Hwy 84 Roadcuts

What you can find: Well-preserved sea urchins, large clams, plentiful gastropods, chunks of calcite, and the occasional lump of orange travertine.

Ease of access: Right on the road

Equipment needed: Rock pick and collecting bag

Safety considerations: None

Where, exactly?  On Hwy 84 just east of Evant, near the junction with County Road 161.

​These two huge roadcuts sit on either side of the highway, exposing a fantastic amount of hunting area. You’ll find urchins (some of them quite detailed and well preserved), snails, clams, small pectins, and chunks of calcite crystal.

​More unusually, you may also find chunks of orange-colored travertine. Twenty minutes of hunting netted one sizable lapidary-quality chunk, and a few thin travertine crusts over country rock. Also, a number of samples of what appears to be pyrite cubes replaced by limonite, usually growing out of the interior of poorly-preserved fossils