Emerald Creek Garnet Area Tickets

Welcome to the Emerald Creek Garnet Area. If you are ready to get dirty, have fun and find some garnets to take home, you've come to the right place. Staff will greet you with an orientation to the site and provide all the tools necessary to dig, sift and wet sluice to find garnets. This is a great activity for families and people of all ages. Hidden in the hills of the Idaho Panhandle, Emerald Creek is one of only two places in the world where Star Garnets can be found in quantity, and the only location where you're able to collect them. When a Star Garnet is cut by a jeweler it displays a six-ray reflective star pattern in the purple stone and is commonly used for jewelry. It is also the Idaho State Gem. The site is open Friday through Monday, beginning the Friday of Memorial Day weekend and ending the Monday of Labor Day weekend. Garnets cannot be collected outside the Emerald Creek Garnet Area recreation site or while the site is closed. When you arrive, you will be issued a mineral permit authorizing the holder to dig, sift, sluice and collect garnets within the recreation site.