Summary:

A $5 yearly fee is required to dig at the Moose Lake Agate Pits. Currently, digging is only allowed in the Soo Line Pit (Pit #3) I have left coordinates to all 3 on here, as the others may become available to the public again.
They were all available for digging as recently as 2022, so it’s a possibility.

Moose Lake, Minnesota is home to Agate Days, a festival celebrating the state gemstone of Minnesota. Check it out if you’re looking for an awesome family event during the Summer months. Typically it runs in mid-july and is complete with an agate stampede, where the city unloads dump trucks full of gravel in the street giving everyone a chance to find their own agate.

This page is specifically for the agate pits of Carlton County. There are 3 of them, but as mentioned above, only 1 is currently publicly accessible.

These are naturally ocurring glacial gravel pits where ancient ice has pushed a large amount of gravel into one area. In these gravels, you have a great chance of finding agates.

When I visited in 2022, I visited Pit #1 and #2 but I have not visited Pit #3 which is the currently active one. (As of January 2026)

I unfortunately lost the few photos I had from when I visited. I hope to add some if I’m able to return.

More complete information about the permits and active dig sites can be found here: https://www.mooselakechamber.com/agate-picking-permits/