Where to Find Yooperlite in Michigan

Michigan has 22 mapped collecting spots that report yooperlite, spread across 13 counties. The largest share sits in Leelanau County with 4 spots. 13 of the spots are on land mapped as publicly accessible, and 5 are fee-dig sites.

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

Standout yooperlite spots in Michigan

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

Woodland Park Beach, Grand Marais
Alger County
Grand Marais is the most famous place in Michigan to hunt Yooperlites, sodalite-bearing syenite stones that glow bright orange under ultraviolet light.

Best counties for yooperlite in Michigan

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

Every yooperlite 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
Bay Furnace Ruins	Alger County	Slag Hematite Banded Iron Formation Jaspillite Yooperlite Lake Superior Agate	46.4418, -86.7056	Check locally
Woodland Park Beach, Grand Marais	Alger County	Yooperlite Lake Superior Agate Jasper Quartz Granite Banded Iron Formation Gneiss Rhyolite +1 more	46.6733, -85.9911	Public
Pier Cove Park	Allegan County	Lightning Stone Quartz Unakite Horn Coral Chert Yooperlite Crinoid Slag	42.5859, -86.2267	Public
Point Betsie Lighthouse	Benzie County	Petoskey Stone Chert Chain Coral Granite Unakite Crinoid Brachiopod Horn Coral +5 more	44.6913, -86.2553	Public
Rocky Gap Park	Berrien County	Petoskey Stone Unakite Quartz Crinoid Lightning Stone Charlevoix Stone Horn Coral Chain Coral +4 more	42.1344, -86.4660	Public
Fisherman's Island State Park	Charlevoix County	Petoskey Stone Charlevoix Stone Lake Superior Agate Yooperlite	45.3080, -85.3102	Paid / fee
Point Iroquois Lighthouse	Chippewa County	Lake Superior Agate Yooperlite	46.4843, -84.6324	Public
Agate Beach Park	Houghton County	Unakite Chert Quartz Lake Superior Agate Yooperlite	47.0399, -88.9257	Public
Calumet Waterworks Park	Houghton County	Lake Superior Agate Prehnite Natrolite Mesolite Yooperlite Patricianite Chlorastrolite Copper	47.2741, -88.5298	Check locally
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
North Beach	Leelanau County	Petoskey Stone Unakite Stromatoporoid Charlevoix Stone Horn Coral Stromatolite Granite Quartz +6 more	45.0260, -85.7596	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
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
Magoon Creek Natural Area	Manistee County	Yooperlite	44.1974, -86.3653	Check locally
Green Park	Ontonagon County	Charlevoix Stone Honeycomb Coral Rhyolite Quartz Lake Superior Agate Yooperlite	46.8390, -89.4360	Public
Deerlick Creek Park	Van Buren County	Fossils Lightning Stone Unakite Petoskey Stone Jasper Beach Glass Horn Coral Cold Water Agate +4 more	42.3725, -86.2923	Public
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
Van Buren State Park	Van Buren County	Yooperlite	42.3346, -86.3006	Paid / fee

Before you go

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

Yooperlite in Michigan FAQ

Where can you find yooperlite in Michigan?+

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

How many yooperlite spots are mapped in Michigan?+

22 spots across 13 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 yooperlite 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 22 mapped spots here sit on land marked public, and 5 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.

More minerals to hunt in Michigan

Hunt yooperlite 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.