Courthouse Wash: Barite & Calcite Rockhounding in Grand County, Utah

Plan your visit

Permission required before collecting

County

Grand County

State

Utah

Coordinates

38.65719, -109.63502

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 Courthouse Wash

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: February to May. Typical highs run 98°F in midsummer and 41°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 22°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, ARCHES NP HQS station (3 mi away).

Geology at Courthouse Wash

This spot sits on ground mapped as Slick Rock Member of Entrada Sandstone that formed roughly 175 to 160 million years ago. Sedimentary rock like this erodes unevenly, so the most productive collecting is typically along fresh cuts, badland slopes, and active drainages.

Mapped unit

Slick Rock Member of Entrada Sandstone

Age

175–160 Ma (Middle Jurassic)

Elevation

4,230 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

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