Rockhounding near Bozeman, MT

78 mapped rockhounding spots within 150 miles of Bozeman — most are inside a 2 to 3 hour drive. Below: a map, the closest spots, what they produce, and full coordinates with access notes.

Covering parts of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming.

Closest rockhounding spots to Bozeman

The 6 nearest mapped spots, with straight-line distance and an approximate drive time.

Most-reported finds near Bozeman

Counts reflect how many spots in this radius mention each material.

Every spot within 150 miles of Bozeman

Sorted by distance from Bozeman. Tap a row to open the spot detail page with full directions, access status, and nearby trips.

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
SalesvilleGateway South Road	Gallatin County	Emery Corundum	45.5881, -111.2086	Public
Mount BlackmoreBlackmore Trail	Gallatin County	Agate Chalcedony Hyalite Opal Petrified Wood	45.4447, -111.0035	Public
Finnegan Ridge	Madison County	Chert Jasper	45.5038, -111.3832	Public
LivingstonTrail's End	Park County	Agatized Wood	45.6802, -110.6214	Public
Yellowstone RiverMyers Lane	Park County	Agate Montana Agate Moss Agate Natrolite Silicified Wood	45.6285, -110.5678	Public
ManhattanHorseshoe Cottonwood Road	Gallatin County	Onyx	45.9093, -111.4056	Public
Pole Creek	Madison County	Garnet Gold Quartz Ruby Sapphire	45.5769, -111.5247	Public
Horseshoe Hills	Gallatin County	Shale Trilobite Fossils	46.0223, -111.2712	Public
CarbellaRock Creek Road South	Park County	Agate Jasper Petrified Wood Quartz	45.2175, -110.9273	Public
MinerTom Miner Creek Road	Park County	Agate Chalcedony Jasper Petrified Wood	45.1918, -110.9271	Public
South Boulder RiverSouth Boulder Road	Madison County	Quartz	45.7263, -111.9747	Public
RadersburgKeating Gulch Road	Broadwater County	Gold Silver	46.1921, -111.6645	Public
GardinerSin Nombre Road	Park County	Arsenopyrite Gold	45.0443, -110.6063	Public
JardineCrevice Top Road	Park County	Arsenic Gold Tungsten	45.0472, -110.5953	Public
Bismark MineMammoth South Boulder Road	Madison County	Molybdenite Pyrite Chalcopyrite	45.6129, -112.0490	Public
WhitehallPaul Gulch Road	Jefferson County	Galena Gold Sphalerite Pyrite	45.9179, -112.0411	Public
Virginia CityGrant Mine	Madison County	Garnet Gold	45.2758, -111.9512	Public
Mill Canyon	Madison County	Tourmaline	45.6968, -112.1247	Public
Ennis	Madison County	Andalusite Kyanite Sillimanite	45.1931, -111.9394	Public
Gravelly RangeGravelly Range Road	Madison County	Onyx	45.0917, -111.8567	Public
Confederate GulchDuck Creek Road	Broadwater County	Gold	46.4745, -111.3944	Public
Ruby RiverUpper Ruby Road	Madison County	Almandine Garnet	45.2615, -112.0996	Public
Old Nye Picnic AreaMountain View Road	Stillwater County	Silver	45.3883, -109.9005	Public
Jefferson RiverPrimrose Lane	Madison County	Agate Chalcedony Jasper Petrified Wood	45.6902, -112.2745	Public
Elkhorn MountainIron Mountain Road	Jefferson County	Magnetite Hematite	46.2909, -111.9359	Public

Bozeman rockhounding FAQ

Where can I go rockhounding near Bozeman?+

There are 78 mapped rockhounding spots within about 150 miles of Bozeman, Montana. The closest is Salesville in Gallatin County, roughly 10 miles away. The full list is on this page with coordinates and drive times.

What rocks and minerals can you find near Bozeman?+

Spots within driving distance of Bozeman most commonly produce gold, agate, sapphire, jasper, chalcedony, quartz.

Is rockhounding legal near Bozeman?+

Casual hand collecting of common rocks and minerals is allowed on most BLM and U.S. Forest Service land, with limits set by the local field office. National parks, most state parks, and tribal land are off-limits. Each spot page on this site lists access status; always confirm current rules with the managing agency before a trip.

How far do most rockhounders drive from Bozeman?+

Most weekend trips from Bozeman fall inside a 2 to 3 hour drive, which is roughly the 150-mile radius shown on this page. Closer spots are good for half-day outings; the outer ones are better as overnight trips.

More state coverage

The spots above span 3 states. Open the state page for the full county-by-county view.

Other cities near Bozeman

Planning around Bozeman? These nearby cities have their own mapped rockhounding spots within driving range, with some overlap in the spots you can reach.

Pack Bozeman's rockhounding map in your pocket

Open RockHoundR for live land overlays, weather, geology, directions, and saved finds — wherever the drive takes you.