Western Utah

[Thumbcocker]

Mrs. Thumbcocker would like to dig for fossils and topaz near Delta Utah. Can anyone recommend good camping areas and stuff to see or do. We have a 4X4 with good tires. We would like to camp in a safe place for a few days (camping =tent) and just let the quiet soak in. A little shooting would be good. We also like museums, local history, and scenery you don't get in Illinois. Suggestions appreciated.

[runfiverun]

Delta is a small town in the middle of nowhere.
been there 5-600 thousand times.

just ask for directions to Topaz mountain in Town, you'll find crystals there if you know what your looking at. [mostly a crystal with some white rock around part or all of it]
they are laying on the ground.

camp where you want.
seriously it's in the middle of nowhere.
bring water.
it is a desert.
hot and cold [night to day]
colder in the winter, hotter in the summer. [between minus sumthin and 100+]
bring water containers.
fill them.
take extra gas.
the wind blows there too.
enjoy.
oh,,,, there can be places with lots of Rabbits so plenty of target time is available.
the high schools team mascot is a jack rabbit so that should tell you something.

[Sweetpea]

Delta is known for its pig farms... and wind!

Sounds like Lamar knows the area better than I do, I've only been through there a couple of times.

I wasn't aware of the crystals, sounds like that could be fun. And you should see plenty of pronghorn, around there it can be flat enough to see them 20 miles away.:popcorn:

If you make it down this way, be sure to stop in for dinner!

Brandon

[Duckiller]

I have been to Vernal and Dinosaur National Monument. Lots of fossils, don't know about topaz. Assorted campgrounds in the monument. Vernal is near the eastern edge of Utah.

[runfiverun]

yeah,,, I know a few of the roads out that way.
I can get you to Wendover on dirt or to Tooele/Lehi on dirt from there.

there is a lot of solitude out in the west desert, it's one of my favorite places on the planet, but it can be damn unforgiving if your not prepared.

[Thumbcocker]

We typically have at least 5 gallons of water, a high lift jack, tire slime, 12 volt air compressor, full mechanics tool set, plenty of food, tent and camping equipment, a 12 volt booster pack and assorted other equipment.

[Bad Water Bill]

Also have some way to contact others IF you run into trouble while you are off the beaten paths.

Quick sand is also a hazard out there also

PLEASE do not ask me.

[big bore 99]

Never been there myself, but see you are from Ill. When I lived there years ago. We found tons of good fossils at the old strip mines The deepest digs are on top of the piles. Easy diggin.

[quilbilly]

We have also been rockhounding in that general area. In that part of the world, close by is a relative concept not determined by miles (one mountain range over is almost next door). If you are camping between Memorial Day and Columbus Day, the ideal for us has been to camp at Great Basin National Park. It has gorgeous camps with streams plus you can choose your elevation depending on how hot it is on the valley floors. There are campgrounds as high as over 10,000 feet or down around 6,000. If you prefer rougher, less used camps, there are excellent campsites on trout streams in the Humboldt National Forest on the east flanks of the Snake Mountain Range. A couple years ago I would have recommended camping on Strawberry Creek near Hwy 50 but there was a fire there last year so shade is now limited. Silver Creek north of Hwy 50 has some nice sites. All these places are on the Nevada side of the border with Utah. No hunting license is required in either Nevada or Utah for varmints (coyotes, jack rabbits, ground squirrels, and (Utah only) foxes). Bring drinking water but water is abundant if you know where to look. if you want to see what the high country looks like, on your computer search Cave Mountain, Nevada then find the UNR SEISMO web cam on top of that peak which is part of the AlertTahoe camera network. If you are a little less serious about rockhounding but more in camping, solitude,watching wildlife (deer+elk), and fishing, I especially recommend either extraordinary BLM or Forest Service camps on Cleve Creek flowing east from the Schell Mountains where I spent a week once and saw no one but a UPS truck on the road 5 miles across the valley. For the record - The highest camps in that area (over 8500 feet) are usually not accessible until July 4 or even later due to snow (this year it was mid-July)

[runfiverun]

https://rockhoundingutah.com/topaz-mountain/

this should help.
scroll down to the comments for more information and links.

[Bad Water Bill]

Never been there myself, but see you are from Ill. When I lived there years ago. We found tons of good fossils at the old strip mines The deepest digs are on top of the piles. Easy diggin.

You must be thinking of the TULLY MONSTERS found in and near Mazon creek.
Francis Tully was the first to find them and his name stuck.
The site is now under water as part of a cooling pond for a nuclear generating plant.

[Thumbcocker]

Mrs. Thumbcocker wants to get some trilobites at a pay to mine place and then head on for topaz. Me I am happy anywhere I can have some quiet and shoot some rocks.

[Bad Water Bill]

Go here for a video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYNuDR3FVmE

Yes I still have ALL of the tools he is using from when I went out west every summer looking for rocks to turn into jewelry

[MT Gianni]

My father was raised in and around Delta, Grandfather died while running a gyppo silver mine with 2 friends in '59. I have not been back since the late 80's but if you are not afraid to leave the pavement you can find some really wild country. Like Lamar said it can be 110 in the summer and -35 in the winter but it doesn't always follow the calendar.

[runfiverun]

-35 and dry and cold.
I remember driving out there going to crystal springs in my old [64] ford pickup
I had cardboard on the grill about 2" thick and couldn't keep heat in the cab.
I stopped and put on my neoprene waders, dug the blanket out from behind the seat, and duct taped the door seams, for the rest of the drive out.
I had a pretty good day of Duck/Goose hunting out there though.

one other time I was out there bunny hunting with my 2 BIL's and it got so cold we lit some tires and a couple of rail road ties on fire with some gas and opened the doors on the one side of the Polara trying to get some heat in the car and battery so we could start it.
we pulled the battery and set it by the fire, when we could feel it getting warm we put it back in, piled in the car [we all said a little prayer] thankfully it started and headed back to town.

there was also the time that the waaay out of date bottle of Czechoslovakian beer that was in the trunk of the car was the best beer I ever tasted, but we won't go into that one.:lol:

[Thumbcocker]

Dad had a 72 Dodge Polara. I was the maintaince crew. It was a turd with tires. I have fanaticized about winning the lottery and buying a pristine one so I could shoot it and set it on fire. On the other hand lying in a puddle of melted snow and replacing the starter on it (again) played a pivotal role in my decision to continue my education.

[runfiverun]

this one was a 68 with the old style 318.
I remember stopping on the side of the highway to adjust the valves on it one night at about 11:30 pm on the top of silver city junction.
we had just rebuilt the motor and everything was working itself in but it was awful hard to ignore that clatter going up the canyon.
none of us could remember the valve lash so we guessed at it and set them all the same and went with it.
we must have been close because we never touched them again.
when we told their dad about it he about went apocalyptic jeez the things you should never tell a mechanic. [he was madder that we had some of his tools with us then he was about the moonlight repair]

[tucumcari_kid]

Look at the Border Inn, I think they have camping maybe even a range. hwy 50 right on Utah Nevada border. Bit further west but there is plenty of open spaces. I think the range is on the UT side if they built it. I usually go off into the countryside -- one big range ... (heck don't they call it the "open range"?)

I dont think anyone would bother you if you camp off the road. Fairly common in Utah in National Parks, etc.

[Thumbcocker]

It takes a little for us folks from the east to wrap our mind around the concept of public land and being able to shoot wherever you can find a safe space. I guess we have lived too long in confinement. I have run into a few folks on my land who felt it was free for all to use during mushroom and deer season.

[tucumcari_kid]

It takes a little for us folks from the east to wrap our mind around the concept of public land and being able to shoot wherever you can find a safe space. I guess we have lived too long in confinement. I have run into a few folks on my land who felt it was free for all to use during mushroom and deer season.

Maybe we're a tad more conscientious out here because there are always armed people walking around. But there is enough open space that you can avoid people. Just don't graze sheep on cattle range... new set of problems...

[runfiverun]

sheep rip the roots out, cows pull the grass so it can grow back.
now everyone knows why cattlemen hate sheep herders.

[blackthorn]

sheep rip the roots out, cows pull the grass so it can grow back.
now everyone knows why cattlemen hate sheep herders.

Wow, and here I thought it was because shepherd's pie was made with beef!

[Olut]

Mrs. Thumbcocker wants to get some trilobites at a pay to mine place and then head on for topaz. Me I am happy anywhere I can have some quiet and shoot some rocks.
My wife and I have rock hounded thru UTAH many times. Delta is "off the beaten path", but quite accessible. We spent 4 hours at the trilobite beds & were tired but happy with our pickings. The attendant at the "pay to collect" site was helpful and knowledgeable. Topaz Mountain is another fun site and also easy to access, but don't expect a lot of gem-quality finds (we are heading off from New Hampshire to western Colorado and eastern Utah for a collecting trip this weekend!)

[runfiverun]

even a sheep herder won't eat sheep.

[MT Gianni]

The Campbells Soup company has been the biggest buyer of old bad mouthed ewes for decades. If you think you don't eat mutton in a cream soup think again.

[Mike H]

sheep rip the roots out, cows pull the grass so it can grow back.
now everyone knows why cattlemen hate sheep herders.
You learn something every day,I would have thought overstocking with sheep was the problem.

[tucumcari_kid]

The Campbells Soup company has been the biggest buyer of old bad mouthed ewes for decades. If you think you don't eat mutton in a cream soup think again.

I like lamb. Probably because I grew up on Campbell's soup.

[runfiverun]

he said mutton, and the worst kind there is.

[Bad Water Bill]

MEMORIES

About 30 years ago I was given directions to a town in southern Utah (no I will not name the town even if I could remember it) where I could cpllect all of the pet wood I wanted.

The gentleman was in the road construction business and years before he had collected enough wood that he built a fortress for his kids to play cowboys and indians in.

He sent us to a spot where he had built a watering hole for antelope.

He drew us a map then gave us 3 hours to search and get back too his home or he would drag us back out of a quicksand pit.

Yes we saw many logs sticking out of the dunes but they were all to big to fit in our maxi van and yes we found the quicksand pit but we got out on time.

Not a place you should venture into by yourself.

[runfiverun]

that would be further south than Delta.