Miner's Basin: Actinolite & Calcite Rockhounding in Grand County, Utah

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Grand County

State

Utah

Nearest road

Miners Basin Road

Coordinates

38.54565, -109.28162

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 Miner's Basin

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: March to October. Typical highs run 83°F in midsummer and 26°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 5°F. At about 8,460 ft, snow can block access from late fall well into spring, so check conditions outside of summer.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, CASTLE VALLEY 1SE station (8 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Miner's Basin

This spot sits on ground mapped as Alluvial-fan deposits that formed within roughly the last 129,000 years. Gravels like these concentrate whatever survives the river: agate, jasper, and other tough silica typically show up as rounded, waxy stones.

Mapped unit

Alluvial-fan deposits

Age

< 1 Ma (Late Pleistocene to Holocene)

Elevation

8,460 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