Austin Bluffs: Agate & Carnelian Rockhounding in El Paso County, Colorado

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

El Paso County

State

Colorado

Nearest road

Wittenberg Court

Postcode

80918

Coordinates

38.90715, -104.79730

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.

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.

Geology at Austin Bluffs

This spot sits on Denver Fm or lower part of Dawson Arkose, mapped as arkose, shale, and mudstone that formed roughly 100 to 56 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.

Mapped unit

Denver Fm or lower part of Dawson Arkose

Age

100–56 Ma (Late Cretaceous to Paleocene)

Rock types

arkose, shale, and mudstone

Elevation

6,420 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.

• BLM Colorado rockhounding rules
• Colorado Geological Survey
• Pike and San Isabel National Forests
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules