Wickes & Clancy: Gold Prospecting in Jefferson County, Montana

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Jefferson County

State

Montana

Nearest road

Powder House Road

Coordinates

46.39252, -112.08289

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 Wickes & Clancy

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: April to October. Typical highs run 78°F in midsummer and 32°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 7°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, TIZER GARDENS station (3 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Wickes & Clancy

This spot sits on Boulder batholith, Butte Quartz Monzonite, mapped as quartz monzonite and monzogranite-to-granodiorite that formed roughly 100 to 66 million years ago. Gold in granitic terrain like this is typically tied to quartz veins along contacts and shear zones, with placer color in the streams that drain them.

Mapped unit

Boulder batholith, Butte Quartz Monzonite

Age

100–66 Ma (Late Cretaceous)

Rock types

quartz monzonite and monzogranite-to-granodiorite

Elevation

5,660 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