Chadron: Chalcedony & Blue Chalcedony Rockhounding in Dawes County, Nebraska

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Dawes County

State

Nebraska

Nearest road

Schommer Road

Coordinates

42.87125, -103.02110

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: Collect on public ground only. The productive land is the surrounding Oglala National Grassland (USFS, 25 lb/day surface-collecting rule) and public road right-of-ways. Do NOT collect in Chadron State Park: Nebraska Game and Parks bans removing any rock, mineral, or fossil from state park areas. Ask permission for private ranch and pasture land.

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 Chadron

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: March to June. Typical highs run 91°F in midsummer and 38°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 13°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, CHADRON MUNI AP station (5 mi away).

Geology at Chadron

This spot sits on White River Group, mapped as clay that formed roughly 34 to 23 million years ago. Gravels like these concentrate whatever survives the river: agate, jasper, and other tough silica typically show up as rounded, waxy stones.

Mapped unit

White River Group

Age

34–23 Ma (Early Oligocene to Late Oligocene)

Rock types

clay

Elevation

3,300 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.

• Nebraska National Forests and Grasslands
• Conservation and Survey Division, University of Nebraska
• Nebraska Game and Parks rules
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules