Along North Creek Trail: Agate & Jasper Rockhounding in Gila County, Arizona

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Gila County

State

Arizona

Nearest road

North Peak Trail #24

Coordinates

34.17745, -111.44759

Coordinates are approximate. Confirm the exact ground in the RockHoundR app, where land overlays show which agency manages the area.

Land & collecting status

Generally open to casual rockhounding

Most public-tagged spots sit on BLM, U.S. Forest Service, or other federal land where reasonable hand collecting of common rocks and minerals is allowed. Confirm posted rules and active mining claims before you dig.

Access note: BLM records active mining claims in this area. Collecting from inside an active claim needs the claim holder's permission.

Public-land rules vary by agency, season, and field office. The RockHoundR app pulls live BLM, USFS, NPS, and tribal overlays so you can see exactly which agency manages the ground at this spot.

Best time to visit Along North Creek Trail

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: September to May. Typical highs run 95°F in midsummer and 59°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 29°F. Monsoon storms peak in July and August and can flood washes fast.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, PAYSON station (7 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Along North Creek Trail

This spot sits on ground mapped as conglomerate and sandstone that formed roughly 20 to 2 million years ago. Tough silica like agate, jasper, and chert typically weathers out of beds like these and collects as float in drainages and on deflation surfaces.

Age

20–2 Ma (Early Miocene to Pleistocene)

Rock types

conglomerate and sandstone

Elevation

4,030 ft

Geologic mapping via Macrostrat and the underlying state geological survey maps (CC BY 4.0). Bedrock at the surface can vary within a mapped unit.

Sources & verification

Spot details combine the public RockHoundR location dataset, normalized mineral labels, agency land-status checks in the app, and community submissions. Coordinates are approximate until verified in the field.

State guidance last verified: April 1, 2026

• BLM Arizona, Recreational Mineral Collecting
• Arizona Geological Survey
• Arizona State Land Department recreation permits
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules