BLM/CO/GI-09/007

BLM

COLORADO

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

Rockhounding &

Fossil Collecting

BLM COLORADO

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rockhound (rok-how-nd) —

an amateur collector of various forms of minerals, 

including gold, silver, turquoise, rubies and garnets, 

and other precious and

semi-precious minerals — also occasionally 

referred to as gemstones — plus fossils.

•	 The canyon country of the west is a collector’s

paradise for minerals and fossils, as well as a

photographer’s feast. Deposits in layers formed

over millions of years today provide hundreds of

variations in colors, from textured granite in grays

and ebony, to sandstones in rusty red and pink, to

weaver-perfect striated oil shale, some rich enough

in hydrocarbons to combust from

the flame of a match.

Fossils in this country

are legendary.

Why are Colorado lands 

rockhounds’ favorites?

Colorado is a rockhound’s and fossil hunter’s favorite,

and BLM lands within the state are no exception.

From the fossil fields in northwestern Colorado to

southeastern and south-central portions of the state,

each area boasts numerous potential rock and fossil

areas with a variety of minerals. Local field offices

should be contacted for more specific information.

•	 On the plains of eastern Colorado, agates and

deposits of petrified wood and occasional traces

and outcroppings of various ores, petrified wood,

and fossils can be found.

•	 Areas along the Front Range and further west

feature up-thrusts that expose ore deposits and

reveal marine deposits with evidence of past ocean

life. Moving further west, one can find easily

accessible streams that still produce some gold

dust and occasional nuggets, washed down from

rugged, glacier-sculpted slopes. Such discoveries

can send a thrill through the modern-day amateur

prospector, just as they did in the mid-1800s for the

miners who spearheaded the first central Colorado

mining rushes.

•	 In southern Colorado some 40 million years ago,

the San Juan Mountain Range was born during a

period of intense volcanic activity. Hot magma

coursed up from the depths of the earth to form

these dramatic peaks and also delivered more

subtle but important deposits to the north in

the central mountains. There, peaks and ranges

rich with solutions of metals, eventually formed

crystalline and alloy-rich deposits.

For more information, contact:

BLM Colorado State Office Public Room,

303-239-3772

Gemstone cover photos: (top to bottom) agate geode, agate 

petrified wood, amazonite

Gemstone photos courtesy Colorado School of Mines 

Museum

Colorado Rockhounding Areas

Fossil: Ammonite
San Juan Public Lands Center

15 Burnett Ct.

Durango, CO 81301

970-375-2331

Columbine Field Office

367 Pearl St.

Bayfield, CO 81122

970-884-2512

Dolores Public Lands Office

29211 Highway 184

Dolores, CO 81323

970-882-7296

Canyons of the Ancients NM

and Anasazi Heritage Center

27501 Highway 184

Dolores, CO 81323

970-882-5600

Pagosa Field Office

180 Pagosa Street

Pagosa Springs, CO 81147

970-264-2268

San Luis Valley

Public Lands Center

1803 W. Highway 160

Monte Vista, CO 81144

719-852-5941

Del Norte Field Office

13308 W. Highway 160

Del Norte, CO 81132

719-657-3321

La Jara Field Office

15571 County Rd. T.5

La Jara, CO 81140

719-274-8971

Saguache Field Office

46525 Highway 114

Saguache, CO 81140

719-655-2547

Colorado State Office

2850 Youngfield St.

Lakewood, CO 80215

303-239-3600

Royal Gorge Field Office

3028 E. Main St.

Cañon City, CO 81212

719-269-8500

Arkansas Headwaters

Recreation Area

307 W. Sackett Ave.

Salida, CO 81201

719-539-7289

Glenwood Springs Field Office

50629 Hwy 6 & 24

Glenwood Springs, CO 81601

970-947-2800

Grand Junction Field Office

and McInnis Canyons NCA

2815 H Rd.

Grand Junction, CO 81506

970-244-3000

Gunnison Field Office

216 N. Colorado

Gunnison, CO 81230

970-641-0471

Kremmling Field Office

P.O. Box 68, 2103 E. Park Ave.

Kremmling, CO 80459

970-724-3000

Little Snake Field Office

455 Emerson St.

Craig, CO 81625

970-826-5000

Uncompahgre Field Office

and Gunnison Gorge NCA

2465 S. Townsend Ave.

Montrose, CO 81401

970-240-5300

White River Field Office

220 E. Market St.

Meeker, CO 81641

970-878-3800

BLM Colorado Field Office Locations

www.blm.gov/co

Code of Ethics for Rock, Fossil, 

and Mineral Collectors

•	 Respect both private and public property, and do

no collecting on privately owned land without the

owner’s permission.

•	 Keep informed of all laws, rules, and regulations

governing collecting on public lands, and observe

them.

•	 Use no firearms or blasting materials in collecting

areas.

•	 Cause no willful damage to property of any kind -

fences, buildings, signs, etc.

•	 Leave all gates as found.

•	 Build fires only in designated or safe places, and

make sure fires are completely extinguished before

leaving the area. Check local conditions for fire bans

that may be in effect.

•	 Discard no burning material - matches, cigarettes,

etc.

•	 Fill all excavation holes that may be dangerous to

livestock.

•	 Do not contaminate wells, creeks, or other water

supplies.

•	 Cause no willful damage to collecting material, and

take home only what you can reasonably use.

•	 Leave all collecting areas free of litter.

•	 Cooperate with those designated in authority in all

collecting areas.

The best way to collect rock samples and fossils is with a camera. While certain areas of BLM lands are currently open to some 

modest collecting, steadily increasing visitor traffic may eventually lead to more restrictive policies. Leaving rock and fossil samples in 

place both preserves and insures the enjoyment of Colorado’s geologic treasures for future rockhounds. 

Rules for rockhounding and fossil 

collecting on BLM Colorado lands

•	 Rockhounding is allowed on public lands except

for developed recreation sites, special management

areas, or where otherwise prohibited and posted.

To avoid trespassing, the amateur rockhound or

prospector should check with local BLM field offices

for locations of existing mining claims.

•	 Mineral specimens, precious and semiprecious

gemstones, petrified wood, common invertebrate

and plant fossils may be collected on public lands

without charge or permit in reasonable amounts as

long as the specimens are for personal use and not

collected for sale or barter to commercial dealers.

•	 For rocks (such as decorative rock), a reasonable

amount is defined as the maximum amount which

one person can fit in a 5-gallon container in one day.

•	 For petrified wood, a reasonable daily amount is 25

pounds plus one piece that one person can remove,

with a maximum amount of 250 pounds removed in

one calendar year. Pooling of quotas to obtain pieces

heavier than 250 pounds is not allowed.

•	 Invertebrate fossils are the remains of animals

without skeletal structures such as insects, crabs,

clams, and snails. Vertebrate fossils, which include

dinosaurs, mammals, sharks, and fish, or any animal

with a skeletal structure, cannot be collected without

a special collecting permit.

•	 Collection and removal cannot be assisted with

motorized or mechanized equipment.

•	 No undue or unnecessary degradation of the public

lands is allowed during the removal of rocks,

minerals, gemstones, or fossils.

•	 Other rules and restrictions may be in effect in a

particular area. Always check with the local BLM

Field Office Web site by phone or personal visit.

Rules for gold panning,

dredging and sluicing

•	 Gold panning and non-mechanized sluicing are

unregulated and allowed in most locations on BLMmanaged lands without a permit.

•	 Recreational dredging and sluicing is regulated, and

all dredgers operating on BLM-managed lands must

contact local field offices and possibly submit a

notice or obtain a permit before work begins.

•	 Casual use activities are typically limited to batteryoperated equipment, dry washers and equipment

that uses recycling processes.

Gemstone: Amethyst