Mining in Arkansas

Gavin and I recently enjoyed a little weekend getaway to Hot Springs National Park! You can read about our whole trip here, but I had so much to write about this one experience that I thought it deserved its own blog post!

One thing that makes Arkansas unique is all the open keep-what-you-find mines! We knew we wanted to try our hand at this mining thing, but it took a lot of research to figure out where exactly to go. I love researching and planning trips, and figured I’d just share what I learned to make it easier for you. Hopefully this information is helpful if you’re wanting to do the same thing!

Here are the options I looked into:

Option 1: Crater of Diamonds State Park

Things to know: An actual diamond mine about an hour and a half southwest of Hot Springs. Admission is $10/person and good for the whole day. Reviews say “high risk, high reward.” It’s unlikely that you’ll find anything, but if you do, like, how cool?! Click here for the website.

Option 2: Ron Coleman Mines

Things to know: This is a quartz and crystal mine about 30 minutes north of Hot Springs. Admission is $20/person and good for the whole day.  At this place, trucks bring loads of dirt up from the mines and you can dig through the dirt to keep what you find.  This is probably what we would have done if Owen was with us, but it didn’t sound super exciting for just Gavin and I. There are also ziplines and tours offered at Ron Coleman. Click here for the website.

Option 3: Wegner Quartz Crystal Mines

Things to know: This is a quartz and crystal mine about 50 minutes west of Hot Springs. Admission is $18/adult for two hours of mining. Reservations are not required but you do need to show up at a specific time in order to get a ride to the actual mine. There are other options as far as price and digging times. You can look into that information here on their website.

We ended up going to Wegner Quartz Crystal Mines, and I’m confident we made the right decision. I have nothing bad to say about it! Let me tell you about our time here!

We started the trip off by taking the long way around the lake to get there. That drive was BEAUTIFUL. We were the only ones on the road, driving through forests and past fields of wildflowers. I’m glad we took the time to do that!

We arrived at the site about 30 minutes before our preferred digging time, as recommended, got signed in, and were handed buckets and shovels. We then sunscreened up, packed our bags with snacks and water, then loaded ourselves into the back of a pickup truck. I’m so glad we packed water, snacks, and sunscreen! Don’t forget these things! The ride from the parking lot to the mine was pretty exciting! It’s about a 10 minute drive on a dirt road from the check in point/parking lot to the digging site. Not sure if I need to clarify- you don’t drive yourself to the digging site. A guide will drive you there! This picture is of a little cottage/green house near the parking lot. So pretty!!

When you arrive to the digging site, you basically just run free and start digging wherever your gut tells you to! Our guide was super funny and helpful while explaining what to look for. Crystals were literally everywhere, so you’re pretty much guaranteed to come back with at least a handful. We stayed busy the whole two hours, but we were exhausted and ready for a break when the two hours were up.

(Gavin really looks the part- doesn’t he?!)

We both ended up with a decent amount of crystals. We’re telling ourselves that we’ll make necklaces and jewelry with them but we’ll see if that ever actually happens. For now, they are just sitting pretty in a jar! and if I’m being honest, we still have some sitting in a bucket that need to be washed! I’ll keep you updated on that process haha.

Let me know if you have any other questions or if you end up going! I’d love to know how you liked it!