While a treasure hunting vacation is unlikely to make you a millionaire, there is a possibility of finding gold, diamonds and other precious gems. Even if you don’t come home with what you were looking for, odds are, you at least had fun along the way.
From the gold that remains in California’s rivers to dinosaur fossils in the Midwest and Roman coins in England, there are all sorts of treasures around the world just waiting to be found.
Big Sur, California
California’s central coast, particularly around Big Sur, offers the chance to enjoy some of the most breathtaking natural beauty on the planet. It also happens to be home to the largest deposit of jade in the world. Known as nephrite jade, it can be found underwater by diving into the ocean, or combing the beach at Jade Cove. The region has been attracting visitors from across the globe for more than a half-century who hope to find these precious gems, easy to distinguish from other rocks by its almost luminescent color. The best time to find it is just after a winter storm during the calm period as the rough undercurrent often exposes many of the hidden gems. Search under the large rocks and underhangs as well as between boulders and the piles of rubble along the shore.
Kola Peninsula, Russia
Far above the Arctic Circle on the Kola Peninsula in western Russia’s extreme north, you’ll find one of the best places on earth to discover some of the most beautiful, unique gems – amethyst. This rugged area is a mineralogist’s paradise, home to the windswept, amethyst-filled Tersky Coast. It’s also surprisingly easy to find, as long as you know where to look. Korabl Cape, or “Ship Cape,” is the best place to start – just look for purple clumps. The hardest part is traveling here, guided tours with experienced mineralogists are generally the best way to go.
Rockhound State Park, Deming, New Mexico
Searching through New Mexico’s soil can be quite profitable, especially at Rockhound State Park near Silver City, known as a prime spot for thunder eggs, also known as geodes. Once popped open the “eggs” reveal valuable crystals like rose quartz, amethyst or hematite. In order to determine whether you’ve got a regular rock or a geode, you’ll look for a spherical external shape with an unusual “cauliflower-like” texture. Visitors are allowed to take up to 15 pounds of rock for their personal collection – just bring a hammer or chisel to break open the rock and discover what lies inside.
Emerald Hollow Mine, Hiddenite, North Carolina
If you’re dreaming of emeralds, heading to Emerald Hollow Mine is a must. This is the only emerald mine in the U.S. that’s open to public prospecting. Located less than an hour from the Blue Ridge Parkway in Hiddenite, visitors can pick over buckets that were taken directly from the mine. Amateur rock hounds can also find aquamarines, garnets, topaz, sapphires and amethysts. For just a $5 admission price you’ll get one free bucket, though additional buckets can be purchased as well. This is ore that hasn’t been inspected in any way, so you’ll be the first person to get to look for the emeralds and the other gems that may be waiting for you to discover them. Prepaid permits are also available for sluicing, digging and creek prospecting.
Bonanza Opal Mine, Denio, Nevada
The Bonanza Opal Mine is famous for its gem quality fire-opals, in operation since the early 1900s. It’s open for mining to the public only from May through September, which means you’ll be here during the hottest part of the year in an area that gets especially warm in addition to experiencing very low humidity. You’ll want to slather on the sunblock, wear sunglasses, a hat and gloves as well as bring a small rake and buckets for collecting your finds. As it’s in a fairly remote area, many visitors camp near the mine within the Pine Forest range of northwest Nevada. In addition to mining for opals, hiking, mountain biking and bird watching are all popular here.
England
The entire countryside in England is littered with treasure, including old coins that date back for centuries. You can go pretty much anywhere here as long as you have the landowner’s permission – just bring your metal detector and search for Roman coins, Anglo Saxon treasure and all sorts of other goodies that are just waiting to be found. Over the years a significant number of British treasure troves have been discovered across the country, most located by accident or through the work of metal detectors. In most cases, the treasures had been hidden by their owners during times of political and social upheaval, and while many discoveries have been made, it’s believed that there are many more just waiting to be unearthed.
Dinosaur Fossils, Devil Hills, Badlands, South Dakota
South Dakota ranks high as a treasure trove among top geologists and paleontologists, with relic hunters often heading to its Badlands region to look for dinosaur fossils. Both amateurs and professionals have made a number of major paleontological discoveries over the years, with the Devil Hills area considered a prime spot. Huge pieces of bones have been uncovered here, dating all the way back to the Jurassic period, some 145 million years ago. Some of the common tools you’ll need include an X-acto knife, digging knife, brush and small pick. If you find a fossil, you’ll need to carefully free it to avoid damaging it. By stopping in at the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research in Hill City first, you can get some great information about dinosaur fossils, where to look and how to retrieve a fossil if you find one. While you’re there, you can check out the largest, most complete T-Rex ever found, STAN, who was discovered in 1987.
Papua New Guinea
According to experts, Papua New Guinea abounds with gold. While the presence of many multinational mining companies here is proof of that, there’s still plenty of room for individual gold seekers. With legendary finds of gold nuggets said to be the size of goose eggs coupled with the rough, wild terrain, an organized tour is generally the way to go here. The rewards might just outweigh the cost as the chances of striking gold are said to be quite high. PNG Gold Tours offers fully escorted two-week gold hunting trips to Misma Island, one of the most renowned areas for rich alluvial deposits.
Crater of Diamonds State Park, Murfreesboro, Arkansas
Nearly 30,000 diamonds have been discovered in Crater of Diamonds State Park over the past 40 years, including an extremely impressive 5-carat diamond found in the summer of 2013. This is the only diamond-producing site on the planet where the public can search for diamonds. The 37-acre eroded surface of a 95-million-year-old volcano produces diamonds and more than 40 other types of rocks and minerals. What you find is yours to keep – and, you don’t even need tools to find your treasure. You can walk around and sometimes discover diamonds lying right atop the soil. If you would like to engage in more of an in-depth search, there are items available to rent right onsite, including shovels, buckets, wooden box screens and knee pads. Professional treasure hunters are also available at the park’s visitors’ center offering a free service to help you determine whether or not your find is really a diamond.
Philipsburg, Montana
Montana is renowned for its breathtaking scenery, and it also offers a ton of things to do, including gem hunting. At Gem Mountain in Philipsburg, situated between Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park, visitors can enjoy outstanding prospecting for sapphires. Sift through the dirt and gravel using the tools provided to hunt for the brilliant blue gemstones, with staff helping you to clean and assess them so you can figure out which are worth saving, and maybe even turning into gorgeous pieces that can be worn. Sapphire gravel can also be purchased to take home and sift through for the beautiful gems, as well as ready-made jewelry designs that feature the stunning Montana sapphires.
Norman Island, British Virgin Islands
Just a short trek from Tortola and you can be on Norman Island, locally known as Treasure Island due to its legends of pirates and buried treasure. It’s even believed to have inspired Robert Lewis Stevenson’s classic, Treasure Island. The island is a popular retreat for snorkelers, divers and visitors who want to be surrounded by awe-inspiring tropical beauty as well as attracting those who believe there is still is still quite a bit of hidden treasure tucked away in caves and underwater from the days of the Caribbean pirates just waiting to be discovered. While snorkeling in the caves, not only will you have a chance to look for treasure, but to view rock walls and formations inhabited by cup corals and brilliantly colored tropical fish. The caves as well as offshore reefs and protected bays, offer some of the British Virgin Islands’ best snorkeling destinations.
Coober Pedy, Australia
Australia’s “Opal Rush” began 100 years ago when a teenager accidentally stumbled upon one of the fiery gems during a wayward gold expedition through the barren desert landscape. Since then, the remote town of Coober Pedy, set within a desolate patch of South Australia between Adelaide and Alice Springs, has claimed itself to be the “Opal Capital of the World.” Over 70 percent of the world’s precious opals are mined in and around this area where most locals live in underground “dugout” dwellings in order to survive the region’s harsh climate. To date, it’s said that only approximately 10 percent of the total area has been worked. Visitors can stay in one of the underground hotels or underground campgrounds and meet up with an opal mine guide for a chance to really score with this beautiful treasure in mounds of extracted rock and dirt that have been known to conceal and abundance of stray opals.
Woods Creek, Jamestown, California
Although California’s heyday of gold mining has long past, the precious metal can still be found in some of its richest creeks, including Woods Creek in California’s Gold Country near Jamestown. Visitors can join gold mining day trips into the scenic woods that surround the creek, digging, sluicing and panning for gold. There’s a very good chance of discovering gold here, and guests can keep up to one-half once of what they find, which means just like those original 49ers, you too can strike it rich, or at least have some fun along the way. Brent Shock, owner of the Jamestown-based Gold Prospecting Adventures, which leads a variety of prospecting trips to the historic site, says that less than 15 percent of the known deposits in the area have been touched.
Tonopah, Nevada
Tonopah was once Nevada’s largest producer of silver ore. It produced a large quantity of gold as well, along with some turquoise. As turquoise didn’t have the value that gold and silver did, the early miners mostly ignored it. By heading to the Royston Mine, owned by one of the area’s few remaining mining families, the Ottesons, visitors can hunt for the blue-green gem. Rock hounds will need to bring digging tools, gloves, a sturdy pair of shoes, sunscreen, food and water to dig, taking one bucketful per person in order to ensure there will be plenty of turquoise for everyone. The onsite jewelry store can also transform your finds into jewelry.
Port Royal, Jamaica
Aside from its legendary beaches, breathtaking views and vibrant nightlife, Jamaica is also known for its buried treasure. Port Royal, located near Kingston, was once known as the “wickedest city in the world.” Now a sleepy fishing town, back in the 17th century it was overrun with pirates, prostitutes and rum, leaving it with an abundance of treasures just waiting to be discovered. Scuba diving enthusiasts can enjoy hunting through an offshore shipwreck, of which only 10 percent has been evacuated. After spending your day searching, you might head to Pirates Cave where you can sip cocktails and watch the cliff divers jump into waters said to be rife with gold and all sorts of other treasures.
