Looking Glass Rock
Utah
Find: Agates (vibrant orange/purple/yellow chalcedony)
GPS: 38.29309, -109.40129 (gate, pictured below)
38.29167, -109.42358 (collection area)
Nearest city: Moab, UT
Recommended Vehicle: 4x4
Season: Accessible year round, Winter may have snow but I was able to make it up here. Summer likely very hot.
Summary:
If you’ve ever driven on highway 191, you’ll witness some really cool scenery in Eastern Utah. The arches are a favorite, such as the Wilson Arch that you can see on the left side of the road if you’re going towards Monticello.
Slightly further off the beaten path is Looking Glass Rock, which is another arch nearby. These coordinates are not to visit or dig at the arch itself, but instead to find colorful pastel agate and chalcdeony in the public BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land nearby. Colors can be muted or saturated, ranging from warm reds and oranges to strange contrasts of yellows and purples.
I would argue that chalcedony would be a more accurate description for the material here than agate. Banded pieces are hard to come by. I did find one colored piece complete with a small pocket of banding in the area, though.
You’ll want 4x4 to get in here comfortably and it would be expect to find patches of mud if there’s been rain or snow recently. This can be a confusing spot to get to, so pictures with brief directions have been added below.
3 Helpful Tools
Geology Pick
A geology pick is helpful for overturning the stones that are embedded in the mud.
Water Bladder
Utah is very arid, and a water bladder makes life lots easier when you need lots of water. They don’t work great in Winter though, as the tubes tend to freeze up.
Rubber Tip Gloves
I like rubber-tipped gloves if I’m flipping over rocks all day. Agate can be sharp even when covered in dirt.
Heading South down Looking Glass Road, this is the gate you'll go through. You will likely find it closed, but not locked. It feels strange passing through if you haven't done it before, but this is common in public lands out West. Just leave the gate in the state you found it. Most gates are there to keep livestock in place.
You'll eventually come to a fork. Go left.
Here's a view from the area where you'll find all the chalcedony.
It's embedded in the mud just like this.
A geology pick or gad bar was helpful for turning these over for a better look.
A favorite of mine with some nice pink to white pastel colors.
An example of the wide span of colors that's in the chalcedony up here.