No Utah rockhounding resource would be complete without a section about the beloved Topaz Mountain near Delta, Utah. Topaz Mountain is part of the Thomas Range which is a notable paradise for those looking for great specimens.
I will say beforehand that I would strongly recommend a high clearance vehicle for the last 1/2 mile to mile of the drive as you will be driving through a series of washes that can get pretty sketchy no matter the season you choose to go. Once you arrive at the destination, there are makeshift campsites all around the area and you will see lots of evidence of human activity all around.
Many minerals can be found here including topaz (obviously), garnet, amethyst, bixbite (red beryl), hematite, opal, and bixbyite. Red beryl is highly sought after as it is worth more than diamond per carat and is far more rare. I have been here more than a dozen times and only seen a few VERY tiny pieces of red beryl. Topaz is my favorite to go after from this area because it is both abundant and super fun to collect.
Most of the topaz from the area is either sherry or pink colored, but becomes clear after exposure to sunlight. If you are driving or walking around the area at the right times you should see the washes gleaming with numerous little pieces of clear topaz.
To get to the good stuff you are going to need a heavy duty sledge hammer and a selection of chisels. When you get to the topaz amphitheater, as they call it, you should see white rhyolite rock around on all sides (I placed the marker on the map right in the middle of the amphitheater). In this rhyolite you should see vugs/pockets (ranging from a few inches to a few feet) where you will find the topaz (ranging from a few millimeters to a few inches).
Use the sledge and chisels to uncover more and more vugs, but be extra careful once you hit a pocket as the topaz can be very fragile until it is extracted. You should hear your hammer make a different sound once you cracked into a pocket. At that point, many people will use a chopstick or a small screwdriver or something to poke around the cavity to see what they have uncovered. Don’t be alarmed if the vug is empty. This is very common. It takes time, but you will be rewarded immensely.
You may even come across a double specimen where you will find a topaz and red beryl or topaz and bixbyite combo. These are rare and I would definitely hold on to them. I have even found various fossils including trilobites in this area so I would be surprised if you went home empty handed.
It is wise to bring a headlamp as well to be able to see into the pockets as it might take some extra care to not fracture or break the topaz. I sometimes even like to go at night since any gems should reflect off the light from your headlamp and you can get a better idea of what you are up against. Many people have had a lot of success by simply going around and checking pockets that have already been exposed and seeing if anything has been uncovered and not claimed.
I am sorry I haven’t posted this yet, but I actually have an outline of where exactly you can find the different minerals I mentioned above all over this area, but I hope this helps you on your journey. Feel free to shoot me any questions. Thanks for reading!
Directions to Topaz Mountain:
From the intersection of 800 North and I-15 in Orem, Utah
1. Drive South on I-15 for 43.7 miles
2. Take Nephi exit 228 and keep right on Main Street (SW) for 2.7 miles
3. Turn Right (West) on W 100 North for 33.2 miles until you hit Highway 6
4. Turn left (South) on Highway 6 for 5.6 miles until you hit Brush Wellman Road
5. Turn right (West) on Brush Wellman Road for 37.4 miles
6. Turn right (North) when you see the big brown sign on the turn off for “Topaz Mountain rockhounding area” for about 1.7 miles
7. Turn left (West) for about 1 mile until a fork in the road (you will be in a huge wash by this point and glad to have a high clearance vehicle)
8. From here, there are so many different ways and crisscrossing roads to reach the amphitheater that it would be pointless to point you one way or the other
9. Keep going on a somewhat SW course until the road runs out. You will pass campsites all around. By this time you should be in the middle of the amphitheater.
10. Look for the white/grey rhyolite outcroppings all around. Feel free to hike up away from the campsites as you’ll probably be much more rewarded, but don’t be afraid to screen out the washes for the clear topaz as well
Thank you so much for writing this!!! I’m so excited to go try it out!!! Thanks again!!!
Hi, me and a team are organizing a trip to mount topaz. We are passionate of gems and we would want to know if It can be a really good way to make profit by coming there to extract and sell topaz?
Could you give me also an example of how much you can make in a normale day because we want to make this a serious job, ill wait for your answer and thank you in Advance
We are down at topaze math trying to find some of the other stones you talked about if you could help my number is 435 994 2081 will be here tell tomorrow with 12 13 year olds thanks mark
How close can I get with a regular car?
THis is not my post bit having been onsite, you can easily make it to the entrance about a mile or 1.5 miles out. The road in will destroy regular cars. Also, there is nothing for 50 plus miles, and often no cell service.
be safe
You can drive car to base of mountain
sorry in case you cant find it. [email protected]
The Dude:
Can you please contact me? I was unable to find an email or anything. I had a proposition for you.
Thank you!
Planning to make it to Topaz Mtn in mid August (with lots of water!), but not on a TMA scheduled blast day. For TMA access, do I need to make a reservation for non-blast days or can you just show up and pay them (do they accept credit cards at the site or cash only)? I will have a rental, but as I can’t be guaranteed a SUV, can you get close enough with a car? Thanks…
Hello! In your post you say ” I actually have an outline of where exactly you can find the different minerals I mentioned above all over this area, ” Any chance you’d be willing to share that with me? I’m heading out there with my kids in April, and since I’ve never been there this would be a huge help!
Thanks 🙂
Topaz is found pretty much everywhere. The west wall has the best, but it is buried by the debris from so many rockhounds. The west wall is also best for red beryl. Don’t expect gem quality, but if you find a good area you should find a piece or two. Bring a 1/8 mesh screen though, the don’t get much bigger. Most of the beryl I have found has been screened. But once you get used to the red and the stop sign shape you’ll spot it fairly easily.
The north wall is best for pseudo-brookite, but good luck. That stuff is almost impossible to get home without damage.
I usually go to the east wall. Just walk around and look at the topaz that is sticking out from the rocks. What you see on the outside is pretty much what you’ll find on the inside when you start breaking the rocks.
I am planning a trip in a few weeks to Utah with my 2 boys, and Topaz Mountain is on our list of things we want to go take a day trip to go do. I know this sounds silly, but we are coming from NC, so we are not used to using coordinate locations. ha! When you approach Topaz mountain, is the last sign you see is the “rockhound” signage? Or is there more of what the “north” or “east” side of the mountain would be? I am getting a rental car, in hopes I can get a compact SUV, but would I need 4WD to drive to the good spot? Also, I saw the company that does the public and private “blasts” or excavating, but it seems really expensive, when some say to drive a little further to rockhound on your own, or for free, should I say? In this post, are you talking about digging solely by yourself (not through the company)? Thank you! If you can’t reply here, please email me with more info! I would definitely love to see maybe a drawn out map, if you can, possibly? lol. I know it sounds crazy, but I haven’t been to Utah in 16 years, well… I haven’t even really been out driving by myself in the Western US ever, so I know my GPS is not going to be that great, though. 😉 Thank you!
[email protected]
I’d love to see that map, too, if possible!
Just wanted to say thanks for posting. Never been. Was curious about RV’s and good directions and tools and method to go there for the first time. Very grateful to stumble on your post and thread of comments. All my questions have been answered. Many screenshots have been taken and now I am going to go to topaz mountain and find some awesome stuff. I just wanted to tell you thanks for the info and taking the time to be so awesome.
Also wanted to ask if there was any guidance or direction on finding amethyst or hematite there.
Hematite is everywhere, but tiny flakes are pretty much all you’ll find. I’ve got a couple of small “nuggets” but they disintegrate quickly into a black powder.
Amethyst can be found, but very tiny crystals. If you see purple it is much more likely to be fluorite. Again, small crystals. Most of us use the purple color not to collect, but to point to a mineralized area that hopefully will contain topaz, bixbyite or red beryl.
Just wanted to say thanks for posting. Never been. Was curious about RV’s and good directions and tools and method to go there for the first time. Very grateful to stumble on your post and thread of comments. All my questions have been answered. Many screenshots have been taken and now I am going to go to topaz mountain and find some awesome stuff. I just wanted to tell you thanks for the info and taking the time to be so awesome.
Went to topaz April 22-30th I hate coming home from such a great time searching for topaz and other mineral and I found a bunch for those of you that would like to go up and pay for the fresh blast $600 sounds a lot but if you get a group of ya and you all pitch in it’s not as bad as you may think for fresh material and the finds are amazing I have gone for the past 3 yrs at least 3 times a summer and we pay for the blast I have made friends with such good people I meet up there my favorite is Rhonda the claim and business owners of topaz adventures What a nice friend can’t wait to get back up there.
My 9-year-old son is super keen to go and find some rocks that he is wanting to collect. I would love to do the paid tour but we can’t afford it. If we do go up ourselves, you mentioned that we need a heavy duty sledgehammer and a selection of chisels. Are you referring to a long-handled hammer or just a small single wielded one? Also, what sort of chisels would we be best getting?
There is a mining claim in the “best” part of Topaz Mountain that is run by Topaz Mountain Adventures. Their advantage is that they blast, which allows their customers access to more and more rock every time they blow some more of the hillside away. I believe they charge $25/person to dig in their area per day. However, outside of that is all public mining area. Some people do just fine in the public area, from what I’ve seen, but it is definitely a lot more work and there’s no guarantee you’ll find anything great. For me, the $25 is definitely worth it. They do have a $600 (I think) private blasting tour where they’ll let you at the new stuff first and help you out, but I’d just suggest one of the cheaper ones. Details here: http://topazmountainadventures.com/passes/
As far as tools, you should only need a smaller 3-4 lb sledge that you can swing with one hand. A lot of people go with Estwing’s 3lb. For chisels, make sure they are designed for rocks/cement/hard material, otherwise they will likely dull or break (so don’t use wood chisels). The Stanley Fatmax cold chisels are decent. There’s a 1″x 12″ with a grip/guard that should be great for most stuff. I also have a smaller one for more delicate work. I’d also suggest a rock hammer or two (flat on one end, pick on the other). Estwing is the classic brand for that, but Amazon has some much cheaper (and nearly as good) versions as far as I can tell.
Worth it. We have a 3 lb sledge, chisel, screwdriver and a straw (to blow away loose rock/dust)
Hello… We are coming this summer, and plan to spend a few days in the area in our motorhome. But my question is, is the “amphitheater” owned under a claim? Topaz mountain adventures? If so, is there still decent mineral hunting outside their claim? Or just best to buy a pass?
Please help.. as you seem very knowledgeable!
Hi Ed! Topaz mountain Adventures owns the knoll in the middle of the amphitheater. Most everything else is fair game. They seem like nice people and you may do well with them if it is your first time. I’ve had lots of success all over the sides of the amphitheater though. I see a lot of people worrying about not finding good stuff outside of the claim, but in all honesty I’ve found amazing stuff all over the amphitheater! TMA makes it easy for you because they blast, but honestly the material is just as abundant in other places, it is just a matter of putting in the work to get it.
They own a small claim in the center, but the rest is open access. The claim area is obvious and clearly marked as well as signs pointing to the free access area. We took our first trip this weekend and found a handful of topaz outside of the claim. Topaz adventures blasts from time to time to make it easer for their customers orherwise their claim isn’t much different from the rest of the area.
Do you have a Google map approximately how far is it from Salt Lake City
Hi David! I can’t get the Google Map to give me a link to the cove itself. Here is what it is giving me: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Salt+Lake+City,+UT/Topaz+Mountain,+Utah/@40.1152235,-112.9354121,9z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x87523d9488d131ed:0x5b53b7a0484d31ca!2m2!1d-111.8910474!2d40.7607793!1m5!1m1!1s0x80b2ef56118ac767:0x4feb61e65eb779e3!2m2!1d-113.1033043!2d39.7093897
This takes you literally to Topaz Mountain itself. The actual amphitheater where people collect is a little bit Southwest of that point. So, instead of following the road up and around the mountain at the very last part there, I would take that last left turn on the dirt road where it forks and meander on up into the actual cove/amphitheater. The timing is right though. It will probably take you around 3 hours give or take.
Hi, I’m interested in going to Topaz mountain and saw that you have to buy a pass to get into part of the area. Are there good places to find topaz outside of the privately owned area? Thanks!
Hi Kara! You bet! I’m in the process of creating a separate google map for the Thomas Range only (including Topaz Mountain). When you go out to the Topaz Mountain amphitheater and drive through the middle of the cove you will see signs posted at every entrance to the claim. You are totally fine to drive through it as long as you don’t dig around or pick anything up. Most of my success has been over on the west wall of the amphitheater which is well outside of the claim. When you go, especially if you go on a weekend, you will see (or hear) people up there in the different locations hammering and chiseling away. Many people like to follow the washes up to these digs as sometimes you can see floaters in the rubble. If you hike up the Western walls of the cove you should see plenty of different areas where people have been digging (usually around super white looking rhyolite) and you can pick right up where they left off. Many people have a lot of success just breaking up the chunks of rhyolite that previous diggers have left behind. Sometimes it is easier than hacking at the wall. Best of luck to you!
do you need a pass or anything to go? also can you bring children?
Hi Jen! Nope, no pass needed 🙂 And I see kids there all the time. You might have to hike a little bit away from the main washes since those are generally pretty picked over, but just a few weeks ago my friend and I were just hiking along one of the trails and he picked up one of the biggest red beryls I’ve ever seen come out of the cove. So, you never know what you might find. I always like to think kids have a better eye for the stuff laying on the ground anyway. Always helps to have a few extra sets of eyes 🙂
Hi,
Was thinking of heading to Topaz this weekend in my RV. Not sure if anything has changed since this post. But is the road suitable for an RV. What is best area for parking up the RV.
thanks
Hi Gavin. Yes, I see RVs and campers there all the time. They don’t usually make it all the way to the end of the road, but there are many many areas to camp along the way to the cove. You’ll see well established campsites off of both sides of the road, but it seems to get more crowded the closer you get to the middle of the amphitheater.
Hello I was wondering if you could tell me what the name of this shape of minerals is. the picture I am sending is from tv show it is the only one I can remember where I have seen it recently. I have seen them at rock shows as well but cant remember the name of them. http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/transformersprime/images/9/9a/Red_Energon.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120923014007
Hi Natalee!
I think the picture you have there is from the Transformers TV show. That particular mineral on the show gives the transformers extra speed or something. The shape though does look to me just like a regular quartz cluster (but totally exaggerated obviously). It could be anything from amethyst to citrine to smoky quartz depending on the color. Sometimes people will even dye the quartz crystals various colors to create a sort of alien look like that specimen on the TV show.
hi
We’re heading out there today. Going to hit Topaz Mountain, Sunstone Knoll and Black Rock. Been a few years since I’ve been so I’m super excited. Going to be an awesome weekend!
We wish you happy hounding Kortjesster! Bring back some good stuff! Let us know how it goes 🙂
Hey Kort,
How did you guys do up there? I’m planning a trip there this month.
Went to Topaz Mountain today….so we thought…..We turned left on the sign and kept going aroubd this huge mountain but nothing there. Just got home exhausted to find out Topaz mountain is white?
Can you tell me how to get there?
🙁
Thank you
Hi Giovana! I’m so sorry to hear that! Topaz Mountain is my favorite place to go. Really anywhere along the Thomas Range is my favorite. I do have a set of directions at the end of my Topaz Mountain post on here. Would those help at all by chance? I’m not sure which direction you were coming from, but I usually come down from Orem so that is where the directions start from. As far as the white coloring, you probably won’t see much of that until you are actually in the amphitheater itself so that might not be the best landmark to go off of. The best thing to look for is the big brown sign off of Brush Wellman Road (it is a little over 37 miles from Highway 6). From that turnoff, the amphitheater isn’t far. You’ll just want to head in a somewhat Northwesternly direction into the cove.