Crawford (Fairburn area): Fairburn Agate Rockhounding in Dawes County, Nebraska

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Dawes County

State

Nebraska

Nearest road

Highway 2 71

Postcode

69339

Coordinates

42.70448, -103.40435

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 Oglala National Grassland (USFS): personal surface collecting up to 25 lb/day, no digging, no vertebrate fossils. Toadstool Geologic Park itself is a look-don't-take interpretive area, and all fossils there are protected: enjoy the badlands, but collect agate only on the general grassland outside the park boundary. Watch for private inholdings.

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 Crawford (Fairburn area)

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: March to November. Typical highs run 90°F in midsummer and 41°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 13°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, FT ROBINSON station (4 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Crawford (Fairburn area)

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

3,630 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