Rockhounding in Arkansas

2 verified locations for rockhounding in Arkansas. Each page includes exact permit requirements, restrictions, and what to know before you go.

2 Allowed

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Allowed

Crater of Diamonds State Park

Arkansas, Pike·Rockhounding

Every diamond, amethyst and garnet you find at Crater of Diamonds is yours to keep for a $15 admission and no permit. The catch is on the way out: five gallons of processed concentrate per person per day, and not one shovelful of raw dirt.

  • Admission only — $15 for adults over 12, $7 for children 6–12, free under 6. No rockhounding permit, mineral license or state prospecting registration exists for this site.
  • Any rock, mineral or gem found in the search area is yours to keep, diamonds included, with no cap on value or count.
Allowed

Mount Ida Quartz Crystal Mines

Arkansas, Montgomery·Rockhounding

Mount Ida's pay-to-dig crystal mines need only a ticket, and you keep what you find. On the national forest, digging needs Forest Service permission.

  • Pay-to-dig mines need no government permit. At Wegner Quartz Crystal Mines, $19 buys 2 hours at the Crystal Forest Mine or $10.50 a day on the tailings, and you keep everything you find.
  • Crystal Vista on the Ouachita National Forest is a free, 4-acre former commercial mine where crystals are collected from the ground surface