Dig Your Own Garnets At The Garnet Hill Recreation Area

Near Ely, Nevada is a special area the Government has set aside for rock hounds to hunt garnets. There is no charge and the area is open to the public. The Garnet Hill rock hound recreation area in White Pine County is located about 4 miles Northwest of Central Ely in the Eagan mountain range. The major access road to this area joins US Highway 50 about 6.4 miles West of the traffic signal at US 395 and US 50 junction in Ely. The area is locally referred to as Garnet Hill and this nationally known rock hounding area is famous for its very dark colored garnets found in a flow banded rhyolitic volcanic rock. Two square miles of public land was designated as a public recreation area in 1970 to ensure continued public access to the site because of its recreational and scientific study values. There is some limited camping space for tents and small RVs at the site - three tables are located around the road loop near the top of Garnet Hill. Other camping opportunities are located in and around Ely. The Garnet Hill road loop is about 3.1 miles East of US 50 and access is provided on a winding and somewhat steep but graded road. The Garnet Hill road is a maintained dirt road, and is suitable for use by sedans and other standard passenger vehicles. From Garnet Hill one also has a fine view of the open pit copper mine in the multicolored waste rock dumps at the nearby Robinson copper mining district.

The Garnet usually occurs as single crystals attached within small cavities known as vugs. The Garnet bearing vugs seem to occur in specific mineralized zones and areas, and these are confined to certain areas and not randomly dispersed and even manner through the rhyolitic rock. When searching for a zones which will contain the Garnet crystals, perhaps the best clue is the presence of veins are cavities which are lined with sugary, sparkling light gray tridymite, a high temperature version of Quartz. Collectors have worked at this spot for many decades, and broken waste material and rubble completely covers the ground in some areas, burying any potential Garnet bearing host rocks. Often, unless one works within the established pits, a considerable amount of work to move this rock rubble will be required.


Most rock hounds conduct their search for garnets at this location in one of two different ways. The first method involves visually searching the surface and nearby drainages for the dark colored stones that have weathered from the pink to gray colored rhyolitic rock. Small garnets which have come loose from the host rock are spread here and there around parts of the area and their very dark color contrasts strongly with the local rock and soil. Using this visual hunting method usually does find some stones, and the finds come with the least amount of work involved. The garnets collect in small gullies and drainage areas because they are heavier than the surrounding rock in a manner much like a placer gold deposit. The second method is used by other, more energetic rock hounds, who will work to break open the Garnet bearing rock with hammers and chisels. These tough workers seek to break open the hard rock and reveal any gems hidden within. This is a popular method and is actually the best one for locating the finest specimens of Garnet, where the stones are still attached to the mother rock. If one seeks to use this method, it is necessary to bring sharp chisels and heavy crack hammers to break open the hard unweathered rhyolite stone. It is also very hard work. When I dug here, I felt the distinct flavor of what it must have been like to break rock in the old time prisons.

The historic old copper mining community of Ely is located a few miles south east of Garnet Hill and for those visiting the area, Ely is the chief source of supplies and goods. Ely is the county seat for White Pine County, and most normal shopping and other supplies can be found there. The Ely area offers a number of attractions, including an interesting train ride from town down to the local copper mining area at Ruth. Great Basin National Park, which includes the fascinating Lehman caves, is only a short drive away.

By: Reno Chris

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For Pictures of the garnets and a map to the area, be sure to check out the authors web site at: nevada-outback-gems.com/Rockhound/Nevada_garnet_Ely.htm For more rock hound and camping adventures in Nevada and Northern California, take a look at the authors website at: nevada-outback-gems.com/Rockhound/Rockhound%20_Corner.htm Chris owns 3 Nevada turquoise mines and markets his own line of jewelry. His web site can be seen at: nevada-outback-gems.com

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