All About Yooperlite
The secret is out on Michigan rock collecting, and the shores of Lake Superior near Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a magnet for Yooperlite hunting in Michigan.
Rock hounds love Michigan’s shores – and for good reason, thanks to Yooperlites and Petoskey Stones.
From the bottom of the Great Lakes, unique and special rocks are picked up with the current and dropped off on the shore for us to find.
Yooperlite Rock is Special
Among the many beautiful gem and mineral deposits or rocks in Michigan’s beaches, such as Petoskey Stones and Charlevoix Stones to Lake Superior Agates, the Yooperlite glow stone is one of the most unique. The shores of our Great Lakes provide a pure Michigan treasure trove of rocks for any collector.
Walking along the coast at night with a black light or UV light begins to feel otherworldly as the luminescence hiding in plain sight becomes revealed. You’ll see rocks that feel as if they’ve fallen from space rather than washed ashore from the depths of Lake Superior.
Read on to discover more about Yooperlite glow rocks and use this guide to finding Yooperlites to make your own discoveries!
If you plan to travel Michigan in search of Yooperlite, use our map at the bottom of this post to find areas where Yooperlites have been found.
What are Yooperlites?
Yooperlites were discovered in 2017 by Erik Rintamaki, who gave them their regional northern Michigan name. This makes this Michigan rock a relatively new discovery, but they aren’t exactly new to the state. Rock and Gem amazgine called Rintamaki’s Yooperlite finds, “A great discovery.”
Yooerplite is made up of mostly syenite rock, which is similar to granite, which means the rock looks like any other dark stones or typical gray rock, but there’s a twist. Yooperlites are rich with fluorescent sodalite, which glows a vibrant orange or yellow under Ultraviolet Light.
These glow-in-the-dark deposits of sodalite can form various patterns, including sparsely spotted, geometric lines, and an all-over sort of pattern reminiscent of a galaxy somewhere in space.
Each stone is unique and may even host a mix of patterns of the fluorescent sodalite, adding to the ever-growing list of what makes this glowing rock so magnificent.
How to Find Yooperlite Rock
Finding Yooperlites is unlike most other rockhounding excursions. In fact, some Yooperlite hunters that I know made their discoveries while beachcombing with metal detectors. Their big find was a Yooperlite, and they were hooked!
Aside from searching at night time, the tools you need to find Yooperlites are a bit specific, but we have you covered with a guide that will help you be successful in your hunt for the perfect Yooperlite rock.
Where to Find Yooperlite
Yooperlites, as the name suggests, are found in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, specifically along the Lake Superior coast. You can find them mostly along the eastern beaches of Lake Superior, from Grand Marais in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, to Sault Ste. Marie. They’re found along the Keweenaw Peninsula as well.
When to Find Yooperlite
We recommend searching for Yooperlite in the early springtime (from late March into April). In spring the ice has shifted and the rocks that have been stuck all winter are pushed up to the shoreline. Spring also gets you on the beach before they begin to get busy during the summer season, meaning the rocks haven’t already been picked over. As a bonus, there are fewer of those pesky mosquitos in spring!
