Topaz Mountain
RV Guide

To go rockhounding is the main reason most people visit Topaz Mountain. It's a natural treasure chest of hidden gems and minerals that just begs to be explored. There are no amenities or water sources in the Topaz Mountain Rockhounding Recreation Area, so all rockhounders need to go fully equipped with all they'll need to dig out the gems and keep themselves fed and watered while they're there.

The effort is well worth it, though, as you could bag some amazing topazes and opals as well as lots of other flashy minerals to add to your collection.

One of the most exciting OHV recreation areas in Utah is just forty minutes drive from Delta. The Little Sahara Recreation Area encompasses more than sixty thousand acres of sand dunes, including the seven hundred foot high Sand Mountain, creating a unique landscape to challenge all levels of ATV riders and drivers.

The entire site is geared to off-roading and there are even an on-site engine shop, visitor center, and fire station. The dunes are also a popular spot for fat biking, sand skiing, and sandboarding, so you don't even need an ATV to enjoy some outdoor fun there.

The dirt tracks and roadways around Topaz Mountain are great for a spell of outback hiking, but it's a landscape that's not overly scenic or prolific with wildlife. If you've pitched camp in your RV at the Little Sahara Recreation Area and you're a nature lover, you'll want to explore the nine thousand acres of vehicle-free terrains that have been set aside by the BLM to form the Rockwell Outstanding Natural Area.

There are deer and antelope inhabiting the area, as well as multiple species of reptiles and birds. Just half an hour's drive from the Little Sahara Recreation Area is another BLM managed property that is also well worth exploring on foot. The Rockwell Wilderness Study Area contains over five thousand acres of Juniper forests, sand dunes, and a rare kind of saltbrush, and it's a great place for raptor spotting while you're trekking through the desert-like environment.

Don't be misled by the name. Head to the Topaz Museum in Delta and you won't find exhibits on gemstones. The museum is dedicated to the history of Japanese-Americans that were interred at the Topaz Camp during WW2. On display at the museum are photographs, documents, artwork, and artifacts relating to those held prisoner there.

Although not much remains, the museum also organizes tours to the original site of the camp where there are still rock gardens visible as well as the monuments that were erected some decades after the camp was closed.

While there's no water on Topaz Mountain, there are several great places nearby where you can get in a decent session of fishing. There are two reservoirs in Delta, the DMAD Reservoir to the north-east and the Gunnison Bend Reservoir to the west. You'll also find there's first-class fishing at Yuba Lake in the Yuba State Park.

Tackle up at any one of them and whether you fish from the shore or from a boat - there are launch ramps at all three - you could catch a catfish, bass or walleye.

If you're heading to Topaz Mountain to go rockhounding around the third week in February, don't miss attending the Delta Snow Goose Festival. It's a two-day event in celebration of the arrival of the snow geese on their migratory flight to Canada. Thousands of snow geese land on the frozen waters of Gunnison Bend Reservoir to rest and feed. See the geese then browse the art and crafts fair or the handmade quilt exhibition in the town. The energetic can also participate in the Wild Goose Chase a five or ten-kilometer fun walk or run around the reservoir that coincides with the arrival of the geese and the festival.