Alexandria & Wayland: Geode Digging in Clark County, Missouri

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Clark County

State

Missouri

Nearest road

County Road 323

Postcode

63430

Coordinates

40.35833, -91.50892

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.

Access note: Loose geodes wash into stream gravels and gravel bars, which on Missouri's public and navigable waterways are open below the ordinary high-water mark; the public easement on these streams includes the right to be on the gravel bar. Collect from gravel bars and the streambed at low water rather than digging into banks, which are usually private. Note that Sheffler's Rock Shop nearby is a separate fee-dig operation on private land and is not required for free creek collecting.

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 Alexandria & Wayland

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: March to November. Typical highs run 86°F in midsummer and 33°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 17°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, KEOKUK L&D 19 station (8 mi away).

Geology at Alexandria & Wayland

This spot sits on ground mapped as clay, silt, and sand that formed within roughly the last 12,000 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.

Age

< 1 Ma (Holocene)

Rock types

clay, silt, and sand

Elevation

500 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.

• Missouri Geological Survey
• Mark Twain National Forest
• Missouri State Parks rules
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules