Where to Find Garnet in Montana

Montana has 5 mapped collecting spots that report garnet, spread across 3 counties. The largest share sits in Lewis and Clark County County with 2 spots. 5 of the spots are on land mapped as publicly accessible.

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

Standout garnet spots in Montana

Hand-picked from the full list below, with the reason each one earns a trip.

Calvert Hill Mine
Beaverhead County County
Calvert Hill Mine adds a tungsten-skarn flavor to the Montana list, with Mindat describing a surface mine in Cambrian Meagher Formation limestone and listing scheelite, garnet, beryl var. aquamarine, chalcopyrite, molybdenite, pyrite, and smoky quartz in the district. That mineral spread makes it a stronger educational pick than another agate bar from the same river system.
American Bar
Lewis and Clark County County
American Bar belongs to the upper Missouri River sapphire province, where GIA traces gem-quality sapphire mining back to 1865. The associated heavy-mineral suite, including cassiterite, garnet, kyanite, topaz, gold, and chalcedony, makes the Missouri River bars one of Montana's most mineralogically varied placer settings.

Best counties for garnet in Montana

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

Every garnet spot we track in Montana

Sorted by county. Coordinates open in Google Maps.

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
Calvert Hill MineCalvert Loop Road	Beaverhead County	Scheelite Garnet Aquamarine Tungsten	45.8489, -113.1524	Public
American Bar	Lewis and Clark County	Sapphire Cassiterite Chalcedony Garnet Gold Kyanite Limonite Topaz	46.8131, -111.9292	Public
Missouri RiverDanas Point Drive	Lewis and Clark County	Cassiterite Chalcedony Garnet Gold Kyanite Limonite Sapphire Topaz	46.7284, -111.8746	Public
Pole Creek	Madison County	Garnet Gold Quartz Ruby Sapphire	45.5769, -111.5247	Public
Virginia CityGrant Mine	Madison County	Garnet Gold	45.2758, -111.9512	Public

Garnet in Montana FAQ

Where can you find garnet in Montana?+

The mapped spots concentrate in Lewis and Clark County County, Madison County County, and Beaverhead County County. Every spot on this page appears on the map above with coordinates and access notes.

How many garnet spots are mapped in Montana?+

5 spots across 3 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 garnet in Montana?+

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. 5 of the 5 mapped spots here sit on land marked public. Always confirm current rules with the managing agency before you dig.

Where else to find garnet

More minerals to hunt in Montana

Hunt garnet in Montana 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.