Where to Find Petrified Wood in New Mexico

New Mexico has 6 mapped collecting spots that report petrified wood, spread across 6 counties. The largest share sits in Cibola County County with 1 spot. 6 of the spots are on land mapped as publicly accessible.

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

Standout petrified wood spots in New Mexico

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

Zuni Mountains
Cibola County County
The Zuni Mountains give New Mexico's top ten a western forest-and-public-land agate field rather than another southern mining district. The candidate data's agate, chalcedony, jasper, and petrified wood suite aligns with New Mexico Bureau of Geology rockhound guidance and published Rockhounding New Mexico locality coverage for the Gallup, Grants, and Zuni Mountains region.
Mount Chalchihuitl
Santa Fe County County
Mount Chalchihuitl is tied to the Cerrillos turquoise district, one of New Mexico's defining prehistoric and historic turquoise sources. Mindat records turquoise for the Chalchihuitl Mine, and Cerrillos Hills plus New Mexico Geological Society references describe the hill as an important early turquoise-mining locality rather than a generic Santa Fe gravel stop.

Best counties for petrified wood in New Mexico

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

Cibola County1 spot
San Juan County1 spot
San Miguel County1 spot
Santa Fe County1 spot
Sierra County1 spot
Union County1 spot

Every petrified wood spot we track in New Mexico

Sorted by county. Coordinates open in Google Maps.

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
Zuni MountainsCounty Road 149	Cibola County	Agate Chalcedony Jasper Petrified Wood	35.1422, -108.3258	Public
NW San Juan County	San Juan County	Chert Garnet Jasper Quartzite Petrified Wood	36.7617, -108.6553	Public
Las Vegas	San Miguel County	Petrified Wood	35.6577, -105.2327	Public
Mount ChalchihuitlGravel Pit Road	Santa Fe County	Agate Chalcedony Petrified Wood Turquoise	35.4701, -106.1126	Public
Jornada ValleyUpham Road	Sierra County	Agate Chalcedony Elixirite Jasper Petrified Wood	33.1363, -107.0245	Public
Union County	Union County	Petrified Wood Rose Agate	36.9940, -103.0078	Public

Before you go

Read the petrified wood identification guide so you know what a keeper looks like in the field: Petrified Wood in the encyclopedia.

Petrified Wood in New Mexico FAQ

Where can you find petrified wood in New Mexico?+

The mapped spots concentrate in Cibola County County, San Juan County County, and San Miguel County County. Every spot on this page appears on the map above with coordinates and access notes.

How many petrified wood spots are mapped in New Mexico?+

6 spots across 6 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 petrified wood in New Mexico?+

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. 6 of the 6 mapped spots here sit on land marked public. Always confirm current rules with the managing agency before you dig.

Where else to find petrified wood

More minerals to hunt in New Mexico

Hunt petrified wood in New Mexico 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.