5 legal places to look for quartz crystals in New York — fees, seasons, and official sources below. The historic record adds the underground story: 35 entries.
Hours, fees, and access rules change. Verify with the operator or land agency before you go.
Crystal Grove Diamond Mine & Campground
St. Johnsville, NY
herkimer diamondsdoubly terminated quartzcalcite
Fee dig · Fee, seasonal · $16 per person ages 12 and up, $10 for ages 6-11, under 5 free; campers pay $14 and $8. Tool rentals extra: chisel $3, crack hammer $4, shovel $4, sift box $5, sledge $7, no reservations on tools
Checked against its source August 16, 2026
Diamond Mountain Mining, Little Falls
Little Falls, NY
herkimer diamondsscepter quartzskeletal quartz
Fee dig · Fee · pricing is not published on the operator site and appears to be set per event; ask when you reserve. Mining access is by reservation only
Checked against its source August 16, 2026
Dirty Diamond Diggers, Fort Plain
Fort Plain, NY
herkimer diamondsdoubly terminated quartzcalcite
Fee dig · Fee · private excavator-assisted digs only, $1,500 for a maximum of two people, with a $100 refundable deposit at booking. Keep everything you find, no limits
Checked against its source August 16, 2026
Middleville, NY
herkimer diamondsdoubly terminated quartzcalcite
Fee dig · Fee, seasonal · $19/adult (13+) and $16/child (5-12) Monday through Thursday, $22 and $18 Friday through Sunday; ages 4 and under free. Includes an all-day prospecting ticket, gem collection bags, and use of a rock hammer
Checked against its source August 16, 2026
Herkimer Mountain Diamond Mine
NY
herkimer diamondsdoubly terminated quartzsmoky quartz
Fee dig · Fee · $120/adult (13+) and $60 for ages 6-12 for a seven-hour dig; ages 5 and under free. Reservations required, no walk-ins. Buckets, hammers, trowels, rakes and eye protection can be rented
Checked against its source August 16, 2026
Mineral history, not an invitation. This mineral history comes from a federal record of historic mines, prospects, and occurrences. It is not a list of places to collect. Historic mine sites are usually on private land, under active mining claims, or unsafe to enter — and often all three. The places you can actually collect are in the legal-access directory below.
The federal record lists 35 historic entries involving quartz crystals in New York , clustered in Washington, Warren, Saratoga counties. That geography is the honest clue about which corners of the state carry the right rocks — read it as geology, then pick a legal place to test it.
Records from the USGS Mineral Resources Data System, a legacy federal database last revised August 2022 and no longer updated.
Start with the 5 legal places listed on this page — each shows what you can find, its fees, and its season, with a link to the official source. Hours, fees, and access rules change. Verify with the operator or land agency before you go.
Treat New York's historic mines as history, not destinations. Most sit on private land or active mining claims, and old workings are dangerous even to walk. The mineral record on this page tells you what the ground holds — the directory tells you where you are welcome to look for it.