Jacolitos Canyon: Fossil Hunting in Fresno County, California
Updated June 2026
Jacolitos Canyon adds a Coast Range sedimentary and fossil-bearing locality to a list otherwise dominated by volcanic glass, agate, jade, and gold. USGS work on the Coalinga district documents the Jacalitos fossil context, while the candidate record makes the site useful for jasper, petrified wood, and fossilized coral on lawful public ground. Reported finds include jasper, petrified wood, fossilized coral. Below: coordinates, access notes, nearby spots, and trip-planning links.
Jacolitos Canyon photos
Public image records connected to this spot or its reported material.
Map showing Jacolitos Canyon in Fresno County, California
Quick details
- Access
- Public area
- County
- Fresno County
- State
- California
- Nearest road
- Jacalitos Creek Road
- Coordinates
- 36.09618, -120.32039
Geology at Jacolitos Canyon
This spot sits on alluvium and marine deposits, mapped as coarse alluvium that formed within roughly the last 5 million years. Reworked sediments like these can carry fossils eroded from older beds upstream, typically as rolled bone fragments, teeth, and shell material.
- Mapped unit
- alluvium and marine deposits
- Age
- 5 Ma to present (Pliocene to Holocene)
- Rock types
- coarse alluvium
- Elevation
- 690 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.
Best time to visit Jacolitos Canyon
Best months: October to May. Typical highs run 101°F in midsummer and 60°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 38°F. Summer heat here is intense, so carry more water than you think you need and work the early morning.
Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, COALINGA station (4 mi away).
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.
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.
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:
- BLM California — Recreational mineral collecting
- California Geological Survey
- CDFW — Suction Dredge Mining Permit Program
- Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules
Found at Jacolitos Canyon
Each chip opens all spots that produce that material; the encyclopedia link opens the full ID and field guide.
Nearby rockhounding spots
Other rockhounding spots within driving distance of Jacolitos Canyon.
- Benitoite Mining CompanyFresno County, California · 18 mi away
- Benitoite Gem MineSan Benito County, California · 23 mi away
- Aurora Mine (permission required)San Benito County, California · 29 mi awaySerpentine
- Paso Robles AreaSan Luis Obispo County, California · 36 mi awayJadeite
- Ocean beach area (Big Sur coast)San Luis Obispo County, California · 57 mi awayJade
- San Simeon BeachesSan Luis Obispo County, California · 58 mi awayMoonstone
- Ocean Beaches (Central Coast)San Luis Obispo County, California · 58 mi awayCalifornia Jade
- Big Sur areaTop pick in CaliforniaMonterey County, California · 65 mi awayJade, Nephrite, Serpentine
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