Mud Springs Road
South Dakota
Find: Teepee Canyon agates
GPS: 43.72905, -103.85789
Nearest city: Rapid City, SD
Recommended Vehicle: High clearance, but you can likely get in here with less suitable cars. It’s well-maintained.
Season: Accessible year round, Winter is likely to have significant snow, ice, and frigid temperatures.
Summary:
Teepee Canyon agates are one of the few varieties of agates that have been mined commercially in North America. I am not an expert on the topic, but they form in layers of limestone within the Black Hills area. Within these layers, you will find nodules of chert. In those nodules, you’ll find vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows comprising the layers of the Teepee Canyon agates. They have distinct, tightly banded patterning.
Mud Spring Road is a long gravel road that is right in the main area that Teepee Canyon agates have been found and enjoyed for many years. I explored the wide open ridge line in here for an entire day and ended up leaving with about a dozen agates. You will come across small holes and workings if you walk for long enough or spend a few days in here.
The marker takes you to the very beginning of Mud Springs Road. I found agates in multiple locations here, usually about halfway up the height of the slopes. Most of my agates were found in 2 small groups alongside one another near a hole that someone opened up before me.
3 Helpful Tools
The warmer months are arid and dry in South Dakota. A water bladder is a great luxury to hike with.
Water Bladder
I used a 1" flat bar chisel to split open nodules that I found to try and expose agate banding.
Chisel
Spray Bottle
A spray bottle is useful for getting a better look at banding in the dry stones you’ll find.
South Dakota's Black Hills region is beautiful and often has good hiking weather.
Here's an example of a Teepee Canyon agate. These aren't world class pieces. The ones dug 30 or 40 years ago are huge by comparison!
This one had multiple patches of nice color and banding.
I also tried my hand splitting a few nodules.
This one was a dud - they don't all contain banding.
Some souvenirs to try on the saw back home.