2 legal places to look for gem rough and gemstones in Wyoming — fees, seasons, and official sources below. The historic record adds the underground story: 15 entries.
Hours, fees, and access rules change. Verify with the operator or land agency before you go.
Lander, WY
nephrite jadeagatechalcedony
Public land, rules apply · Free · Free and no permit. BLM Wyoming states public lands it administers are open to everyone to take limited amounts of rock material for noncommercial purposes without charge. Petrified wood is capped by federal rule at 25 lb plus one piece per day and 250 lb per calendar year. Nothing collected may be sold, traded, or bartered.
Checked against its source August 16, 2026
Jeffrey City, WY
nephrite jadeagatechalcedony
Public land, rules apply · Free · Free on unclaimed BLM ground, hand tools only, personal use only. Jade on a claim staked for jade belongs to the claimant, so checking claim status is the whole game here. Look claims up in the BLM Mineral and Land Records System at https://reports.blm.gov/reports/MLRS.
Checked against its source August 16, 2026
Mineral history, not an invitation. This mineral history comes from a federal record of historic mines, prospects, and occurrences. It is not a list of places to collect. Historic mine sites are usually on private land, under active mining claims, or unsafe to enter — and often all three. The places you can actually collect are in the legal-access directory below.
The federal record lists 15 historic entries involving gem rough and gemstones in Wyoming , clustered in Fremont, Carbon, Teton counties. That geography is the honest clue about which corners of the state carry the right rocks — read it as geology, then pick a legal place to test it.
Records from the USGS Mineral Resources Data System, a legacy federal database last revised August 2022 and no longer updated.
Start with the 2 legal places listed on this page — each shows what you can find, its fees, and its season, with a link to the official source. Hours, fees, and access rules change. Verify with the operator or land agency before you go.
Treat Wyoming's historic mines as history, not destinations. Most sit on private land or active mining claims, and old workings are dangerous even to walk. The mineral record on this page tells you what the ground holds — the directory tells you where you are welcome to look for it.