Black Creek
Michigan
Find: Prehnite, oolitic hematite jasper, amygaloidal rhyolite/basalt, garnet + gneiss, Lake Superior Agate
GPS: 47.33079, -88.46747
Nearest city: Houghton, MI
Recommended Vehicle: Any
Season: Accessible year round, Winter is likely to have significant snow, ice, and frigid temperatures.
Summary:
While I’m not sure if it’s totally needed, but I decided to create a separate page for this spot. I ended up hiking down here along the beach of Gratiot River. The mouth of Black Creek is a little over 1 mile hike to the South.
The rock here changes a little bit from the water-smoothed bedrock to a more typical rock beach. There also seemed to be a bit more variety in what I was finding.
I had a cool encounter with 2 bald eagles flying low above my head while walking between this location and the Gratiot River mouth.
Note: Direct access to this spot may be tricky. Locals mentioned there is a pull off on the gravel road to Gratiot River. Supposedly, it’s an overgrown 2-track and you’ll want AWD. However, the hike down on the beach from Gratiot River was easy.
Video
Check out the video for a better look at what can be found when exploring this spot.
This is the 3rd spot listed in the video description links.
3 Helpful Tools
Chest Waders
Chest waders are great to stay dry if you want to get in the lake.
Agate Scoop
An agate scoop is helpful to pick things up faster and farther away from you.
Classifier
A classifier is fun to sit with if you’re a fan of small agates and stones. One with a larger, 1-inch mesh would be what I’d pick.
The colorful rocks at this location stick out easily.
Many were 'almost agates' with little sections of banding that aren't continuous. Larger agates can be found up here, though. They're called Keweenaw agates and are a specific variety of Lake Superior Agate.
Another photo of the bald eagle encounter.
Another look underwater. The brown bedrock in the area is similar to what you'd find on the Northern portion of the Minnesota coast.