Elephant Butte: Agate & Chert Rockhounding in Sierra County, New Mexico

Plan your visit

Permission required before collecting

County

Sierra County

State

New Mexico

Nearest road

NM 51

Coordinates

33.17287, -107.04484

Coordinates are approximate. Confirm the exact ground in the RockHoundR app, where land overlays show which agency manages the area.

Land & collecting status

Permission required before collecting

Requires landowner or agency permission before any collecting. Do not enter without explicit authorization.

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 Elephant Butte

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: September to May. Typical highs run 95°F in midsummer and 56°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 29°F. Summer heat here is intense, so carry more water than you think you need and work the early morning.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, ELEPHANT BUTTE DAM station (8 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Elephant Butte

This spot sits on Eolian deposits, mapped as unconsolidated silt and sand that formed within roughly the last 774,000 years. Gravels like these concentrate whatever survives the river: agate, jasper, and other tough silica typically show up as rounded, waxy stones.

Mapped unit

Eolian deposits

Age

< 1 Ma (Middle Pleistocene to Holocene)

Rock types

unconsolidated silt and sand

Elevation

4,740 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