Many people like to combine their trip out to Topaz Mountain with a stop over to the Dugway Geode Beds because of their close proximity to each other. The Dugway Geode Beds location includes a private claim owned by the Crapo family based out of Delta, Utah. They manage a rock shop in their backyard called “the Bug House” in addition to overseeing the Dugway Geode Beds claim as well as the the U-Dig trilobite claim further West of Delta.
Although you can dig for geodes outside of the claim, you will have far better luck getting permission from the claim-owners to collect on the actual claim. The fee for collecting on the claim is just $30 and you can contact the owners at 435-864-2402 or [email protected] ahead of time to arrange your visit. A liability waiver must also be signed before entering the site.
EDIT: The family who owns the Bug House contacted me and gave me an update–“We have recently lost Dugway geode claims to the BLM. We were late on a maintenance waiver and the BLM was able to take them away. Please update your website letting people know there is no longer a fee to dig geodes. We are working to try and get our claims back but for the time being it is now free for all public to go get as many geodes as you want. We haven’t been digging out there since we lost the claims so it wont be as easy as it used to be to find geodes.”
You might even get lucky and schedule your time while the claim owners are on location. I’ve heard they are very helpful in explaining the history behind the geodes and in finding the best and largest specimens to make sure people go home happy. They have an excavator on site and are constantly digging up new clay to sift through to get to the geodes.
Most of the Dugway geodes I have collected have been hollow and full of chalcedony and beautiful druzy quartz crystals. The colors most seen are clear, white, purple, and pink (I really like the pink ones for some reason). Some collectors have found geodes also containing jasper or calcite, barite, or amethyst crystals which is a real treat. It will be tempting to crack them open right there on site with your rock hammer to see what each one contains, but don’t fall into that trap. I can promise you that they will look much better on your shelf with a clean cut and polish 🙂
You’ll want to look for the semi spherical white rocks that sometimes have smaller lumps on them. Some of them might even have the septarian-like turtle shell looking exterior. You should be able to gather which ones are more hollow or contain cavities by the weight alone. Sometimes, you might even find conjoined ones which are always fun to cut open. You never know what you might find!
Directions to Dugway Geode Beds:
From the intersection of 800 North and I-15 in Orem, Utah
1. Drive North on I-15 for 6.5 miles to exit 278
2. Take exit 278 and turn left (West) onto Pioneer crossing
3. Drive for 6.5 miles and turn right (North) on Redwood Road
4. Drive on Redwood Road for one mile to Main Street/Highway 73 and take a left (West) at that light
5. Drive on Highway 73 for 20.9 miles through the towns of Eagle Mountain, Cedar Fort, and Fairfield until the highway starts to turn back Northwestward
6. Take that left (West) toward the town of Faust for 13.6 miles
7. You will cross railroad tracks and eventually run into Highway 36 running North to South
8. Turn left (South) on Highway 36 for .6 miles and then turn right (West) onto the Pony Express Road
9. Drive for 49.5 miles on Pony Express Road until you see the brown sign on the right for the geode beds
10. From here the trail turns sketchy and I would recommend a high clearance vehicle to navigate the roads through the beds
You can dig pretty much anywhere, but the claim is located near the Northeast corner of the beds and the easiest route to get there is to take the road that wraps wide around the left side and pops out on the North side of the claim.
Has anyone been out to the geode site lately? The last postings were In April 2018. We want to take our families out for the day.L
Did you go? I want tontake my daughter today unless its not good anymore
We went out 2 weeks ago and they are great! found so many Geode’s – broken and unbroken. many people were out there and we saw wild horses, a couple rattlesnakes, and a burrowing owl!! Amazing and so much fun.
I was there the first week of July. Still great.
Is this land still under claim or is it now free to the public?
Out their today had a great time!
We went yesterday and had a great time. There were two other families there as well. I had 3 young geologists ages 5, 8, and 10 with me and they loved it. We easily found many unbroken and broken geodes. We traveled in a Toyota Sienna and took advantage of a last chance pit stop at Simpson Springs, which is about 25 miles east of the geode beds. My favorite tool for digging was the claw end of a hammer.
does anyone know the condition of the beds currently? im looking to venture there mid November.
Hi there! We are wanting to take our kids out here for their spring break. Is it still possible to dig for geodes? Or has the land been covered up? Thank you!
We went today and there are still lots if you are willing to look. Also plenty of other people. Have fun.
any feedback on driving a car? I don’t have a 4 wheel drive. I drive a Toyota Camry and my husband’s car is a Toyota Corolla. We have been out there before, but it’s been at least 6 years. We want to go again really soon, maybe next month!
My observation: A car will get you there if you are careful as you drive around the beds but ditches can change so inspect any suspicious spots before going forward. 🙂
We just got back yesterday and the Area “B” has not been leveled. We didn’t make it to Area “A” but I could see 2 large BLM excavators in that area.
I was actually out there today. You can dig your heart out and find plenty. Plus lots of broken pieces all over the ground. Takes gloves, a big shovel, hand trowels, a bucket or two and lots of water. It was our first time and I wish I had packed a couple camping chairs, maybe a few gardening tools (like those little hand rakes).
Hi, we just went there over the weekend. We found a ton of good specimens and the kids had a blast. It’s really hot so go early and make sure you bring plenty of water and a shovel
God Morning. My wife and I are looking to come up Thanksgiving day this month. Is there snow, what are the conditions like? Thank you!
We were there last week (November 12th) and there was no snow. It was nice during the day, but got cold pretty quick when the sun went down (a little after 5pm).
Iv nver dg up a gde bfre!
ive, geode
ive got no experience
Has anyone had luck here recently? We are planning on going this weekend. Will we be able to find geodes without too much digging/work?
is it free???
Hi Emilio! Yep!
Did you end up going? If so how was it? How is the road? I’ve read easy and some say awful!
Lindsey, I have been out to the Solar Wind Claim several times this year and the road is fine. Just watch for sheep and sheep dogs.
What type of vehicle did you drive? Do you need a 4 wheel drive ?
We were just out there this weekend. The excavated areas are getting pretty picked over but we were still able to find a few. No need for a four wheel drive unless there has been rain. Fun time
After reading all the great reviews, my brother and I thought this would be a fun outing for our kids. 10 kids between us ranging 0-11 years old. We talked about going to topaz mountain as well. Looking around, though, I’m not finding any campsites with facilities (bathrooms/water) anywhere in the general area. We planned on bringing tents but we’re hoping there would be a campsite nearby(ish). Anyone know of a place that would have those facilities?
Hi TS! Unfortunately there aren’t any campsites with facilities in the area since it is so remote. The closest one I would imagine would be Simpson Springs which is still a ways out (maybe an hour or so).
I don’t think there are any facilities out there that I have ever seen. Could be a restroom on the southeast side of the Topaz/Thomas range but I’m not 100% sure.
There are no facilities at Topaz. None and nothing closer than 30 min away. We took our 7yr old and he loved it. It was pretty easy to find small topaz everywhere. Stay within the “horse shoe”. It can be very windy at night outside of it.
sthlaldjksssssssssasdfd
Nothing nearby the Dugway Geode Beds. The closest are at Fish Springs, about 15 miles further west. If you prefer going east you will have to go to Simpson Springs about 20 miles.
If you are asking for Topaz Mountain, the closest is the Intermountain Power Project,. On the east side is a public park with facilities. Otherwise it is all the way to Delta or west to Fish Springs.
Excited to take my kids- my 6-year-old is obsessed with geodes and all our attempts to make them ourselves at home have failed. Adding this to the summer activity bucket list. Thanks!
Hi Lissa! That’s awesome. Let us know how you do out there!
Geobeds are not filled in. In fact it was very nice out there today. Found some real nice geods. The trespassing signs are gone. No it does not cost you any more to go
How easy is it to find the bug house? No fees now correct? Are there still some kind of signs? Heading out this month…
Hi Ryan! Yes, you are correct. No fees. I actually had someone from the Bug House reach out to me recently and I updated the post above to reflect the recent changes. The geode beds themselves are easy to find. I have directions in the post and the pin on the “locations” page map is right on top if you want to use Google to navigate to the spot. Let us know how you do!
Geodude. Dat name.
I am from Wi. and will be up there on Sun or Monday.. My dog and I have never looked for geodes, but cant wait to start. Rock, Geode hunting is going to be my next obsession. If you see my car, don’t hesitate to say hi. I could use some guidance and direction. Can you camp there?
Great site.
I’ve seen people camp there yeah. You might find some better spots and more privacy up some of the nearby canyons (or maybe even back at Simpson Springs), but there is definitely plenty of room to camp. Hope you and your dog find some good ones!!! Good luck!
looking for small rattlers, does anyone know where i can get some
Heading there around June 12 2017 from Central Utah (Monroe). First time trip. Anyone have best directions from Nephi to get to geode beds?
Hi Grandpa Pirate. Most of the roads in the area are dirt/gravel, but fairly well maintained (except for a couple spots). You have two options from Nephi (coming up brush wellman past Topaz Mountain or from up North through Vernon/Faust area) https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Nephi,+UT/Dugway+Geode+Beds,+Simpson+springs+callao+road,+West+Juab,+UT/@39.8013562,-112.7731971,10z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x874c5648a65523d9:0xd7b6f9f8a451f49e!2m2!1d-111.8363216!2d39.7102336!1m5!1m1!1s0x80b29306df85fb3f:0x418dd6e267d6f0a6!2m2!1d-113.136853!2d39.894189!3e0. I’m used to coming from the North and I’ve never had a problem with the roads from that direction so I’d recommend that even though it adds an extra 10 or 15 minutes as opposed to coming from the South.
Great news! Thank you for sharing this information. I will be down in early July for my brothers memorial and had been hoping to go to the Geode Beds!
Headed to dugway geode beds with brother and our two kids this July. read about a small topaz mine on way to dugway right near the geode beds. not topaz mountain. do you happen to have any specific idea where this spot is. would like to find just one to say I found one. never found topaz before. any help appreciated.
Hi Mike! I think you are referring to the Solar Wind Claim. It’s pretty much across the street from the geode beds. The claim is owned by John Holfert and Jeremy Fuller–very nice people. I had a chance to go there a few months ago and I would highly recommend it. In fact, that will probably be one of the next posts I put up on the website. I think the best way to reach out to them is via their website: http://gem.tours/.
The Solar Wind Claim is currently open, you can contact Jeremy at [email protected]. He also owns a Red Beryl claim in Searles Canyon near Topaz Mountain that is open to paying customers.
Geobeds are not filled in. In fact it was very nice out there today. Found some real nice geods. The trespassing signs are gone. No it does not cost you any more to go
We are hoping to go to both Topaz and Dugway this spring. Do you know if there is a claim for 2017?
Hi Jeanna! I think the only claim you need to worry about is the knoll in the middle of the amphitheater. Just make sure you are going anywhere on the sides of the amphitheater and you should be just fine. There are signs all over the knoll so you’ll know if you are on the claim or not. As far as Dugway goes last I heard it was all reclaimed by the previous owners and any pits have been covered up. You might find some surface material or start some holes of your own, but it won’t be as bountiful as it was before.
Geo beds are not filled in. Just went today march 13th 2017. Found some nice geods. You do not have to pay. The signs are gone and no longer says trespassing
We went out there for Labor day. For those that haven’t been I’d say the roads in are fine by car up until you get to the last 2-3 miles then I don’t think you could get in without something high profile. I rented a midsize SUV and we got in alright, but ended up breaking a hubcap. There were about 30 people out there at the pits and tons of broken geods. We found a bunch of unbroken ones, but nothing as big as a baseball all were about 3/4 the size or smaller. We tried looking in other areas but couldn’t find anything not at the pits.
Thanks everyone for the continued updates on this location!
hi jared ,, I live in Washington state..i have 2 of the finest dugway geodes ever found..they are @ 35lbs apiece..i need to talk to a authority,,fred,kennewick,wa. [email protected]
Going to head out this weekend to gather some geodes and topaz. First time, any suggestions ? Is it still $30 a head. Also coming from Brigham , any good routes? Sorry for all the questions just excited.
I just took my boys today August 15, 2016. We left West Jordan and it took us 4 hours to get there. Cell service is sketchy and 3 of the 4 hours is on the worse washboard dirt roads that I have ever been on. When we finally arrived at the Dugway geode bed sign turn off it looks like someone or the BLM has gone in and back filled the entire thing with dirt. We dug around but came home empty handed. Go with plenty of food, water and fuel if you do decide to go.
I got in touch with the guys who were in charge of digging out there and they said the BLM put a stop to them digging with their tractors. Any one can go out there for free and dig all they want just NO equipment like a backhoe or jack hammer
Your site is great. I have only one issue. Its called Rockhounding Utah, there is far more great places to rockhound then Salt Lake and South of Salt Lake, what about Brigham City, red horn corral, mantua, moss agate. Every book and web site for utah only talks about the south end ot the valley. I would like to see some of the North side. There is also Weber Canyon where you can find a ton of quartz in every color. Have you ever ventured north of Salt Lake? We also have found various samples of follized dinosaur poop. Thanks for letting me voice my opinion.
Where is the red horn in Brigham if I may ask I would like to go
You are so right! I’ve totally dropped the ball on several areas of the state. I really don’t have anything North of Salt Lake, East out towards Vernal, or anything in the extreme Southwest or Southeast. I really need to broaden my horizons! I haven’t had as much time as I’d like to make it out hounding for a bit or to update the site. It sounds like I need to pay a visit up North though based on all the great things y’all are finding up there 🙂
Hey if your still thinking of great spots that are free to hound just ask. Idk if you and your family would be down. But me my 9 year old girl and 6 year old boy are heading out tmrw morning you just need to know where to look so yeah if you want to I could send you pictures post pictures whatever and if your interested hit me up peace
I live in Cache Valley. Where do you find moss agate in Mantua? I’m new to rock hounding and very interested. Thanks!
Hi! I love your site I have learned a lot from it thanks for all the work you have put into it. From reading the comments I see that the claim owners may have not renewed their permits. Do you know if you need to contact the claim owners or not to search the site? Thanks for any information you can give me.
Hi Amber! Nope. As far as I know everything there is free access. At least for the time being.
Hello! We are first timers coming to hunt for geodes. I just have a few questions for you, and am very thankful that I came across this site to be able to do so. First of all, we are planning on hunting on either Sunday or Monday. The weather says it may have a small chance of rain showers. I came across something on another site that said to be careful of possible flash floods. Can you confirm or deny this possibility for that area? Also, I’ve seen conflict on weather or not a minivan or car could get through easily on the road after the paved road has ended. I’d hate to get all the way out to the area just to find that we needed to have a different type of vehicle. I appreciate your feedback. Thank you!
Also, is there anywhere in Delta that rents equipment for geode hunting? With a family of 5, trying to keep costs down, I’m not able to run out and buy a bunch of rock hammers and picks for everyone to be able to do their own hunting. I know there is the Bug House that you pay to hunt on their property (I believe the cost includes tool use), but at $30 a pop, it gets pretty spendy for an entire family. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.
Hi Christie! Apologies for the delay in responding. I’m assuming y’all made it out there already, but if not I can try and answer questions. I wouldn’t worry too much about flash floods around the geode beds. It is a fairly open area. If you were in the canyons to the East or South it might be a different story, but even then I think pretty unlikely. Also, I think you should be just fine with a minivan as long as you take it slow and take the ditches and ruts at an angle. As far as tools, I wouldn’t worry about getting rock hammers. They are expensive and I don’t usually use mine at this location anyway. Just a few shovels (large and small) are all you really need. Maybe a decent pick or two if you have one or can borrow one. Honestly, with those piles though, you can pretty much just dig with your hands because the dirt is so soft. And, there are enough pieces (even whole ones!) just laying on the ground that you could be happy even with no tools really.
Are the beds currently under claim?
Hi Spencer. To the best of my knowledge it sounds like the claim was not successfully renewed this year so the whole of the Dugway geode beds is open to the public at least for the time being.
What do you think about the ability to drive a 25′ Class C motor home to the site? I can go real slow if necessary. Thanks.
Hey Jim! Unfortunately, I don’t have much experience driving motor homes, but I can wager a guess. The pony express route is very well maintained. I know Simpson Springs on the way there has a campground and that’s only about an hour away. We’ve done plenty of tent camping around the Dugway geode beds, but it has mostly been in the canyons to the South or in the Dugway Range itself. There is so much open space though I think it is safe to say you shouldn’t have a problem finding a pull off somewhere, even if it is not right next to the site. As for the beds themselves I don’t know if there is much in the way of camping. The roads are a bit sketchy, but if you take it slow I’ve seen toyota corollas make it through there just fine so I imagine a motor home would be alright.
Is the site fenced? I am thinking to go collect since it is not under claim, but I dont want to get there and not be able to enter, then having to drive out to The Bug House. Thanks! -L
Hi Lauren. Nope, no fences. Most of the area is actually not under claim anyway. You might see large signs posted around the actual claim still, but there are plenty of other spots to find geodes. The upside to going on the claim is they have an excavator there that can dig deeper for the larger geodes which is why they charge a fee. The geode beds themselves cover a large are and we’ve even found geodes well outside of the actual beds up several of the canyons to the South and off to the East. The kids should have a really fun time exploring. Simpson Springs is a good place to make a pit stop as you head out there. It’s about an hour away from the geode beds and it has bathrooms and some old structures from the Pony Express and CCC days.
i have a quetion to ask you guys do you have to have monney to dig for geodes on your property if so can you email me @ [email protected] i will be waiting to hear from you.
Hi James. Unfortunately I don’t own any of the claims on the geode beds. The recent rumors have been that the family who owns the main claim there missed filing their paperwork in time this year. Most of the area is not under claim though so as long as you avoid the areas that are you should be okay. From my understanding, none of it is under claim as of right now since this recent news came out, but I’ll keep you posted if I hear anything else.
Hi, I am Adrian and will be travelling with my 12 years old son from Italy to Utah to see some parks and do some rock hounding. Will be in the area for one and a half days only: what’s our best bet to find something, whether a geode or a topaz or bixbyite? One more question: is the Fur Jay Mine in the Thomas Range open for hounding?
Hi Adrian! A special welcome to Utah in advance! The BEST bet is definitely the geode beds (in my opinion). There are so many different kinds and you can easily come away with quite a few even after just a few hours. Another one to try might be digging for trilobites down off of highway 6. These are both fairly easy work, you are pretty much guaranteed to come out with great stuff, and Utah is well known for both of these so I’d highly recommend them. With 1 1/2 days you probably won’t have time to do both unfortunately, but you could try. If you want to do a little bit harder work and take a chance then I would definitely say head to the Topaz Mountain for topaz, red beryl, and bixbyite. With 1 1/2 days you should be able to hit both the geodes and the cove at Topaz Mountain fairly easily. I’ve heard of the four jay mine, but unfortunately I have not been up to the BLM office recently to check the status. Maybe that is something one of the other readers can help us out with? I’ll let you know if I do make it up there and see what I find. Hit me up again when you all get here if you need specific information on any locations or anything.