Where to Find Chalcedony in South Dakota
South Dakota has 7 mapped collecting spots that report chalcedony, spread across 5 counties. The largest share sits in Lawrence County County with 2 spots. 7 of the spots are on land mapped as publicly accessible.
Map of 7 chalcedony collecting spots in South Dakota
Standout chalcedony spots in South Dakota
Hand-picked from the full list below, with the reason each one earns a trip.
Ardmore
Fall River County County
The badlands and surface gravels east and southeast of the near-ghost town of Ardmore are a well-documented Fairburn agate locality, producing Fairburn agate, agatized wood, jasper, chalcedony, and rose quartz. This is the southern end of the Fairburn agate belt that continues into the Nebraska grasslands, giving collectors a less-crowded alternative to the main Fairburn beds.
Camp Crook
Harding County County
The far northwestern corner of South Dakota around Camp Crook produces prairie moss agate and chalcedony in the river gravels of the Little Missouri system, material comparable in style to the well-known Montana moss agate. This locality adds genuine geographic and material breadth well outside the Black Hills agate country.
Spearfish Canyon
Lawrence County County
Lawrence County in the northern Black Hills is the best part of South Dakota for geodes, and the gravels in and around Spearfish Canyon yield baseball-sized geodes lined with amethyst, quartz, and chalcedony, plus silicified wood. The canyon is also one of the most scenic settings for rockhounding in the state.
Whitewood Creek
Lawrence County County
The gravels of Whitewood Creek in the northern Black Hills are a reliable source of geodes lined with amethyst and chalcedony, along with silicified wood. Together with Spearfish Canyon it anchors Lawrence County's reputation as the best geode-hunting district in South Dakota.
Best counties for chalcedony in South Dakota
Ranked by the number of mapped chalcedony spots. County links open the full rockhounding page for that county.
Every chalcedony spot we track in South Dakota
Sorted by county. Coordinates open in Google Maps.
| Spot | County | Minerals | Coordinates | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ArdmoreEast Ardmore Road | Fall River County |
| 43.0107, -103.4691 | Public |
| Camp CrookSD Highway 20 | Harding County | 45.5525, -103.9650 | Public | |
| InteriorBen Reifel Road | Jackson County | 43.7320, -101.9454 | Public | |
| Spearfish CanyonUS Highway 14A | Lawrence County | 44.3470, -103.9244 | Public | |
| Whitewood CreekWhitewood Valley Road | Lawrence County | 44.5465, -103.5639 | Public | |
| Oglala | Oglala Lakota County | 43.2963, -102.9105 | Public | |
| Red ShirtTatanka Numpa Road | Oglala Lakota County | 43.6741, -102.8991 | Public |
Before you go
Read the chalcedony identification guide so you know what a keeper looks like in the field: Chalcedony in the encyclopedia.
Chalcedony in South Dakota FAQ
Where can you find chalcedony in South Dakota?+
How many chalcedony spots are mapped in South Dakota?+
Is it legal to collect chalcedony in South Dakota?+
Where else to find chalcedony
More minerals to hunt in South Dakota
Hunt chalcedony in South Dakota with the map in your pocket
RockHoundR puts these spots on an offline map with BLM and Forest Service overlays, geology layers, and a log for your finds.
