Rockhounding near Des Moines, IA

72 mapped rockhounding spots within 150 miles of Des Moines — most are inside a 2 to 3 hour drive. Below: a map, the closest spots, what they produce, and full coordinates with access notes.

Covering parts of Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota.

Closest rockhounding spots to Des Moines

The 6 nearest mapped spots, with straight-line distance and an approximate drive time.

Most-reported finds near Des Moines

Counts reflect how many spots in this radius mention each material.

Hunting something specific near Des Moines?

These materials have enough dedicated spots around Des Moines to earn their own page, with distances and a separate map.

Every spot within 150 miles of Des Moines

Sorted by distance from Des Moines. Tap a row to open the spot detail page with full directions, access status, and nearby trips.

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
AmesAudubon Trail	Story County	Chalcedony Fossils	42.0336, -93.6318	Public
NevadaLincoln Highway	Story County	Agate	42.0083, -93.3819	Public
Pershing185th Place	Marion County	Calcite	41.2629, -93.0069	Public
Orient AreaHenry A Wallace Road	Adair County	Agate Quartz Petrified Wood	41.2473, -94.3538	Public
Bells Mill ParkBell's Mill Road	Hamilton County	Calcite	42.3406, -93.8917	Public
Union305th Street	Hardin County	Geode	42.2540, -93.0581	Public
EldoraDole Drive	Hardin County	Geode	42.3631, -93.1175	Public
Steamboat RiverNorth 10th Street	Hardin County	Geode	42.4098, -93.0726	Public
Fort Dodge	Webster County	Gypsum	42.4561, -94.1592	Public
Cedar Creek335th Street	Mahaska County	Silicified Coral Calcified Coral	41.1678, -92.4599	Public
Centerville (gypsum)497th Street	Appanoose County	Gypsum	40.7658, -92.9153	Public
Centerville (pyrite)Dewey Road	Appanoose County	Pyrite Selenite	40.7106, -92.8484	Public
Benton County61st Street	Benton County	Coldwater Agate	42.1359, -92.1265	Public
KeotaKeokuk Washington Road	Washington County	Agate	41.3435, -91.9424	Public
La Porte CityCedar Valley Nature Trail	Black Hawk County	Agate	42.3215, -92.1875	Public
ChapinOlive Avenue	Franklin County	Geode	42.8543, -93.2203	Public
Riverview Recreation AreaCedar Valley Lakes Trail	Black Hawk County	Geode	42.4766, -92.3008	Public
Red Oak170 Street	Montgomery County	Chert Protozoa Agate	41.0566, -95.2851	Public
SheffieldQuail Avenue	Cerro Gordo County	Geode	42.9217, -93.1778	Public
Shell RockState Highway 3	Butler County	Lake Superior Agate	42.7266, -92.5863	Public
Black Hawk CountyNorth Elk Run Road	Black Hawk County	Coldwater Agate	42.5218, -92.2549	Public
Brandon330th Street	Buchanan County	Geode Fossils	42.3164, -91.9902	Public
Grundy County	Grundy County	Lake Superior Agate Jasper Fossils Petrified Wood	40.1196, -93.5296	Public
Gentry County	Gentry County	Lake Superior Agate Jasper Fossils Petrified Wood	40.2077, -94.3754	Public
CoralvilleLL Pelling Road	Johnson County	Silicified Coral Calcified Coral	41.6883, -91.6242	Public

Des Moines rockhounding FAQ

Where can I go rockhounding near Des Moines?+

There are 72 mapped rockhounding spots within about 150 miles of Des Moines, Iowa. The closest is Ames in Story County, roughly 31 miles away. The full list is on this page with coordinates and drive times.

What rocks and minerals can you find near Des Moines?+

Spots within driving distance of Des Moines most commonly produce geode, agate, calcite, jasper, lake superior agate, petrified wood.

Is rockhounding legal near Des Moines?+

Casual hand collecting of common rocks and minerals is allowed on most BLM and U.S. Forest Service land, with limits set by the local field office. National parks, most state parks, and tribal land are off-limits. Each spot page on this site lists access status; always confirm current rules with the managing agency before a trip.

How far do most rockhounders drive from Des Moines?+

Most weekend trips from Des Moines fall inside a 2 to 3 hour drive, which is roughly the 150-mile radius shown on this page. Closer spots are good for half-day outings; the outer ones are better as overnight trips.

More state coverage

The spots above span 5 states. Open the state page for the full county-by-county view.

Pack Des Moines's rockhounding map in your pocket

Open RockHoundR for live land overlays, weather, geology, directions, and saved finds — wherever the drive takes you.