Rockhounding near Rapid City, SD

59 mapped rockhounding spots within 150 miles of Rapid City — 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 South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Montana, North Dakota.

Closest rockhounding spots to Rapid City

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

SummersetMeade County, South Dakota10 mi · 12 min driveFossils
Pennington CountyPennington County, South Dakota10 mi · 13 min driveAmethyst
Meade CountyMeade County, South Dakota12 mi · 15 min driveYellow Barite, Amber Barite, Whewellite
PiedmontMeade County, South Dakota12 mi · 16 min driveSelenite
KeystonePennington County, South Dakota16 mi · 20 min driveTourmaline, Spodumene, Lepidolite
Hill CityPennington County, South Dakota21 mi · 26 min driveBeryl, Red Cassiterite, Cervantite

Most-reported finds near Rapid City

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

Hunting something specific near Rapid City?

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

Every spot within 150 miles of Rapid City

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

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
Summerset	Meade County	Fossils	44.2046, -103.3313	Public
Pennington CountyHighway 1416	Pennington County	Amethyst	44.1079, -103.0245	Public
Meade CountyElk Vale Road	Meade County	Yellow Barite Amber Barite Whewellite	44.2400, -103.1517	Public
Piedmont	Meade County	Selenite	44.2323, -103.3681	Public
KeystoneBlair Street	Pennington County	Tourmaline Spodumene Lepidolite Autunite Golden Beryl Quartz Zircon Aquamarine	43.8950, -103.4173	Public
Hill CityCampaign Hill Road	Pennington County	Beryl Red Cassiterite Cervantite Columbite Graphite Wolframite	43.9333, -103.5941	Public
Fairburn	Custer County	Fairburn Agate	43.7713, -103.3600	Permission
November MineNeedles Highway	Custer County	Arsenopyrite Fluorapatite	43.8373, -103.5431	Permission
Laughing Water CreekEcho Valley Road	Custer County	Columbite Gold Silver	43.8183, -103.6169	Public
RochfordSouth Rochford Road	Pennington County	Arsenopyrite Galena Gold Pyrite Silver Sphalerite	44.0983, -103.7740	Public
Fairburn	Custer County	Fairburn Agate Agatized Wood Yellow Jasper	43.6683, -103.0269	Public
Broken Boot Gold MineUS Highway 14A	Lawrence County	Gold Arsenopyrite Galena Pyrite Sphalerite	44.3707, -103.7423	Public
Red ShirtTatanka Numpa Road	Oglala Lakota County	Agate Chalcedony Jasper	43.6741, -102.8991	Public
Tin MountainWarren Gulch	Custer County	Fluorapatite Quartz Almandine Garnet Cassiterite Mica Tourmaline Zircon	43.7557, -103.7201	Public
Cheyenne River	Custer County	Fairburn Agate	43.6028, -103.0230	Public
Whitewood CreekWhitewood Valley Road	Lawrence County	Amethyst Geode Chalcedony Silicified Wood	44.5465, -103.5639	Public
Rapid CityPurple Heart Memorial Highway	Pennington County	Golden Barite Fossils	44.0943, -102.5015	Public
Elk CreekElm Springs Road	Meade County	Barite Calcite Quartz	44.2508, -102.5027	Public
Hell CanyonHell Canyon Trail	Custer County	Banded Agate Jade Jasper Geode Fossils	43.7494, -103.8421	Public
SavoyNorth Calamity Gulch Road	Lawrence County	Gold Fluorite Silver	44.3599, -103.9138	Public
Spearfish CanyonUS Highway 14A	Lawrence County	Amethyst Geode Chalcedony Silicified Wood	44.3470, -103.9244	Public
Pringle	Custer County	Fairhill Agate	43.5523, -103.6279	Public
Buffalo Gap	Custer County	Fairfield Agate	43.4887, -103.4342	Public
ScenicEast Highway 44	Pennington County	Blue Chalcedony Carnelian Aquamarine Beryl Garnet Jasper Agate	43.7522, -102.4966	Permission
Pleasant Valley Creek	Custer County	Banded Agate Jade Jasper Fossils Geode	43.5552, -103.7211	Public

Rapid City rockhounding FAQ

Where can I go rockhounding near Rapid City?+

There are 59 mapped rockhounding spots within about 150 miles of Rapid City, South Dakota. The closest is Summerset in Meade County, roughly 10 miles away. The full list is on this page with coordinates and drive times.

What rocks and minerals can you find near Rapid City?+

Spots within driving distance of Rapid City most commonly produce chalcedony, jasper, agate, agatized wood, fossils, fairburn agate.

Is rockhounding legal near Rapid City?+

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 Rapid City?+

Most weekend trips from Rapid City 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 Rapid City's rockhounding map in your pocket

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