Best spot

Cloquet: Lake Superior Agate & Garnet Rockhounding in Carlton County, Minnesota

Updated July 2026

Carlton County is the heart of Minnesota's inland agate country: glaciers dragged Lake Superior agate south and dumped it in the region's thick gravel deposits, and the nearby Moose Lake area is billed as the Agate Capital of the World. Agate turns up in the county's gravel pits, gravel roads, and river cuts around Cloquet rather than on a single outcrop. Carlton County runs a formal agate-picking permit program that opens designated county pits to collectors. Reported finds include lake superior agate, garnet, greenalite, magnetite, marcasite, and more. Below: coordinates, access notes, nearby spots, and trip-planning links.

Cloquet photos

Public image records connected to this spot or its reported material.

1 photo

Echo Lake at Moose Lake State Park in the Carlton County agate country, Minnesota

Quick details

Access: Permission required
County: Carlton County
State: Minnesota
Nearest road: Reservation Road
Postcode: 55720
Coordinates: 46.75025, -92.49349

Geology at Cloquet

This spot sits on Slate and graywacke, mapped as slate and graywacke that formed roughly 2050 to 1600 million years ago. Metamorphic rock like this weathers into resistant float, and minerals that survive transport typically concentrate in nearby drainages.

Mapped unit: Slate and graywacke
Age: 2050–1600 Ma (Paleoproterozoic)
Rock types: slate and graywacke
Elevation: 1,210 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 Cloquet

Best months: April to October. Typical highs run 79°F in midsummer and 18°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 2°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, CLOQUET station (3 mi away).

Land & collecting status

Permission required before collecting

Requires landowner or agency permission before any collecting. Do not enter without explicit authorization.

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.

Sources: RockHoundR public spot dataset, app land overlays, and local agency review before each trip.

Found at Cloquet

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 Cloquet.

Across the state line from Cloquet

Cloquet is close enough to the Minnesota border that the next-closest rockhounding spots are in a neighboring state. Worth knowing if you are already on the road.

Cloquet FAQ

Where is Cloquet?+

Cloquet is in Carlton County, Minnesota, at 46.75025, -92.49349. Nearest road: Reservation Road.

What rocks and minerals can you find at Cloquet?+

Cloquet is reported to produce Lake Superior Agate, Garnet, Greenalite, Magnetite, Marcasite, Minnesotaite, Pyrite.

Is collecting allowed at Cloquet?+

Permission required before collecting. Requires landowner or agency permission before any collecting. Do not enter without explicit authorization. Always confirm current rules with the managing agency before a trip.

What tools should I bring to Cloquet?+

Most agate and jasper is surface float: bring a spray bottle, a pick or small shovel, and a sturdy bag. Wet stones show their banding and translucence.

When is the best time to visit Cloquet?+

The most comfortable months at Cloquet are April to October.

How do I get to Cloquet?+

Open the directions link to navigate to 46.75025, -92.49349 in Google Maps. The nearest road is Reservation Road.

More rockhounding in Minnesota

See all 49 Minnesota spots →

Open Cloquet on the map

Use the RockHoundR app for live land overlays, weather, geology, directions, and saved finds.