capital of the United States! Destinations throughout Central Utah provide the most diverse and unique rock hounding sites in the state. Popular finds include trilobites, gem quality topaz, red beryl, geodes and sun stones. Although rock collecting is permitted on most public lands for personal use, you need to research the area you plan to collect in. Be sure that a permit is not required and check for mining claims. Do not collect on mining claims without the proper permission from the claim owner. Please read the Rules And Regulations Regarding Rock, Mineral, and Fossil Collecting In Utah. Below you will find detailed information on the most popular rocks and fossils collected in Utah.

Rock Hounding Information And Locations

Trilobite Collecting At U-Dig Fossils (By Rock Halladay)

Spanish Fork Canyon Shell Fossils (By Rocky Halladay)

Smokey Quartz and Feldspar Crystals at Rock Corral Canyon in the Mineral Mountains, Beaver County (Source Dustin L. Rooks)

Dugway Geode Beds (Source Carl Ege)

Birdseye Marble in the Manti-La Sal National Forest, Utah County (Source Carl Ege)

Bixbyite, Rutile, and Amethyst Crystals, Piute County (Source Stanley C Hatfield)

Sunstones Sunstone Knoll, Millard County (Source Utah Geological Survey)

Wonderstone in the Vernon Hills, Tooele County (Source Utah Geological Survey)

Topaz at Topaz Mountain, Juab County (Source Utah Geological Survey)

Obsidian in the Black Rock Desert, Millard County (Source Utah Geological Survey)

Trilobites and the Cambrian Environment of Utah (Source Rebecca L. Hylland )

Information provided by The Utah Geological Survey