Pajarito Mesa: Agatized Wood & Agate Rockhounding in Bernalillo County, New Mexico

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Bernalillo County

State

New Mexico

Nearest road

Old Pajarito Road

Coordinates

34.99476, -106.76560

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 Pajarito Mesa

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: August to June. Typical highs run 91°F in midsummer and 49°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 21°F.

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

Geology at Pajarito Mesa

This spot sits on Piedmont alluvial deposits, mapped as unconsolidated alluvium that formed within roughly the last 3 million years. Petrified wood typically travels as tough float, and worked gravels like these are exactly where weathered pieces tend to collect.

Mapped unit

Piedmont alluvial deposits

Age

3 Ma to present (Pleistocene to Holocene)

Rock types

unconsolidated alluvium

Elevation

5,420 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

• Rockhound State Park, Collection rules
• BLM New Mexico
• New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules