Crystal Peak Mine
Public area set aside for recreational collecting
Native material: you search the natural ground on site.
Season: Late spring to fall. Snow closes the high forest roads in winter.
Old quartz quarry on Quartz Knob in Dog Valley, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, just inside California west of Verdi. It was worked during World War II for electronics-grade quartz crystal, and the blasted dumps are still full of quartz. The Forest Service lists it as a popular spot for crystal hunters. Surface pieces have been picked over for decades: the nice crystals are found by digging.
Make a weekend of it
14 gem and mineral spots on open public land with no claim on record, within 50 miles.
There are more on the map, some of them with a possible mining claim.
Clubs and places nearby
- Reno Gem and Mineral SocietyClub · 17 mi
- Comstock Gold ProspectorsClub · 17 mi
- GPAA of Northern Nevada, RenoClub · 18 mi
- Great Basin Gem & Mineral ClubClub · 34 mi
- Plumas-Eureka State Park (Jamison Creek)Free public dig · 35 mi
- Nevada County Gem & Mineral SocietyClub · 59 mi
Access
From Verdi, take Dog Valley Road west into California on forest roads; the mine is close to Lookout Campground. A high-clearance or 4WD vehicle is recommended. The pin is the USGS position of the quarry.
Technique
Pick, shovel and bucket. Dig into the dump material and look for six-sided, pointed crystals. Keep children away from the steep sides of the dumps. Personal collection only, in reasonable amounts.