RockWoof
Check access before you go. Most sites listed here are old mines, quarries or prospects, and many are on private land or active mining claims. Get the landowner's permission, check the rules of the agency that manages any public land, and never enter mine workings. Locations are approximate.

Best regions by county

Ranked by the number of USGS-recorded sites, not by access or quality.

  1. Fremont County: 625 sites; most recorded: Uranophane, Gold, Uraninite
  2. Natrona County: 286 sites; most recorded: Carnotite, Uraninite, Tyuyamunite
  3. Carbon County: 250 sites; most recorded: Chalcopyrite, Malachite, Hematite
  4. Albany County: 241 sites; most recorded: Gold, Chalcopyrite, Magnetite
  5. Johnson County: 238 sites; most recorded: Carnotite, Coffinite, Jarosite

Top minerals

  • Gold: 102 sites
  • Chalcopyrite: 73 sites
  • Malachite: 53 sites
  • Uranophane: 50 sites
  • Uraninite: 48 sites
  • Hematite: 46 sites
  • Pyrite: 43 sites
  • Magnetite: 39 sites

Mineral cards

  • Gold

    Mohs 2.5–3. Soft, heavy and bright yellow; it doesn’t tarnish. Mindat

    241 sites

  • Copper

    Mohs 2.5–3. Native copper is soft and turns green as it weathers. Mindat

    212 sites

  • Pyrite

    Mohs 6–6.5. Brassy “fool’s gold,” often cubic. Mindat

    123 sites

  • Quartz

    Mohs 7. Six-sided points; smoky quartz is NH’s state gem. Mindat

    106 sites

  • Silver

    Mohs 2.5–3. Native silver tarnishes black. Mindat

    99 sites

  • Magnetite

    Mohs 5.5–6.5. Black and strongly magnetic. Mindat

    82 sites

  • Feldspar

    Mohs 6–6.5. Blocky crystals with flat cleavage faces. Mindat

    46 sites

  • Mica

    Mohs 2–3. Peels into thin, flexible, shiny sheets. Mindat

    32 sites

  • Fluorite

    Mohs 4. Cubes in purple, green or yellow; many glow under UV. Mindat

    24 sites

  • Garnet

    Mohs 6.5–7.5. Usually deep red, round many-faced crystals. Mindat

    23 sites

Counts are sites whose USGS record mentions the mineral or commodity. Hardness from Mindat.

Minerals most often recorded

Gold 102Chalcopyrite 73Malachite 53Uranophane 50Uraninite 48Hematite 46Pyrite 43Magnetite 39Tyuyamunite 37Trona 36Carnotite 33Chalcocite 29

Counties

CountySites
Fremont County625
Natrona County286
Carbon County250
Albany County241
Johnson County238
Campbell County223
Converse County176
Sweetwater County143
Crook County121
Big Horn County120
Lincoln County67
Niobrara County57
Teton County53
Sublette County45
Weston County42
Goshen County35
Park County33
Laramie County30
Platte County30
Sheridan County19
Washakie County18
Hot Springs County15
Uinta County6

Mineral guides

Related articles

How we built this page: we counted named sites in the USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) for this area, left out sand, gravel, crushed stone, clay pits and unnamed sites, grouped them by Census county, and linked every site to its USGS record. We did not visit these sites, and MRDS does not tell you who owns the land or whether collecting is allowed.

Source: USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS). USGS ceased systematic updates to MRDS around 2011, so status and details may be out of date. Each site links to its USGS record.

Updated