Topaz Mountain should definitely be on everyone's "Utah Bucket List." After learning our GPS wouldn't work, we thankfully had brought hand scribbled directions that got us there. When we got out of the car, we almost felt like we had stepped on another planet. It was the quiest place I had ever been. It was so quiet, the loudest thing you could hear were a few flies. The coolest part was the road "sparkled" all the way to our free campsite, thanks to the topaz shards that are like sand grains.
Although the desert is beautiful, we had come prepared. There are no water or bathroom facilities for many many miles.
Topaz Mountain Directions from Provo:
1. Drive South on I-15 for 35.5 miles
2. Take Nephi exit 228 and keep right on Main Street (SW) for 2.7 miles
3. Turn Right (West) on W 100 North for 33.2 miles until you hit Highway 6
4. Turn left! (South) on Highway 6 for 5.6 miles until you hit Brush Wellman Road (It helps if you have a rockhounding map, or an old school Utah road map.
5. Turn right (West) on Brush Wellman Road for 37.4 miles
6. Turn right (North) when you see the big brown sign on the turn off for “Topaz Mountain rockhounding area” about 1.7 miles
7. From here you will see all the little campsites, and you can choose one that looks good.
There are parts that are clearly marked (private property) but the rest is free, open to the public land. (As clearly explained to us by a BLM employee.
We drove for a mile or two and picked one close to the mountain. The good topaz is in the ryolite rock (the white stuff)
This was our first attempt. Not so good. We later learned the rock was much too hard.
\
The next day a very nice man let us ride in his pickup truck up the mountain and told us what to look for. He was so helpful and kind. We looked in large holes, places where people had already dug, and used a long stick to push away dirt. We also looked in crevices in the soft white rock. We eventually found a ton of crystals! We had a huge bag full, and a small bag full of nicer topaz that we hope to turn into my wedding ring someday.
A lot of these pieces are at least the size of my thumbnail. Some of the topaz we got out of the rock was amber colored. When it is exposed to the sun, it will turn permanently white.
