Indian Canyon: Carnotite Rockhounding in San Juan County, Utah

Quick details

Access

Permission required

County

San Juan County

State

Utah

Nearest road

White Rim Road

Coordinates

38.29211, -109.78091

Geology at Indian Canyon

This spot sits on ground mapped as Stream alluvium that formed within roughly the last 129,000 years. Loose deposits like these are float-collecting ground: erosion keeps moving durable rocks and minerals into gravel bars, cutbanks, and washes.

Mapped unit

Stream alluvium

Age

< 1 Ma (Late Pleistocene to Holocene)

Elevation

3,950 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 Indian Canyon

Best months: September to May. Typical highs run 98°F in midsummer and 45°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 21°F. Monsoon storms peak in July and August and can flood washes fast.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, CANYONLANDS-THE NEEDLES station (9 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

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 Indian Canyon

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

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