A field guide to who owns the ground
Across the western states the dirt all looks like public land. Some of it is BLM. Some of it is state trust land. Some of it is a park where the pretty chip in the gravel is still the exhibit. This guide is for that moment before the bucket comes out.
The federal basics travel with you: BLM casual use, hand tools, no selling the take, and mining claims on the same map. State trust lands, state parks and field offices do not. Each state hub covers its own land types, agencies and named sites.
BLM, SITLA trust land, state and national parks, Grand Staircase–Escalante and Bears Ears, and the named west-desert beds. Start here · 2026 monument changes · free cheat sheet
Photo: Lionel Powell, BLM Utah, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
BLM, state lands, parks, refuges, monuments and claims. Why there’s no SITLA · Virgin Valley opal · Garnet Hill
Photo: BLM Nevada, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
BLM's written 25/250 rule, State Trust Land (no collecting), Petrified Forest, BLM monuments, refuges and military ranges. State Trust Land · Petrified wood · Arizona BLM
Photo: BLM Arizona, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
BLM's “reasonable day,” the O&C checkerboard, the one-gallon beach agate rule, Crater Lake and John Day Fossil Beds, and Hart Mountain's 7 lb refuge rule. Sunstone · Beach agates · Oregon BLM
Photo: Lisa McNee, BLM Oregon & Washington, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
BLM casual use and the petrified wood limit, the ticketed Emerald Creek star garnet site, IDL endowment land's two answers, Craters of the Moon and Hagerman. Emerald Creek · State lands · Idaho BLM
Photo: Bureau of Land Management, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
BLM's hobby-collection rule and jade claims, state trust land's “rock hunting” day use, state parks, Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Fossil Butte. Jade & agate · State lands · Wyoming BLM
Photo: Bureau of Land Management, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
More states are on the way. Until then: Colorado BLM basics.
Utah · 35-page PDF
Red rock, agate and jasper: six Utah land types, the SITLA permit, 2026 GSENM/Bears Ears changes and MLRS.
The $25 SITLA permit is bought separately from the state and is not included.
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Nevada · 34-page PDF
Turquoise and Virgin Valley opal country: every Nevada land type, why there’s no SITLA-style permit, claims and Garnet Hill.
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Arizona · 34-page PDF
Petrified wood and fire agate: seven Arizona land types, why State Trust Land is closed, the BLM weight rule and Petrified Forest.
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Oregon · 35-page PDF
Sunstone and thundereggs: seven Oregon land types, BLM’s “reasonable day,” the beach gallon rule and Hart Mountain’s 7 lb rule.
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Idaho · 35-page PDF
Star garnet country: seven Idaho land types, BLM petrified wood limits, Emerald Creek, IDL endowment land and the parks.
Emerald Creek tickets and park fees are bought separately from the agencies.
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Wyoming · 35-page PDF
Jade and agate country: seven Wyoming land types, BLM hobby limits and jade claims, state trust land, Yellowstone and Fossil Butte.
Permits, passes and park fees are obtained separately from the agencies.
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Utah site guide · 5 pages
Banded wonderstone in the Vernon Hills: BLM limits, the old claim, nearby state and private land, route and safety.
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Utah site guide · 5 pages
Agate, jasper and petrified wood off Highway 24: BLM rules, the nearby land lines, claim check, route and safety.
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Utah site guide · 5 pages
Dugway geodes: BLM and state-land rules, claim checks, the Pony Express Road route and Proving Ground safety.
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Utah site guide · 5 pages
Topaz crystals in the Thomas Range: BLM and trust-section rules, claim checks, routes from Nephi and Delta.
Card illustrations: original art.
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Utah cheat sheet · 4 pages
Trust land agates and the permit line: a 15-situation verdict chart, leases, camping and vehicle rules.
The $25 TLA permit is bought separately from the state and is not included.
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Utah cheat sheet · 4 pages
Obsidian, jasper or geodes, every land type side by side: BLM, SITLA, Forest Service, parks and monuments.
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Utah flowchart · 2 pages
Found snowflake obsidian? Six color-coded questions take you to collect, ask first, or stop.
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Utah cheat sheet · 4 pages
Trilobites and petrified wood: rules for 9 Utah land types on one chart, and what to do if you find a bone.
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Utah cheat sheet · 4 pages
Quartz and jasper on a claimed hill? MLRS lookups step by step, claim markers and a 12-situation verdict chart.
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Planner · 4 pages
Color Country agate and petrified wood trips: who manages what, spot cards, checklists and a 250-lb log.
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Kids · 23 pages
Geodes, topaz, trilobites and desert critters: 19 coloring pages with fun facts for ages 4–10.
Kids · 17 pages
Amethyst, red beryl, turquoise and opal: 15 gem coloring pages with fun facts for ages 4–10.
Kids · 17 pages
Utahraptor, Stegosaurus and Utahceratops: 15 dinosaur coloring pages for ages 4–10.
Kids · 17 pages
Roadrunner, kit fox, Gila monster and burrowing owl: 15 desert-wildlife coloring pages.
Owner, overlay, claim, cap, exit. Five checks.
A full bucket is often already over the daily cap.
Personal use only. Selling the take is a different line.
Hammer and shovel yes. Motor no.
Still says BLM. Collecting can still be closed.
BLM on the map. Someone else may already have the minerals.
BLM on the map. Someone else may already have the minerals.
Fee site rules are not the BLM 25-pound rule.
Bucket, screens, boots, cooler, maps. One pick each, and why the cheap version fails.
Download ownership before the bars disappear.
1/2" and 1/4". Leave the dirt in the wash.
Day hunt vs overnight. Ice in 100°F cab heat.
Bucket, lid, crate. A full bucket is often already over the cap.
Basalt, cinders, goatheads. Work-boot crossover vs trail boot.
Not legal advice. Confirm current rules with BLM, the Forest Service, the state trust-land, parks or wildlife agency, and whoever manages the parcel before you go. Rules change.
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