Open gem mines in Nevada, near Reno

[pennyray]

I'll be in Reno 4/9-4/14 and want to do a little gem mining. I'm from NC and used to mines being open now? Does anyone know what/where gem mines in NV are open. I haven't had luck with searching the internet.
Thanks

[stevebarr]

Pennyray, I am trying to find out some information for you. I believe Hallelujah Junction is only about a 40 minute drive (to the bottom of the mountain) from Reno. It's right on the California/Nevada line. There are multiple claims there, so you don't want to trespass on any of them. But, there are supposedly some public lands where you can collect.

There used to be a fee-to-dig site there, but I'm not sure if it is still open to rockhounds. I'll keep checking, and hopefully have some answers for you soon.

[41dave]

pennyray,

just like early spring weather here, the weather there can be just as unpredictable and more extreme out there. It can be 74 in Reno one day and snowing the next.

I only know of the Opal Mines, way up to the north, but because of the weather, they don't open until the 2nd week of May.

I'm sure there is plenty of opportunity to get out and rockhound near Reno, but you're not going to find the tourist flume operations like here in NC. There's endless BLM land, get out and enjoy it!!!

-Dave

[stevebarr]

I'm still trying to gather information for you, but here's a bit of what I have so far. It would also be helpful to know if you prefer to sluice, or are a hard digger who'd like to get outside and move some earth.

A woman with a rock club in California suggested that you might want to check out the Limb Cast Area in southern Oregon for their agates. Here's a link to a little bit of information about digging in southern Oregon:

www.oregongeology.com/sub/learnmore/rockhoundResources.htm

Be forewarned that from what I've read, it takes hard digging to get specimens at this location, so if you'd rather sluice, you might just want to look into the opal mines.

I found this contact information on a rockhounding site, but am not sure how current it is. You might want to call some of these folks to see if they still allow rockhounds to visit their sites in the Hallelujah Junction area, which is famous for its amethyst scepters and smoky quartz crystals:

Crystal Tips Mines, contact Foster Hallman at 702-323-2862 or
702-825-9660

Hallelujah Mining and Exploration Company contact Jon Johnson at
702-786-3271 or Ed Christiansen 702-677-1722.

Remember that they are three hours behind us out there, so you don't want to call too early and wake them up.

And, just like Dave said, there is lots of open BLM land out there, which you can dig on for free. You just have to watch out and make sure that you are not trespassing on anyone's claim. Claims should be clearly marked, so just respect them when you see the signs.

[traveler]

It's probably too late, but here's something to check out. This is a sales site and lists commercial mines where they came from. It might give you an idea where to look for some BLM land to play on.
www.johnbetts-fineminerals.com/jhbnyc/west.htm

[Basketweaverz]

I just noticed this thread and we have dug at all the areas listed on Stevebarr"s answer (oregongeology), in case anyone wants more information. They are not in southern Oregon, but are in north central Oregon.

Maury Mtn. is easy, shovel and hammer work. I'll bring some of that material when we come to the Roundup. We spent 2 partial days there and dug over 200 lbs. amongst 5 of us.

Crooked River Pink Limb Casts are scarce but beautiful. We have just a few and some float material which is broken pieces of pink quartz. We need to put in a lot more time to find something really good there. Lovely camping but snakes are there too.

Green Jasper is just green jasper and quite common in Washington so we just stopped long enough to grab a cobble or two for our collection. Didn't work there.

Eagle Rock is worth seeing for its geology. It is a volcanic plug that hardened in the throat of a volcano. It sits all by itself in a rolling, hilly area. Steep as all get out and would be wonderful rock climbing but hard, hard, hard rockhounding. We haven't found much of anything here and we have searched all along the cliff bottoms. It must be there, though because it is in all the books, etc.

Sorry I didn't see this in time to help pennyray.

We have many maps, etc. in the Ochoco National Forest for all sorts of igneous material. If anyone comes out here, let me know. We have spent a lot of digging time in that area.

Basket

[betheejaymes]

On the travel channel program, Treasure Hunting Vacations, they featured the Hallelugah Mine. Went to the Internet found that they charge $180 a day per person. Kids under 12 free. That is pretty steep for me, but would/will do it in a heartbeat to get my hands on some of that black opal.. It could bring good money at the rock shows Anyway, sorry, I get carried away at times. The website for the mine tell all you need to make plans and reservations if you want. Goiod Luck, have fun!

Bethee

[carri]

We will be in Reno in June and would love info on where to go collecting. We found a mine dump on the road to Mt. Shasta that you can see from GOOGLE EARTH....It must be a BIG one! Can hardly wait to get there. Please help us find more locations. Thanks SOooo much. Carri & Will