The North Carolina Gem Mining Experience

Every year we take a trip to the Smokey Mountains in North Carolina and a must-do activity is gem mining! This year we stopped at the Nantahala River Gem Mine in Bryson City, NC. Read on to find out why this is our favorite gem mining spot.

Natahala River Gem Mine

My son and I both love to get a bucket of dirt at the gem mine and dig for treasures. It’s something I always wanted to do as a kid, but never got to, so now I enjoy sharing the experience with my son.

We have done several gem mining places in the Bryson City area, and Nantahala River Gem Mine is one of our favorites. We always get pretty stones and gems, and they have a nice, shaded area for sifting the dirt.

The mine is located at: 12121 Highway 19 W, Bryson City, NC 28713

How Does Gem Mining Work?

At Natahala River Gem Mine, you purchase a bucket of dirt for $50 + tax. You get to pick what bucket you want, and then put it in a little wagon to bring over to the trough of running water.

Scoops and sifting boxes are provided, and the process is very easy. You just scoop dirt into the screened box and let the water wash away the dirt.

Some of the dirt is very clumpy, so you have to squish those pieces apart to see if there are any gems inside.

Every bucket contains a mix of gemstones and mineral stones, and they give you a tutorial before you start so you know what to look for. Many of the gemstones, like garnets, look like regular rocks. You can only see the color if you shine a light through them.

Afterwards, you bring your finds inside and they will go through them and tell you what they are. You can also order jewelry made from any precious stones you find. We found several gems that would make good jewelry if cut and polished.  

If you are curious about how different metals complement gemstones, check out the Precious Metals Guide for expert tips.

Where Does the Nantahala River Gem Mine Dirt Come From?

At Nantahala River Gem Mine the buckets of dirt come from both local and worldwide sources. You normally wouldn’t find all these gems and minerals together, so they are all sourced from specific mines and combined. The dirt is then packaged and brought to the retail location.

The types of gems and stones you might find are rubies, emeralds, topaz, sapphires, garnets, tiger eye, amethyst, citrine, moonstone, rhodolite, aquamarine, turquoise, ametrine, rose quartz, smoky quartz and many others.

Overall, it’s always fun to find the pretty gems and minerals. We usually take them home and put them in the garden. This year, we are planning on getting a rock tumbler soon to tumble some of the stones we found.

UPDATE: We got the National Geographic Rock Tumbler and love it! We tumbled many years of stones into pretty smooth crystal rocks. Click the bold text to read the full review of the rock tumbler, and some tips for tumbling your own rocks.