Swan Creek: Azurite & Barite Rockhounding in Rich County, Utah

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Rich County

State

Utah

Nearest road

West Swan Creek Spring Road

Postcode

83287

Coordinates

41.98606, -111.41752

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 Swan Creek

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: April to October. Typical highs run 83°F in midsummer and 33°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 15°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, BEAR LAKE SP station (2 mi away).

Geology at Swan Creek

This spot sits on ground mapped as Side-stream alluvium and fan deposits that formed within roughly the last 3 million years. Loose deposits like these are float-collecting ground: erosion keeps moving durable rocks and minerals into gravel bars, cutbanks, and washes.

Mapped unit

Side-stream alluvium and fan deposits

Age

3 Ma to present (Pleistocene to Holocene)

Elevation

6,020 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