Great Salt Lake: Aragonite & Bloedite Rockhounding in Salt Lake County, Utah

Quick details

Access

Public area

County

Salt Lake County

State

Utah

Nearest road

Saltair Drive

Postcode

84044

Coordinates

40.74666, -112.19495

Geology at Great Salt Lake

This spot sits on ground mapped as water. Fresh exposures, cuts, and drainages are typically the most productive places to look on ground like this.

Mapped unit

water

Elevation

4,210 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 Great Salt Lake

Best months: March to June. Typical highs run 91°F in midsummer and 37°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 25°F.

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

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.

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 Great Salt Lake

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

• AragoniteEncyclopedia →
• Bloedite
• GypsumEncyclopedia →
• HaliteEncyclopedia →
• Glauberite
• Thenardite