Each mine offers a unique mining experience. Some are more suitable for beginners and families and others appeal to the serious rockhound. Every one of them is worth the visit and will yield crystals. Each location has its own unique geologic features.

Remember, mines go through seasons of inactivity due to high expenses, machine failures, inclement weather etc.

One day you may hit the jackpot load and the next time you may only find a few pieces of good quality. With hard work, patience, perseverance and a positive mindset you will always be rewarded for your efforts and have a good experience.

If you only have time to visit one or two mines, I would recommend going to the commercially active mines as they produce the most crystals regularly. In Montgomery county, Avant Mining (Fisher Mountain) and Twin Creek Mine are the most consistently active. Wegner Crystal Mine is another great option as they are commercially active for certain periods of the year.

In Garland county, visiting Ron Coleman Mine makes for a good beginner’s experience, since they are consistently and actively mining in their commercial areas and then replenish the tailings field with new material regularly.

Depending on the set up of the mine, there will be access to tailings piles and sometimes in addition also access to sections of exposed rock walls.

Tailings material refers to loads of clay, rocks and crystals that were removed from the commercial mining area by professional miners. “Tailings” are the byproduct of harvesting quartz crystals in open pit areas. The crystals are found in veins in between layers of rocks, encased in red clay. The crystals are removed with machines and by hand digging. While the large crystals and high-quality stones are processed for sale, the remaining clay and rocks are what is called tailings material. Within that material, plenty of crystals remain. By sifting through the loose dirt of the tailings piles, you can find single points and clusters of varying sizes and quality. This is an excellent way for mines to offer a dig-your-own-experience in a safe and regulated environment. This type of mining is fairly easy and very accessible to all ages and skill levels.

Hard rock mining refers to the process of removing crystals from virgin rock crevices with your own tools. This type of mining requires some expertise and a lot of hard work. You will need to locate a crystal-bearing seam/pocket within the layers of sandstone. Then you slowly and patiently remove excess rock layers to open up the pocket and to start exposing crystals. This process is called “facing a pocket”. It is a much more labor intensive process but can be very rewarding once you reveal the crystals and when you harvest them correctly.

Yes, you get to keep everything that you find when digging in the public sections of any mine. Most mines will charge around $25 for access to their tailings fields / rockhound sections. These day-use public areas are usually large fields of loose material and some rock wall sections. These areas are clearly defined and certain digging rules may apply. Whatever you can remove, is yours to keep!

If you go to one of the few mines that offer pocket digs, there may be a limit on how much you can remove and take with you.

The two commercial mines that offer access to special pocket areas are Avant Mining and Twin Creek Crystal Mine in Montgomery County.

The mine owners will prepare a section of the mine that is known for producing quality crystals. You will then have private access to that section for an individualized mining experience.

Pocket digs at Avant Mining start at $1000 and you will have a personal tour guide with you, who will help you extract the crystals. They do impose a limit on how much you can remove and once you reach the set value, the dig will be complete, unless you choose to pay more and then you can dig more (Please refer to their website and to the mine profile for more details).

Pocket digs at Twin Creek Mine start at $300. They also offer options at $500, $750, $1000 and up. Depending on your initially established price range, the mine owner will set up a spot for you that will produce crystals accordingly. You get to mine the whole day and keep whatever you find and can remove by yourself without any limits.

Other mines also offer pocket dig opportunities. Flash Mountain Crystals in North Little Rock and the Willy Rickard Rock Farm offer their versions of private hard-rock mining. I recommend reaching out to the mines directly to find out more details.

For digging in tailings piles, you will need either a small shovel, a hand-rake or a garden-cultivator as well as gloves, a bucket, and some newspaper to wrap the best finds.

For digging in rock walls and for pocket digs, you will need a small sledgehammer, chisels, a crowbar or digging-bar, a screwdriver or deer antler or plastic stake, buckets, gloves and newspaper for wrapping all the crystals.

Please refer to the tool section for more details and links to each specific tool.

You can mine for quartz crystals throughout the whole year in Arkansas.

Most mines are open all year with a few exceptions. The most popular mining times are during the spring and fall seasons when temperatures are somewhat mild. The summer gets very hot and humid, so prepare by bringing lots of extra cold water, use shade protection (hats, gazebos, umbrellas), sunscreen etc. Digging in the winter months is a good option as long as temperatures are above freezing so that you can actually dig into the soil and remove crystals.

My personal favorite months for mining are October, November, December, March and April.