Rockhounding near Great Falls, MT

52 mapped rockhounding spots within 150 miles of Great Falls — 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.

Closest rockhounding spots to Great Falls

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

Most-reported finds near Great Falls

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

Every spot within 150 miles of Great Falls

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

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
VaughnSunnyside Avenue	Cascade County	Silicified Wood	47.5691, -111.5511	Public
MonarchTrail 122	Cascade County	Beryl	47.0973, -110.8161	Public
NeihartRock Creek Road	Cascade County	Galena Polybasite Silver Sphalerite	46.9458, -110.7240	Public
Narrow Gauge GulchSouth Main Street	Cascade County	Pyromorphite	46.9197, -110.7241	Public
American Bar	Lewis and Clark County	Sapphire Cassiterite Chalcedony Garnet Gold Kyanite Limonite Topaz	46.8131, -111.9292	Public
Yogo GulchYogo Trail	Judith Basin County	Gold Ruby Sapphire	46.9219, -110.4548	Public
Missouri RiverDanas Point Drive	Lewis and Clark County	Cassiterite Chalcedony Garnet Gold Kyanite Limonite Sapphire Topaz	46.7284, -111.8746	Public
Magpie GulchMagpie Gulch Road	Lewis and Clark County	Green Sapphire	46.6629, -111.6610	Public
White Creek30007	Meagher County	Copper	46.6277, -111.4134	Public
Spokane Bar Sapphire MineCastles Road	Lewis and Clark County	Gold Sapphire	46.6646, -111.8111	Public
HelenaMRL Service Road	Lewis and Clark County	Gold	46.6539, -112.1266	Public
Confederate GulchDuck Creek Road	Broadwater County	Gold	46.4745, -111.3944	Public
WinstonWeasel Creek Road	Broadwater County	Lead Silver Zinc	46.4379, -111.6981	Public
CorbinPowder House Road	Jefferson County	Arsenopyrite Cerussite	46.3927, -112.0831	Public
Wickes & ClancyPowder House Road	Jefferson County	Arsenopyrite Cerussite Gold	46.3925, -112.0829	Public
Elkhorn MountainIron Mountain Road	Jefferson County	Magnetite Hematite	46.2909, -111.9359	Public
Brown’s LakeBrowns Lake Road	Powell County	Scheelite	46.9502, -113.0155	Public
Jack CreekJack Creek Road	Jefferson County	Dumortierite	46.3725, -112.2872	Public
RadersburgKeating Gulch Road	Broadwater County	Gold Silver	46.1921, -111.6645	Public
Bear Paw Mountains	Hill County	Columbite	48.2371, -109.5820	Public
Basin	Jefferson County	Silver Gold	46.2960, -112.2327	Public
GoldcreekI 90;US 12	Powell County	Gold	46.5945, -112.9434	Public
GiltedgeMaiden Road	Fergus County	Gold	47.1459, -109.2354	Public
Horseshoe Hills	Gallatin County	Shale Trilobite Fossils	46.0223, -111.2712	Public
Pioneer	Powell County	Gold Calcite Chalcopyrite Quartz Pyrite	46.5139, -112.9638	Public

Great Falls rockhounding FAQ

Where can I go rockhounding near Great Falls?+

There are 52 mapped rockhounding spots within about 150 miles of Great Falls, Montana. The closest is Vaughn in Cascade County, roughly 12 miles away. The full list is on this page with coordinates and drive times.

What rocks and minerals can you find near Great Falls?+

Spots within driving distance of Great Falls most commonly produce gold, sapphire, quartz, chalcedony, garnet, silver.

Is rockhounding legal near Great Falls?+

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 Great Falls?+

Most weekend trips from Great Falls 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 1 state. Open the state page for the full county-by-county view.

All Montana spots →

Other cities near Great Falls

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

Pack Great Falls's rockhounding map in your pocket

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