Escalante: Fossil Hunting in Garfield County, Utah

Quick details

Access

Permission required

County

Garfield County

State

Utah

Nearest road

Escalante River Trail

Coordinates

37.77819, -111.57441

Geology at Escalante

This spot sits on Glen Canyon Group, mapped as arenite that formed roughly 200 to 175 million years ago. Sedimentary layers like these are where fossils are typically preserved, and fresh exposures after rain or in active cuts tend to produce best.

Mapped unit

Glen Canyon Group

Age

200–175 Ma (Early Jurassic)

Rock types

arenite

Elevation

5,720 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.

Best time to visit Escalante

Best months: February to June. Typical highs run 93°F in midsummer and 43°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 19°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, ESCALANTE station (1 mi away).

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.

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

• BLM Utah — Rockhounding overview
• Utah Geological Survey — collecting guidelines
• SITLA — surface use rules
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules

Found at Escalante

Each chip opens all spots that produce that material; the encyclopedia link opens the full ID and field guide.

• Petrified Dinosaur Bone
• AgateEncyclopedia →
• Monazite
• ZirconEncyclopedia →