Ison Creek: Enstatite & Ilmenite Rockhounding in Elliott County, Kentucky

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Elliott County

State

Kentucky

Nearest road

KY 409

Coordinates

38.13568, -82.97874

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 Ison Creek

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: February to December. Typical highs run 88°F in midsummer and 42°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 25°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, GIMLET 9N station (11 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Ison Creek

This spot sits on Alluvium, mapped as sand | silt | clay | gravel that formed within roughly the last 3 million years. Loose deposits like these are float-collecting ground: erosion keeps moving durable rocks and minerals into gravel bars, cutbanks, and washes.

Mapped unit

Alluvium

Age

3 Ma to present (Quaternary)

Rock types

sand | silt | clay | gravel

Elevation

720 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.

• Kentucky Geological Survey
• Ben E. Clement Mineral Museum
• Daniel Boone National Forest
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules