Pala Chief Mine
Fee dig: pay to search the ground on site
Native material: you search the natural ground on site.
Season: Dig days are held about twice a month from October to June. Dates are posted on their website; reservation required.
One of the oldest gem mines in San Diego County, on Chief Mountain in the famous Pala pegmatite district, known for pink tourmaline and lilac kunzite. On dig days you work the old mine dumps of the Pala Chief and nearby prospects: material straight from the mine, never sorted, some of it dating back to the earliest days of mining on the mountain. What you find you keep. Ages 12 and up.
Make a weekend of it
24 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
- Fallbrook Gem & Mineral SocietyClub · 12 mi
- Vista Gem & Mineral SocietyClub · 18 mi
- Treasure Seekers of San Diego (GPAA)Club · 19 mi
- Palomar Gem & Mineral ClubClub · 19 mi
- Lake Elsinore Gem & Mineral SocietyClub · 25 mi
- Temecula Valley Prospectors (GPAA)Club · 26 mi
Access
Book on their website first: the meeting point and directions are sent after you reserve. The pin marks the Pala Chief mine as recorded by the USGS, east of the town of Pala off CA-76. Expect a lot of uphill walking on the mountainside.
Technique
Bring your own tools: no equipment is provided. A rock hammer, a small pick, a screen, buckets and gloves. Look through the dumps for pegmatite pieces and pocket material, and wash anything promising: tourmaline and kunzite crystals show their color once they are clean.