Rockhounding in Iowa

49 mapped spots across 32 counties. Iowa produces a wide range of rockhounding-grade material — see the full list of spots, minerals, and access notes below.

Top minerals found in Iowa

Counts reflect how many spots in this list mention each mineral.

Rockhounding by county in Iowa

County pages are linked once we have at least 3 mapped spots for a focused guide with coordinates, mineral notes, and nearby spots.

Every rockhounding spot in Iowa

Sorted by county. Tap coordinates to open in Google Maps, or open RockHoundR for the full map view with land overlays and weather.

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
Orient AreaHenry A Wallace Road	Adair County	Agate Quartz Petrified Wood	41.2473, -94.3538	Public
Harper’s FerryWinfield Road	Allamakee County	Pearls	43.2099, -91.1367	Public
Centerville (gypsum)497th Street	Appanoose County	Gypsum	40.7658, -92.9153	Public
Centerville (pyrite)Dewey Road	Appanoose County	Pyrite Selenite	40.7106, -92.8484	Public
Benton County61st Street	Benton County	Coldwater Agate	42.1359, -92.1265	Public
Black Hawk CountyNorth Elk Run Road	Black Hawk County	Coldwater Agate	42.5218, -92.2549	Public
La Porte CityCedar Valley Nature Trail	Black Hawk County	Agate	42.3215, -92.1875	Public
Riverview Recreation AreaCedar Valley Lakes Trail	Black Hawk County	Geodes	42.4766, -92.3008	Public
Bremer County160th Street	Bremer County	Coldwater Agate	42.8225, -92.3273	Public
Brandon330th Street	Buchanan County	Geodes Fossils	42.3164, -91.9902	Public
Shell RockState Highway 3	Butler County	Lake Superior Agate	42.7266, -92.5863	Public
SheffieldQuail Avenue	Cerro Gordo County	Geodes	42.9217, -93.1778	Public
Clayton CountyGreat River Road	Clayton County	Galena Limonite Pyrite Sphalerite	42.8673, -91.1289	Public
GuttenburgSouth River Park Drive	Clayton County	Jasper	42.7723, -91.0940	Public
Burlington (geodes)Starrs Cave Road	Des Moines County	Lake Superior Agate Quartz Geodes	40.8521, -91.1493	Public
Burlington (Lake Superior agate)Flint River Trail	Des Moines County	Lake Superior Agate	40.8320, -91.0984	Public
DubuqueRiverside Road	Dubuque County	Lake Superior Agate Moss Agate Oolitic Agates Moonstone Jasper Petrified Wood Fossils	42.5762, -90.6824	Public
Fayette CountyEcho Valley Road	Fayette County	Lake Superior Agate	42.9470, -91.7751	Public
ChapinOlive Avenue	Franklin County	Geodes	42.8543, -93.2203	Public
Fremont County200 Street	Fremont County	Fossilized Coral Stromatoporioids	40.7511, -95.6772	Public
Bells Mill ParkBell's Mill Road	Hamilton County	Calcite	42.3406, -93.8917	Public
EldoraDole Drive	Hardin County	Geodes	42.3631, -93.1175	Public
Steamboat RiverNorth 10th Street	Hardin County	Geodes	42.4098, -93.0726	Public
Union305th Street	Hardin County	Geodes	42.2540, -93.0581	Public
LowellShady Oak Lane	Henry County	Keokuk Geodes	40.8412, -91.4201	Public
Mount Pleasant	Henry County	Chert Geodes	40.9529, -91.5673	Public
New LondonJoyce & Ted's Place	Henry County	Agate Jasper	40.8799, -91.3906	Public
Skunk RiverCockleburr Lane	Henry County	Geodes Petrified Coral Limonite	40.8987, -91.5565	Public
Skunk River gravels near Mount PleasantOakland Mills Road	Henry County	Agate	40.9474, -91.5719	Public
BellevueGreat River Road	Jackson County	Lake Superior Agate Moss Agate Carnelian Moonstone Jasper Petrified Coral	42.2313, -90.4017	Public
CoralvilleLL Pelling Road	Johnson County	Silicified Coral Calcified Coral	41.6883, -91.6242	Public
Donnellson180th Avenue	Lee County	Geodes	40.6275, -91.5698	Public
Hamilton (west)Carroll Street	Lee County	Geodes	40.3837, -91.3747	Public
KeokukValley Road	Lee County	Keokuk Geodes Calcite Chalcedony Limonite Marcasite Pyrite Sphalerite	40.3875, -91.4518	Public
Cedar Rapids29th Ave Dr SW	Linn County	Silicified Coral Calcified Coral	41.9419, -91.6512	Public
Muscatine (agate)County Road G44X	Louisa County	Lake Superior Agate Moss Agate Chalcedony Quartz	41.3185, -91.1561	Public
Cedar Creek335th Street	Mahaska County	Silicified Coral Calcified Coral	41.1678, -92.4599	Public
Pershing185th Place	Marion County	Calcite	41.2629, -93.0069	Public
Red Oak170 Street	Montgomery County	Chert Protozoa Agate	41.0566, -95.2851	Public
Muscatine (pearls)Canal Street	Muscatine County	Pink Pearl Gold Pearl Red Pearl	41.4100, -91.0531	Public
Emmetsburg360th Street	Palo Alto County	Agate Jasper Petrified Wood	43.1302, -94.7027	Public
GraettingerRobins Avenue	Palo Alto County	Agate Jasper Petrified Wood	43.2367, -94.7414	Public
AmesAudubon Trail	Story County	Chalcedony Fossils	42.0336, -93.6318	Public
NevadaLincoln Highway	Story County	Agate	42.0083, -93.3819	Public
BentonsportQuail Road	Van Buren County	Keokuk Geodes	40.7054, -91.8649	Public
FarmingtonHawk Drive	Van Buren County	Keokuk Geodes Coral	40.6234, -91.7363	Public
Farmington (geodes)State Highway 81	Van Buren County	Geodes	40.6375, -91.7527	Public
KeotaKeokuk Washington Road	Washington County	Agate	41.3435, -91.9424	Public
Fort Dodge	Webster County	Gypsum	42.4561, -94.1592	Public

Iowa rockhounding FAQ

Is rockhounding legal in Iowa?+

Casual hand collecting is allowed on most BLM and U.S. Forest Service land in Iowa, with daily and annual limits set by the managing field office. National parks, most state parks, and tribal lands are off-limits. Always confirm rules with the local agency before a trip.

What rocks and minerals can you find in Iowa?+

Iowa spots in this list most commonly produce Geodes, Agate, Lake Superior Agate, Jasper, Keokuk Geodes. The full list across all spots is broader.

How many rockhounding sites are in Iowa?+

RockHoundR currently lists 49 rockhounding spots in Iowa across 32 counties. Many more exist; the app keeps your private finds saved alongside the public ones.

Can I take rocks home from Iowa public land?+

On most BLM and Forest Service land, recreational hand collecting of common rocks and minerals is allowed in reasonable amounts. Vertebrate fossils, archaeological items, and posted mining-claim minerals are not. Check the field office for current limits.

Map every Iowa spot in the app

Open the RockHoundR app to see Iowa on a real map with public land overlays, weather, geology, and your saved finds.