Antelope Creek area: Geode Digging in Butte County, Idaho

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Butte County

State

Idaho

Nearest road

Antelope Creek Road

Coordinates

43.69991, -113.56941

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.

Best time to visit Antelope Creek area

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: April to October. Typical highs run 84°F in midsummer and 28°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 4°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, ARCO station (14 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Antelope Creek area

This spot sits on Deposits of major fill of Pinedale age along main streams, mapped as pebble gravel;cobble gravel;sand that formed within roughly the last 129,000 years. Geodes weather out of their host rock and collect in gravels like these, where their round shape and light heft help them stand out.

Mapped unit

Deposits of major fill of Pinedale age along main streams

Age

< 1 Ma (Late Pleistocene)

Rock types

pebble gravel;cobble gravel;sand

Elevation

6,030 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

• Idaho Panhandle National Forests, Emerald Creek
• Idaho Geological Survey
• Spencer Opal Mines (fee-dig operator)
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules