Where to Find Chert in Michigan

Michigan has 23 mapped collecting spots that report chert, spread across 11 counties. The largest share sits in Leelanau County with 5 spots. 13 of the spots are on land mapped as publicly accessible, and 6 are fee-dig sites.

Spot list checked against source data on April 1, 2026.

Best counties for chert in Michigan

Ranked by the number of mapped chert spots. County links open the full rockhounding page for that county.

Every chert spot we track in Michigan

Sorted by county. Coordinates open in Google Maps.

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
Harrisville State Park	Alcona County	Granite Chert Quartz Chain Coral Horn Coral Petoskey Stone Puddingstone Yooperlite	44.6475, -83.2976	Paid / fee
Sturgeon Point Lighthouse	Alcona County	Granite Chert Fossils Limestone Quartz Petoskey Stone Puddingstone	44.7127, -83.2727	Paid / fee
Pier Cove Park	Allegan County	Lightning Stone Quartz Unakite Horn Coral Chert Yooperlite Crinoid Slag	42.5859, -86.2267	Public
Elk Rapids Day Park	Antrim County	Petoskey Stone Charlevoix Stone Elk Blue Unakite Chert Cold Water Agate	44.8982, -85.4185	Public
Elk Rapids Sandbar	Antrim County	Petoskey Stone Charlevoix Stone Elk Blue Unakite Chert Cold Water Agate	44.8981, -85.4185	Check locally
Wilcox-Palmer-Shaw Preserve	Antrim County	Chert Quartz Granite Basalt Petoskey Stone Charlevoix Stone Unakite Cold Water Agate	44.9248, -85.3986	Public
Singing Bridge Public Access	Arenac County	Petoskey Stone Charlevoix Stone Gneiss Granite Puddingstone Horn Coral Fossils Jasper +9 more	44.1432, -83.5686	Public
Frankfort Public Beach And Playground	Benzie County	Granite Chert Quartz Chain Coral Horn Coral Frankfort Green Petoskey Stone Unakite	44.6324, -86.2458	Check locally
Point Betsie Lighthouse	Benzie County	Petoskey Stone Chert Chain Coral Granite Unakite Crinoid Brachiopod Horn Coral +5 more	44.6913, -86.2553	Public
Vermilion Point	Chippewa County	Omar Chert Granite Unakite Quartz Lake Superior Agate	46.7631, -85.1490	Public
Agate Beach Park	Houghton County	Unakite Chert Quartz Lake Superior Agate Yooperlite	47.0399, -88.9257	Public
McClain State ParkBear Lake Road	Houghton County	Adularia Chalcedony Chert Jasper Keweenaw Agate Thomsonite Prehnite Quartz +3 more	47.2368, -88.6147	Permission
Empire Beach	Leelanau County	Petoskey Stone Charlevoix Stone Unakite Chert Lake Superior Agate Yooperlite	44.8120, -86.0681	Check locally
Hidden Beach	Leelanau County	Leland Blue Petoskey Stone Unakite Quartz Granite Jasper Chert Charlevoix Stone +7 more	45.0196, -85.7645	Public
Onomonee Road Beach	Leelanau County	Charlevoix Stone Stromatolite Stromatoporoid Fossils Chert Petoskey Stone	45.1130, -85.6755	Public
Peterson Park	Leelanau County	Petoskey Stone Chert Unakite Charlevoix Stone	45.1539, -85.6467	Public
Van's Beach	Leelanau County	Leland Blue Petoskey Stone Unakite Quartz Granite Jasper Chert Charlevoix Stone +7 more	45.0223, -85.7625	Public
Crisp Point Lighthouse	Luce County	Granite Quartz Chert Omar Gneiss Jasper Unakite Rhyolite +4 more	46.7529, -85.2574	Public
Lake Superior State Forest Campground	Luce County	Granite Unakite Quartz Omar Chert Lake Superior Agate	46.6768, -85.7560	Paid / fee
Muskallonge Lake State Park	Luce County	Granite Chert Omar Unakite Quartz Gneiss Rhyolite Basalt +2 more	46.6766, -85.6281	Paid / fee
Two Hearted River State Forest Campground	Luce County	Unakite Epidote Chert Gneiss Granite Jacobsville Sandstone Quartz Chalcedony +11 more	46.6981, -85.4226	Paid / fee
Hoeft State Park	Presque Isle County	Puddingstone Granite Quartz Chert Horn Coral Brachiopod Crinoid	45.4637, -83.8836	Paid / fee
Pilgrim Haven Natural Area	Van Buren County	Lightning Stone Quartz Unakite Horn Coral Crinoid Chert Petoskey Stone Cold Water Agate +2 more	42.3527, -86.2987	Public

Before you go

Read the chert identification guide so you know what a keeper looks like in the field: Chert in the encyclopedia.

Chert in Michigan FAQ

Where can you find chert in Michigan?+

The mapped spots concentrate in Leelanau County, Luce County, and Antrim County. Every spot on this page appears on the map above with coordinates and access notes.

How many chert spots are mapped in Michigan?+

23 spots across 11 counties. The RockHoundR app keeps the same spots on an offline map with public land overlays, geology layers, and your saved finds.

Is it legal to collect chert in Michigan?+

Hand collecting of common rocks and minerals in small amounts for personal use is generally allowed on BLM and U.S. Forest Service land, with limits set by the local field office. National parks, most state parks, and tribal land are closed to collecting. 13 of the 23 mapped spots here sit on land marked public, and 6 are fee-dig operations where you pay for access and keep what you find. Always confirm current rules with the managing agency before you dig.

Where else to find chert

More minerals to hunt in Michigan

Hunt chert in Michigan with the map in your pocket

RockHoundR puts these spots on an offline map with BLM and Forest Service overlays, geology layers, and a log for your finds.