Windpoint Lighthouse: Fossil Hunting in Racine County, Wisconsin

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Racine County

State

Wisconsin

Nearest road

Village Hall Drive

Postcode

53402

Coordinates

42.78117, -87.75839

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 Windpoint Lighthouse

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: April to November. Typical highs run 82°F in midsummer and 31°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 16°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, RACINE BATTEN AP station (3 mi away).

Geology at Windpoint Lighthouse

This spot sits on ground mapped as Racine Formation that formed roughly 445 to 420 million years ago. Fossils here are typically found in fresh exposures, where erosion keeps bringing new material to the surface.

Mapped unit

Racine Formation

Age

445–420 Ma (Silurian)

Elevation

620 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