Sandy Beach & Mud Lakes: Almandite & Kyanite Rockhounding in Iron County, Wisconsin

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Iron County

State

Wisconsin

Nearest road

Sandy Beach Road

Coordinates

46.11086, -89.96272

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 Sandy Beach & Mud Lakes

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: April to October. Typical highs run 78°F in midsummer and 20°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 0°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, REST LAKE station (4 mi away).

Geology at Sandy Beach & Mud Lakes

This spot sits on Baraga Group; Michigamme Formation, undivided, mapped as metagraywacke that formed roughly 2500 to 1600 million years ago. Sedimentary rock like this erodes unevenly, so the most productive collecting is typically along fresh cuts, badland slopes, and active drainages.

Mapped unit

Baraga Group; Michigamme Formation, undivided

Age

2500–1600 Ma (Paleoproterozoic)

Rock types

metagraywacke

Elevation

1,600 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.

• Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey
• Wisconsin DNR property rules
• Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules