Little Missouri River Agates
Approximate — check official site before visiting
River gravels and badlands exposures for agate, petrified wood, and chalcedony in the Little Missouri River valley.
🌐 Visit Official Site →🪨 What You Can Find Here
Agates
Banded chalcedony prized for their colors and patterns. Lake Superior agates, Fairburn agates, and Montana moss agates are especially famous.
Also found at:
Petrified Wood
Ancient wood turned to stone. Arizona's Petrified Forest and Washington's Ginkgo Petrified Forest are world-famous.
Also found at:
📍 Nearby Locations in North Dakota
Hell Creek Formation (ND)
Marmarth, North Dakota · BLM Land
World-famous dinosaur fossil beds. T. rex, triceratops, and other Cretaceous fossils found here. Surface collection of small fossils permitted on BLM ...
North Dakota Petrified Wood Beds
Amidon, North Dakota · Public Land
Slope County badlands for petrified wood and agate. The Little Missouri River gravels produce beautiful specimens.
North Dakota Carnotite Beds
Bismarck, North Dakota · Public Land
Carnotite-bearing sandstones and gravel pits in western North Dakota for agate, jasper, and unusual uranium-mineral specimens.
⛏️ Recommended Gear
Make the most of your visit to Little Missouri River Agates with the right equipment.
Rock Hammer
The most essential rockhounding tool. Choose a hammer with both a flat striking face and a pointed pick end.
Typical: $25-45
Safety Glasses
Mandatory protective gear. Rock chips fly unpredictably when hammering.
Typical: $10-20
Chisel Set
Cold chisels in 3-4 sizes for precise extraction from matrix rock.
Typical: $15-30
Geologist's Pick
A heavier crack hammer for splitting hard rock. Essential for hard rock mining areas.
Typical: $35-60
Sifting Screen
Stackable mesh screens for sifting gravel and dirt. Essential for gem and fossil hunting.
Typical: $20-40
UV Flashlight
Long-wave UV light for finding fluorescent minerals and Yooperlites.
Typical: $15-35