Where to Find Fossils in Missouri
Missouri has 7 mapped collecting spots that report fossils, spread across 5 counties. The largest share sits in Daviess County County with 2 spots. 7 of the spots are on land mapped as publicly accessible.
Map of 7 fossils collecting spots in Missouri
Standout fossils spots in Missouri
Hand-picked from the full list below, with the reason each one earns a trip.
Daviess County
Daviess County County
Daviess County lies in the glaciated plains of northern Missouri, where Pleistocene ice sheets carried Lake Superior agates south from the Great Lakes basin and dropped them in glacial drift and stream gravels. Collectors work the area's creeks and the Grand River gravels for banded fortification agate, jasper, petrified wood, and fossils. The agates are tumble-rounded and frost-pitted, distinct from the local sedimentary chert.
Gallatin
Daviess County County
Gallatin sits on the Grand River in glaciated Daviess County, and the river gravels here are a documented source of petrified wood, agate, jasper, and chalcedony reworked from glacial drift. It gives collectors a defined river-access point within the broader northwestern Missouri agate country. Petrified wood is the standout find, with pieces showing clear cell structure.
Gentry County
Gentry County County
Gentry County in far northwestern Missouri lies squarely in glacial-drift country, where ice-rafted Lake Superior agates, jasper, and petrified wood are scattered through till and reworked into the area's stream gravels. It is one of the recognized northwest Missouri counties for agate hunting, alongside Daviess, Grundy, and Livingston. The agates carry the classic red-and-white fortification banding of the Lake Superior type.
Grundy County
Grundy County County
Grundy County rounds out the cluster of glaciated northern Missouri counties that yield ice-transported Lake Superior agates, with mindat documenting Lake Superior agate from the county. Its creeks and the Thompson and Weldon river gravels rework glacial drift, freeing agate, jasper, and petrified wood. The material is the same banded, tumble-rounded agate prized by Midwest collectors.
Best counties for fossils in Missouri
Ranked by the number of mapped fossils spots. County links open the full rockhounding page for that county.
- Daviess County2 spots
- Saint Charles County2 spots
- Gentry County1 spot
- Grundy County1 spot
- Livingston County1 spot
Every fossils spot we track in Missouri
Sorted by county. Coordinates open in Google Maps.
| Spot | County | Minerals | Coordinates | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daviess County215th Street | Daviess County | 39.9653, -93.9975 | Public | |
| GallatinPepper Avenue | Daviess County | 39.9193, -93.9405 | Public | |
| Gentry County | Gentry County | 40.2077, -94.3754 | Public | |
| Grundy County | Grundy County | 40.1196, -93.5296 | Public | |
| Livingston County | Livingston County | 39.7545, -93.5739 | Public | |
| Defiance QuarryMO DD | Saint Charles County |
| 38.6608, -90.7760 | Public |
| Saint Charles QuarryArena Parkway | Saint Charles County | 38.7504, -90.5095 | Public |
Fossils in Missouri FAQ
Where can you find fossils in Missouri?+
How many fossils spots are mapped in Missouri?+
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Where else to find fossils
More minerals to hunt in Missouri
Hunt fossils in Missouri 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.
