Jornada Valley: Agate & Chalcedony Rockhounding in Sierra County, New Mexico

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Sierra County

State

New Mexico

Nearest road

Upham Road

Coordinates

33.13628, -107.02446

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 Jornada Valley

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 (9 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Jornada Valley

This spot sits on Eolian deposits, mapped as unconsolidated silt and sand that formed within roughly the last 774,000 years. Petrified wood typically travels as tough float, and worked gravels like these are exactly where weathered pieces tend to collect.

Mapped unit

Eolian deposits

Age

< 1 Ma (Middle Pleistocene to Holocene)

Rock types

unconsolidated silt and sand

Elevation

4,780 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