You’ll Never Forget A Trip Through This Old Gem Mine In Utah
By Catherine Armstrong|Published July 28, 2017
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Catherine Armstrong
Author
Writer, editor and researcher with a passion for exploring new places. Catherine loves local bookstores, independent films, and spending time with her family, including Gus the golden retriever, who is a very good boy.
There’s no shortage of family-friendly adventures in Utah, but you can easily get stuck in a rut, heading to destinations near your house and visiting the same old museum or park. Here’s an idea that will take you farther afield, and you’re sure to enjoy an entire day of fun, making memories that will last a lifetime.
Topaz Mountain is a popular place for gem hunters to gather and dig for a day. It's very remote - about 36 miles northwest of Delta - and you'll travel on a dirt road to get there.
Much of the amphitheater is still available for free rock-hounding, and you'll likely find some clear topaz if you spend enough time, but the amber topaz is much more elusive in the public area.
Topaz Mountain Adventures acquired a lease on about 40 acres on the mountain and opened it up as a free site with available guided blasting tours. The company didn't purchase public land - this space has been leased since the early 1900s and has always been inaccessible to the public until now.
The company offers several ways to mine their claim. You can simply purchase a prospecting pass and explore the area on your own, take a public guided blast tour, or splurge on a private blast tour.
On the public guided blast tour, you'll watch the blast and drilling from a safe area, then head to the site where you'll find tons of uncovered gems. Most tours start early in the morning, and your tour fee allows you to stay as long as you'd like during the day.
In the public areas of the mountain, only hand tools are allowed to prospect the gems. On a public blasting tour, you'll have access to power tools, which can make extraction much easier. Your guides will show you how to extract the topaz from the shale safely.
When you take a tour, you'll find a LOT of topaz. Some TripAdvisor.com reviewers mentioned that they gathered so much that they could barely get it all home. You're allowed to keep everything you find during your tour...and some people have found some pretty remarkable gems here.
Make sure you pause and look up from your topaz extracting to enjoy the view. You're likely to see some wildlife during the day. Keep an eye out for mule deer, foxes, rabbits and hawks.
Kids ages 7-13 must be closely supervised while prospecting on the mountain – it’s steep and can be a dangerous place to run around. Children six and under aren’t allowed on the tours. For more information about the tours, or to schedule one, check out Topaz Mountain Adventure’s website.
