Gold Hill: Azurite & Cerussite Rockhounding in Tooele County, Utah

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Tooele County

State

Utah

Nearest road

East First Avenue

Coordinates

40.18129, -113.81019

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.

Access note: Mixed public land, patented claims, active claims, and abandoned mine hazards occur in the district. Stay on open public ground and collect only where land status and claim status allow.

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 Gold Hill

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: September to June. Typical highs run 96°F in midsummer and 46°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 14°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, IBAPAH station (16 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Gold Hill

This spot sits on Alluvium and colluvium, mapped as unconsolidated alluvium and colluvium 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

Alluvium and colluvium

Age

3 Ma to present (Quaternary)

Rock types

unconsolidated alluvium and colluvium

Elevation

4,980 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