Whitehall: Gold Prospecting in Jefferson County, Montana

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Jefferson County

State

Montana

Nearest road

Paul Gulch Road

Coordinates

45.91791, -112.04108

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: BLM records active mining claims in this area. Collecting from inside an active claim needs the claim holder's permission.

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 Whitehall

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: April to October. Typical highs run 80°F in midsummer and 33°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 9°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, BOULDER station (22 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Whitehall

This spot sits on Quartzite of Queener Mountain, quartzite along Skalkaho Creek, Spokane Formation, and Greyson Formation, undivided, mapped as 600m(quartzite)| 1000m-(argillite, silty argillite, sandstone, and siltstone) that formed roughly 1600 to 1000 million years ago. Gold in metamorphic belts like this is typically tied to quartz veins and shear zones, with placer color in the creeks that cut them.

Mapped unit

Quartzite of Queener Mountain, quartzite along Skalkaho Creek, Spokane Formation, and Greyson Formation, undivided

Age

1600–1000 Ma (Mesoproterozoic)

Rock types

600m(quartzite)| 1000m-(argillite, silty argillite, sandstone, and siltstone)

Elevation

5,590 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

• BLM Montana, Recreational mineral collecting
• Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology
• Gem Mountain Sapphire Mine (fee-dig operator)
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules