Iron and Beaver County

Modena and Wild Horse obsidian

Last checked October 2026. No pins.

Rocky, brush-covered slopes of the Mineral Mountains near Milford, Utah, with a wide desert valley beyond — The Mineral Mountains near Milford, Beaver County. Wild Horse Canyon, the source of Wild Horse obsidian, is in this range. The old quarry there is a listed archaeological site. Photo: Bill Golladay, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Modena and Wild Horse Canyon are the two obsidian names people use west of Cedar City. Some of that ground is BLM. Some is not. A forum pin is not a land-status check.

Click the section. Federal/BLM can start a casual-use day. SITLA needs a permit. Private needs the owner.
Worked flakes, points, and quarry pits that are archaeological stay on the ground. Artifacts are not specimens.
Fresh nodules for personal use, if the owner allows collecting, still sit under the weight cap.

What you might find here

Black obsidian with white and pinkish spherulite snowflakes, from near Milford, Utah — Snowflake obsidian from northeast of Milford, Beaver County, with pink-tinged spherulites. Photo: DaveC1, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A single chunk of jet-black, glassy obsidian with shiny conchoidal fracture surfaces, on a plain gray background — Black obsidian from Lake County, Oregon, probably Glass Buttes. Not from Utah, shown as a typical example. Photo: James St. John, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Informational only — not legal advice. Confirm with the managing agency before you dig or hunt.

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