Treasure Hunting

I thought it might be a good idea to have a separate page that listed all the Fee Dig sites that we include here just for a quick and easy reference. The page is going to start out slow, but I hope to build it up over time. For now, I’ll just organize everything by state so if the page starts to get too long, I can separate it into state pages later on.

Make sure that you check out the links to the web sites for these places before planning a visit. This is a very volatile industry full of family-run businesses, and they can change their prices and hours often. Also remember that the terms “fee dig” and “fee mining” can mean a lot of different things to the mines. For a breakdown of some of these definitions, take a look at this article.

Even though the title of this page is “Fee Digs and Fee Mining”, I will also include free digging and mining sites, too.

Alaska

Crow Creek Mine - This gold hunting area is located about an hour from Anchorage, Alaska. Here, you have the option of gold panning, metal detecting for gold, or gold dredging. The fees vary based on what activity you prefer. For gold panning or sluicing, daily fees run $15 per person. Those with metal detectors have to pay just a tad more at $20 a day. This gold hunting operation is very friendly to first-timers. If you don’t have your own gear, basic gold hunting equipment is available on site.

Arkansas

Arkansas Quartz Crystal Mine - Located in the Ouachita Mountains just north of Mt. Ida, this fee mining locale offers digging at $20 a day. It’s best to call in advance to make digging reservations.

California

Himalaya Tourmaline Mine - San Diego County, California. Offers fee digs for $75 a day per person. Read more about this mine on our blog entry here.

Colorado

Phoenix Gold Mine - This gold hunting facility is located in Idaho Springs, Colorado. For a very reasonable rate of $10 a person for adults and $5 each for children 11 and under, you can get a tour of the mine and pan for gold. They are open year around, only closing because of weather conditions.

Georgia

Hogg Mine - Lagrange, Georgia. Check out their web site for information on upcoming digs. Also check out this post that has a couple of videos about Hogg Mine - one of them shows some great shots from an actual dig.

Idaho

Emerald Creek Garnet Area - Just south of St. Maries, Idaho. Here you can dig for rare star garnets, the state gemstone for Idaho. A digging permit costs $10 and that allows you to take away 5 lbs. of garnets. If you find more than that, you can purchase another permit per every 5 pounds. However, each person is limited to 30 pounds of garnets a year. There are limits on the number of people allowed to dig daily so you may want to call ahead to find out more about the best times to visit.

Maine

Western Maine Mineral Adventures - Located in Woodstock, Maine, this appears to be another location where you can purchase various types of containers of mineral ore to sift through in search of gems. There’s a student/scout rate of $25, and the miner’s rate ranges from $50 to $500. If you live in the area and have children, this might make for an educational field trip.

Montana

Gem Mountain Sapphire - Philipsburg, Montana is the home of this sapphire mine. You can visit the locale and take a look around for free. If you want to try your hand at finding sapphires yourself, you can purchase gravel buckets to wash and dig through. Prices start at $14 a bucket, but there are some discounts available if you purchase multiple buckets. In addition, if you are unable to get to Gem Mountain, you can buy various sizes of gravel containers and have them shipped to your home. They have been salted, so they’re guaranteed to have something in every container.

Nevada

See this link.

North Carolina

Emerald Hollow Mine - This treasure hunting paradise is located in Hiddenite, NC. The Emerald Hollow Mine offers several methods of gem hunting: sluicing, creek digging, and mine digging. See our post here.

Gem Mountain Gemstone Mine - Spruce Mine, NC is the home of this operation that offers both flume mining and tours of the Brushy Creek Aquamarine Mine. For more information, check out our article here.

Spruce Pine Gemstone Mine - Located in Spruce Pine, NC. This doesn’t really seem to be a fee digging place, but they do offer sales of containers of mine ore that you can sift through in a comfortable setting all year around. This might be a great place for a novice to go to learn more about what to look for when gem hunting.

Oregon

Dust Devil Mining - Located near Plush, Oregon, this sunstone mine bases its fee-digging rates on what you find. After you complete your digging, they will evaluate what you found and then charge you very discounted rates for the high-grade material. You aren’t under any obligation to buy, and there are a lot of things that aren’t charged for at all.

Juniper Ridge Opal - This opal mine in Southern Oregon is more for serious fee-diggers. While some other sites offer tailing diggings or gravel in buckets, you’ll be digging in an actual raw matrix at this mine. Because of this rates are higher, starting at $200/day. If you find more than a one-gallon bucket full that you want to keep, there will be additional fees. Although this is more expensive, it also gives you the best chance to make a real treasure find. If you are interested in this, be sure to check out the web site. Space is limited and you should book in advance with the mine owners.

Spectrum Sunstone Mines - This sunstone mine is a privately owned mining claim on the Nevada border located about 27 miles northeast of Plush, Oregon. They have free digging in certain places from May 10 - November 1. They also offer higher-grade digging.

Utah

U-Dig Fossils - This trilobite quarry is located near Antelope Springs, Utah just about 50 miles west of Delta.  Fees for adults start at $28 for a 2-hour stay and range up to $70 for a full 8-hour day.  Utah residents are offered a 20% discount.  If you’re a fossil collector or just want to try something new, check out their website.

Wyoming

Creative Creations/Wyoming Fossils - For fees starting at $30 an hour and ranging up to $100 a day, you can search for fossils at this Wyoming quarry.  Follow the link to their web site if you’re interested in making a reservation or just want to see some photos of the fossils that have been found here. 

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