Fee mining sites are places where you can pay a fee to dig, pan, or search for rocks, minerals or gemstones and keep whatever you find.
There are many places in the United States where you can pan for gold, wash gravel for gemstones, or split rocks to find fossils and have a reasonable chance of being very successful. We have been to fee mining sites many times, had lots of fun, and found some nice materials. We did not make a great find every time, but it was a good experience overall. Two of our favorites are: 1) looking for Herkimer “Diamonds” at the Ace of Diamonds Mine near Herkimer, New York; and, 2) looking for tourmaline at the OceanView Mine near San Diego, California.
If you own a fee mining site not listed here, please let us know. To be listed, a site must have a website and pass our review. We do not include sites where collectors search through materials that have been “salted” with things to find or where materials from other mines or locations are hauled in. Most of the sites listed below require a fee.
Alabama
Alabama Gold Camp
Gold
Alaska
Alaska BLM gold panning sites
Gold
Chicken Gold Camp
Gold
Crow Creek Gold Mine
Gold
Arizona
Arizona BLM collecting sites
Agate, Apache tears, fire agate, jasper, onyx, petrified wood
Arkansas
Board Camp Crystal Mine
Quartz crystals
Crater of Diamonds State Park
Diamonds and 40 other types of rocks and minerals including: lamproite, amethyst, banded agate, jasper, peridot, garnet, quartz, calcite, barite, and hematite.
Jim Coleman Crystals
Clear and White quartz crystal. You can also expect to find some interesting pieces with Adularia and Calcite
Ron Coleman Mining
Quartz crystals
Sweet Surrender Crystals
Quartz crystals
Twin Creek Crystal Mine
Clear Quartz and Phantom Quartz
Wegner Crystal Mines
Crystal Forest Mine and Phantom Mine group dig and tailings collecting area.
California
Benitoite Mining Company
Benitoite
Gold Prospecting Adventures
Gold
Himalaya Mine
Tourmaline, quartz crystals, lepidolite, topaz, morganite, and other pegmatite minerals
Modoc National Forest
Obsidian
OceanView Mine / Pala Chief Mine
Tourmalines, kunzites, morganites and more.
Roaring Camp Mining Company
Gold
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Colorado
Bachelor Syracuse Mine
Gold
Colorado Gold Camp
Gold
Country Boy Mine
Gold
Phoenix Gold Mine
Gold
Pinnacle 5 Minerals
Topaz, smokey quartz, amazonite
Vic’s Gold Panning
Gold
Connecticut
Simpson Quarry
Pegmatite
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Florida
Fossil Expeditions
Mammal, reptile and shark fossils.
Rucks Pit, Fort Drum Crystal Mine
Fossils and crystals.
Georgia
Consolidated Gold Mine
Gold
Crisson Gold Mine
Gold
Diamond Hill Mine
Quartz crystals (smokey, amethyst, some doubly terminated, some skeletal)
Gold ‘n Gem Grubbin’
Gold, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, amethyst, topaz and more
Beryl, star rose quartz, black tourmaline, and aquamarine
Idaho
Eagle City Mining Company
Gold
Emerald Creek Star Garnet Area
Star Garnet
Gold Mine Adventures
Gold
Spencer Opal Mines
Opal
Illinois
Nick’s Geodes
Geodes
Iowa
Fossil & Prairie Park
Fossils
Kentucky
Clement Mineral Museum
Fluorite and related minerals
Maine
Coos Canyon Rock and Gift
Gold
Dig Maine Gems
Quartz, tourmaline, beryl, lepidolite and more
Maine Mineralogy Expeditions
blue beryl, golden beryl, amethyst, tourmaline, rose quartz, smoky quartz, clear quartz, mica, feldspar, apatite, lepidolite
Poland Mining Camps
Pollucite (gem grade), spodumene, kunzite (cab grade), muscovite and perhamite (tan spheres) with white fluorapatite.
Maryland
Calvert Cliffs State Park
Fossils
Michigan
Caledonia Mine
Native copper, silver, datolite, quartz, feldspar, calcite, and epidote
Minnesota
Hill Annex Mine State Park
Fossils
Missouri
Sheffler’s Rock Shop and Geode Mine
Geodes
Montana
Baisch’s Dinosaur Digs
Fossils
Blaze-N-Gems
Sapphire, Garnet
Crystal Park
Quartz crystals
Gem Mountain Sapphire Mine
Sapphire
Spokane Bar Sapphire Mine
Sapphire
The Montana Dinosaur Center
The Two Medicine Dinosaur Center runs scheduled digs for dinosaur and other types of fossils. Note: Fossils found become the property of the Dinosaur Center. Check their website for full details.
Nebraska
High Plains Homestead
Fossils
Nevada
Bonanza Opal Mines
Opal
Kokopelli Opals
Opal
Rainbow Ridge Opal Mine
Opal
Royal Peacock Opal Mine
Opal
New Hampshire
Twin River Campground
Gold panning
New Jersey
The Franklin Mineral Museum
Fluorescent minerals
The Sterling Hill Mining Museum
Fluorescent minerals
New Mexico
Desert Rose Mine – Blanchard Rock Shop
Fluorite, barite, galena, quartz, smoky quartz, linarite, brochantite, wulfenite and more
NDGS runs scheduled dinosaur and fossil digs from late June to mid-August. Note: All fossils found go to the North Dakota State Fossil Collection in Bismarck, ND. Check the NDGS website for full details.
PaleoAdventures runs scheduled dinosaur digs in the Badlands area of South Dakota. Note: Your guide will inspect the fossils that you find. Diggers can keep common fossils that they find and purchase commercial-grade fossils that they find. Scientific-grade fossils are given to museums and universities. Check their website for full details.
The Wyoming Dinosaur Center runs scheduled digs for dinosaur and other types of fossils. Note: Fossils found become the property of the Wyoming Dinosaur Center. Check their website for full details.