Otteson Brothers Royston Turquoise Mine Tours
Turquoise digging at a working mine in the Royston district, 26 miles from Tonopah
- What you find
- Royston turquoise, blue to green, in rock from the mine
- Tours
- Half day or full day, by reservation
- When
- Year round, Monday to Saturday, weather permitting, not on holidays
- Where
- 26 miles outside Tonopah, the last 5 on dirt roads
- Vehicle
- AWD, 4WD or high clearance recommended
- Who
- All ages; children must be supervised at all times
- Safety
- Visitors are kept out of the active mine pits
Fee dig: pay to search the ground on site
Native material: you search the natural ground on site.
Season: Year-round, Monday to Saturday, weather permitting. Reservation required.
Make a weekend of it
37 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.
About Otteson Brothers Royston Turquoise Mine Tours
The Otteson family has mined turquoise in the Royston district of central Nevada for three generations. Their father, who had mined in Colorado since his teens, leased his first Royston claim in 1944 and worked it part-time from Colorado; in the summer of 1960 he moved the family to Tonopah, and they have mined claims there ever since. Royston turquoise was discovered in 1902, and the district, which grew out of four old turquoise claims, is now largely in Otteson hands. Their work has been followed on television in the series Turquoise Fever.
On a tour, visitors dig through turquoise-bearing rock from the mine, chunks laced with veins of the blue stone, and keep what they find. According to Travel Nevada, tours gather at the Giggle Springs gas station in Tonopah and drive out in convoy, so each group needs its own vehicle. The mine is 26 miles from town and the last five miles are dirt, so the family recommends all-wheel drive, four-wheel drive or a high-clearance vehicle.
Tours run all year from Monday to Saturday when the weather allows, except on holidays, with half-day and full-day options; private tours are not offered. Booking is through the form on the family website, and replies sometimes land in junk mail. Children of any age can dig, as long as an adult watches them the whole time.
Nevada has more turquoise mines than any other state, and Royston stone is known for its wide range of blues; some of it shows the brown matrix that collectors recognize as typical of the district. The family also sells rough stone, cabochons and jewelry through its online shop and weekly sales.
Clubs and places nearby
- GemfieldPay-to-dig · 23 mi
- Oak Springs Trilobite SiteFree public dig · 141 mi
- Garnet Hill Rockhound AreaFree public dig · 149 mi
Access
Book through the tour form on their website first. On the day you drive your own vehicle to the mine, following the guide. AWD, 4WD or a high-clearance vehicle is recommended. Visitors are not allowed into the active pits.
Technique
Rock hammer and a bucket: split the rocks and look for blue to green veins. Wet the stones with a spray bottle to see their real color.