Dugway Geode Beds
Quartz and amethyst geodes off the Pony Express Trail
- Geodes
- Dark gray, round, 2 to 4 inches; quartz, amethyst, rose quartz inside
- Getting there
- SR-36 from I-80, Pony Express road at Faust, about 50 miles, then 2 miles of unimproved road
- Dig
- In previously excavated soft gray ground; pick and hammer for harder layers
- Rule
- No tunneling: it is unsafe and not permitted
- BLM office
- Fillmore Field Office, (435) 743-3100
Public area set aside for recreational collecting
Native material: you search the natural ground on site.
Make a weekend of it
32 gem and mineral spots on open public land with no claim on record, within 50 miles.
There are more on the map, some of them with a possible mining claim.
About Dugway Geode Beds
The Dugway Geode Beds are a BLM rockhounding spot in Utah's West Desert, known for dark gray, hard, round geodes usually 2 to 4 inches across. Most are lined with quartz in several colors: clear rock crystal, purple amethyst and pink rose quartz.
From Salt Lake City, take I-80 west to exit 99 and State Highway 36 toward Stansbury and Tooele. After 33 miles, turn right at the Faust Pony Express Station onto the old Pony Express road; about 50 miles along the Pony Express Trail and Simpson Springs road a signed turnoff on the right leads to an unimproved road of about 2 more miles to the beds.
The geodes lie below the surface, and the best place to look is ground that has already been dug, mostly soft gray loose material. Some sit in harder layers, where you look for rounded shapes and free them with a pick and hammer. Tunneling is unsafe and not allowed, because the soft material can collapse at any time.
To open a geode, the BLM lists a few ways: put it in a cloth sack and strike it on a hard surface, use a hammer and chisel or center punch, cut it on a rock saw with a carbide-tipped blade if you plan to polish it, or crack it with a chain-type soil pipe cutter, which some home improvement stores rent.
Clubs and places nearby
- Solar Wind Bixbyite & Pink Topaz MinePay-to-dig · 3 mi
- Durangite & Cassiterite MinePay-to-dig · 8 mi
- Maynard's Topaz & Red Beryl MinePay-to-dig · 10 mi
- Searle Canyon Red Beryl & Topaz MinePay-to-dig · 14 mi
- Topaz Mountain Rockhound Recreation AreaFree public dig · 16 mi
- A New Dig FossilsPay-to-dig · 38 mi
Where to buy gear nearby
- Larry's Jewelry & Rock ShopShop · 80 mi
- Simple Elegance Rock Shop and JewelryShop · 81 mi
- Jim's Gems & JewelryShop · 81 mi
- GeosearchShop · 111 mi
Access
From Salt Lake City take I-80 west to exit 99 and State Highway 36 toward Tooele. After 33 miles, at the Faust Pony Express Station, turn right onto the old Pony Express Road and follow it about 50 miles to the signed turnoff on the right, then about 2 miles of unimproved road to the beds. The BLM lists no facilities.
Technique
Dig the soft material with a pick and use a hammer on the harder layers. To open a geode, crack it with a hammer and chisel, or cut it with a saw or a pipe cutter. Never tunnel into the bank: it can collapse.