How to Find Rose Quartz in Baraboo, Wisconsin

Rose quartz is pink and found in sedimentary and metamorphic rock.

Baraboo, Wisconsin is a small city in Sauk County. It is home to the Baraboo Syncline, or the Baraboo Range, which is a 25-mile-long land mass that runs along the Wisconsin River in both Columbia and Sauk counties. The mountain range consists largely of eroded rock formations due to glaciation over 1 billion years ago. Today, you can find rose quartz along the Baraboo River.

Instructions

1. Arrive at the Pink Lady Quarry in Rock Springs, Wisconsin, just off State Highway 136. The rose quartz is used today as ballast for railroad construction. Here, you can see lines of quartzite that have formed beneath layers of new topsoil vegetation and sandstone from the Cambrian Age.

2. Drive to the Devil's Lake State Park about three miles south of Baraboo, Wisconsin, and you will have close-up views of pink Baraboo quartzite along the north entrance. If you park along the shoulder, you can walk up to the quartzite rock walls and touch them or take photos. The Baraboo Syncline runs right through the park, and the bluffs near the lake are also good places to find rose quartz.

3. Search along the Baraboo River in Sauk County for more quartz crystal formations. The river splits the mountain range in half, and the lower branches of the river just east of the city of Baraboo have crystals several millimeters long.

Tips & Warnings

• State geology societies often organize trips to the quarries in Baraboo, Wisconsin. If you'd like to research this area in depth, consider signing up for a trip with an experienced geologist.

• Do not park your car on any bicycle paths in Devils Lake State Park, or a ranger may give you a ticket.

References

• Quartz Guide University of Wisconsin- Extension
• Devil's Lake State Park

Resources

• Baraboo Arial Photos from University of Wisconsin- Madison