Where to Find Quartz in Montana

Montana has 6 mapped collecting spots that report quartz, spread across 5 counties. The largest share sits in Madison County County with 2 spots. 6 of the spots are on land mapped as publicly accessible.

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

Standout quartz spots in Montana

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

Rock Creek
Granite County County
Rock Creek is one of Montana's four classic sapphire districts, documented by USGS and GIA alongside the Missouri River, Dry Cottonwood Creek, and Yogo Gulch. Mindat records corundum, sapphire, ruby, garnet, hematite, kyanite, magnetite, and rutile from the district, giving the locality more mineral context than a simple gem-gravel stop.

Best counties for quartz in Montana

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

Every quartz spot we track in Montana

Sorted by county. Coordinates open in Google Maps.

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
Rock CreekRock Creek Road	Granite County	Quartz Sapphire	46.3912, -113.6830	Public
PipestoneCamp Caroline Road	Jefferson County	Amethyst Quartz	45.9555, -112.3869	Public
Pole Creek	Madison County	Garnet Gold Quartz Ruby Sapphire	45.5769, -111.5247	Public
South Boulder RiverSouth Boulder Road	Madison County	Quartz	45.7263, -111.9747	Public
CarbellaRock Creek Road South	Park County	Agate Jasper Petrified Wood Quartz	45.2175, -110.9273	Public
Pioneer	Powell County	Gold Calcite Chalcopyrite Quartz Pyrite	46.5139, -112.9638	Public

Before you go

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

Quartz in Montana FAQ

Where can you find quartz in Montana?+

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

How many quartz spots are mapped in Montana?+

6 spots across 5 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 quartz 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. 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 quartz

More minerals to hunt in Montana

Hunt quartz 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.