Where to Find Sapphire in Montana

Montana has 10 mapped collecting spots that report sapphire, spread across 6 counties. The largest share sits in Lewis and Clark County County with 3 spots. 9 of the spots are on land mapped as publicly accessible, and 1 is a fee-dig site.

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

Standout sapphire spots in Montana

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

Dry Cottonwood Creek
Deer Lodge County County
Dry Cottonwood Creek is one of the historic Montana sapphire fields named by USGS and GIA, discovered after the Missouri River bars and before Rock Creek and Yogo Gulch. It is less accessible and less active than some better-known sapphire districts, but that documented place in the state's corundum history makes it too important to omit.
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.
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 sapphire in Montana

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

Every sapphire spot we track in Montana

Sorted by county. Coordinates open in Google Maps.

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
Dry Cottonwood Creekcdt-alt Ley	Deer Lodge County	Sapphire	46.2206, -112.6851	Public
Gem Mountain Sapphire Mine	Granite County	Sapphire	46.2467, -113.5922	Public
Rock CreekRock Creek Road	Granite County	Quartz Sapphire	46.3912, -113.6830	Public
Yogo GulchYogo Trail	Judith Basin County	Gold Ruby Sapphire	46.9219, -110.4548	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
Spokane Bar Sapphire MineCastles Road	Lewis and Clark County	Gold Sapphire	46.6646, -111.8111	Public
Gem Mountain	Madison County	Sapphire	45.3430, -112.3560	Paid / fee
Pole Creek	Madison County	Garnet Gold Quartz Ruby Sapphire	45.5769, -111.5247	Public
Brown’s Gulch	Silver Bow County	Sapphire	46.0144, -112.6848	Public

Before you go

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

Sapphire in Montana FAQ

Where can you find sapphire in Montana?+

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

How many sapphire spots are mapped in Montana?+

10 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 sapphire 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. 9 of the 10 mapped spots here sit on land marked public, and 1 is a fee-dig operation 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 sapphire

North Carolina14 spots

More minerals to hunt in Montana

Hunt sapphire 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.