OpalID
Spencer Opal Mine
A family-operated opal mine in eastern Idaho offering fee digs in opal-bearing rhyolite tuff with visible opal seams.
View detailsIdaho opal & star garnet country
Spencer Opal Mine and Emerald Creek Star Garnet Area showcase Idaho's diverse lapidary materials from opal to six-ray star garnets on public dig ground.
2 spots in Idaho.
Plan your trip with individual listing pages below — fees, access, and seasonal notes vary by site. Use rockhounding sites near me to sort by GPS, or see all rockhounding sites in Idaho.
Idaho gemstones: opal and star garnet
Spencer Opal Mine and Emerald Creek star garnet ground anchor Idaho gemstones search interest — precious opal fee digs and the only public six-ray star garnet collecting in the world. This hub lists 2 related Idaho directory sites with GPS and access notes.
Opal fee digs and Recreation.gov garnet tickets are not interchangeable. Owyhee plume agate at Graveyard Point is a separate access story — confirm permission before you chase historic agate names.
Beginner path for rock hounding in Idaho
Start with Spencer for a managed opal day, then book Emerald Creek on the Forest Service summer window. Both beat guessing claim status on a first trip.
Use the Idaho state hub, gemstones type hub, opal and garnet specimen maps, and dig-sites list when comparing keep rules nationwide.
GarnetID
Emerald Creek Star Garnet Area
Forest Service star garnet dig near Clarkia, Idaho, and the only public site in the world where visitors can collect the six-rayed star garnets that are Idaho's state gem. Reservation-only tickets through Recreation.gov, with a 2-pound limit and one permit per person per year. Closed early in 2026 when excavated material ran out — confirm reopen status before travel.
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