arrowhead crystal mine

We were excited to go to Mount Ida to dig for crystals. After driving for 8 hours we found out that most mines are closed. Dee and Gee, and Arrowhead included. The other mines open are not active, meaning you just find shards of stuff. We were told to go to Colemans who is the only active mine there and found some decent stuff. We went home satisified.

This mine has been sold to new owners and the name has been changed. The previous owner is still conducting business under the arrowhead mine name, operating a website under that name offering mining trips and pretending he still owns the mine which is causing a lot of confusion.The new owners are very nice people but at this time they have not opened the mine to the public. Beware of anyone doing business under the arrowhead mine name as they no longer own the mine. I included a link to the new owners website.

Well I tried to contact these guys several times. Their number was still valid and I left 2 msgs for them. No return call. On facebook they did not respond, nor did they respond via email.I am pretty sure they are defunct. Do us a favor and remove your website and change the phone msg. Don't leave us hanging.

I had read some great reviews on Arrowhead Mines, and was very excited to go in September. I was planning my trip a month in advance and called the number on their website to see if they were planning to be open while I was in town. The mailbox was full and I couldn’t leave a message. I sent an email through their “contact us” form. When I didn’t hear back I sent an email through another address on the website. Still no response. A crystal mining forum said that Arrowhead stopped active mining, and I wasn’t going to risk a 400 mile trip if no one was there. After a few more calls and no answer, I had to make other plans.

We tried a couple of times to get the operators to meet us at the mine to dig. The first time, he had a flat tire and said he couldn't make it. He replied back that he could make it the next day, but email him to confirm. He would not respond to email or voice mail. We told him there were several of us and we wanted to do "Option 1", but, guess they have other things to do. May 6-9, 2011.

We started out for a weekend trip to Crater of Diamonds, an hour south of here and the woman boarding our dogs suggested we go here "first" so our 12 year old son would have some "success" first THEN hit the diamond crater and when he didn't find anything, at least he had his crystals. So we discussed it as a family on the drive to Arkansas from Texas and decided it would be fun if nothing else. We arrived right at opening (which my Arkansas guide book recommended we do) and the owner told us we were the first to dig in this newly blasted mine. We felt a little overwhelmed. We had stopped (again, at the advice of the guidebook) at Wal Mart on our way in and bought some screwdrivers and leather garden gloves to dig with. The others who showed at opening had trailers, rakes, tools, buckets, teams of people...you name it! The owner showed us a mound of dirt and we hit it. A serious collector (who sold them to the tourist shops, we think) was tickled at us because we were so excited at the HUGE landscaping rocks we were finding! He kept showing us the smaller, clear crystals we were SUPPOSED TO BE looking for, but we were ecstatic that these smaller, clear crystals were jutting out of these huge 50 lbs rocks we were finding for our garden at home! 3 hours later, my husband forced my son and I to leave for fear that our small SUV (Toyota Rav) would never make it home as weighed down as we were.This place is dirty. Don't wear your good shoes or vacation clothes. The red dirt in Arkansas is iron laden and stains. You can stay as long as you like and take as much as (or whatever) you like. There are others up the road, but we were told by the "pros" in this mine that the others were cheaper in cost, but they also "assigned" you the bucket of dirt, meaning, it was seeded or at least they knew more or less what you were going to find in there,so you weren't getting an "all you care to take" of crystals deal at the others. Bummer. We couldn't STOP finding crystals and had a difficult time getting out of here. It is a great afternoon for the kids, our son loved it and has told his friends at school. Have had parents calling and emailing us for information ever since. It is really a great activity for all kids. Not easy access and no wheelchair access. You have a good unsteady hike to the mines. But fun, fun, fun for anyone who still LOVES to dig in the dirt and find fun stuff! Kind of like an Easter egg hunt!The owner told us the business was sold to a couple, but there were possibly going to be some hang ups with the sale of the business so you definitely need to call before you go out there to make sure they are open when you are planning to go. Be sure you take the gardening gloves (leather ones) as the crystals are sharp and some paper to wrap them in for the drive home. We only lost "one" crystal for failure to wrap. A suggestion we have for you is stop along the way and grab those free advertising newspapers at gas stations and use those to wrap! OH! and no restroom. Make sure you go before you get here! And bring a picnic lunch! Great to stay for an afternoon!

They STOLE all of my crystals saying it was their policy if crystals were found over a certain size. CROOKS

We had a pretty good time hunting in the mine but found only small crystals here. According to "Dave" who was watching the mine while the main guys were in town at a festival said that was the norm at Arrowhead. Considering the fee (20 bucks) we felt good about the quality and quantity we found. Just a bit disappointed that we didn't find much that was larger than about 1/4" in width. All in all fun, not a bad day. Warning though for drivers of small cars... the road in is rough and I did use 4wd going in. Pretty deep ruts so be careful not to get high centered.

My family and I went during spring break this past year. I could not begin to tell you my thoughts driving in on that bumpy road but what was a bumpy ride turned out to be one of the most fun days we have ever had with our 4 children. We had no clue what to do or where to begin but that only lasted until we opened the car door where we parked, the kids were picking up crystals right and left! My husband and I went up a hill to dig and I just sat down and started digging I pulled out a really nice small cluster and it was on, a very serious family competition. The kids all found beautiful crystals and from the time we started around 10am until the horn sounded for the end of the day, I never heard my kids, they were so busy digging and collecting they never even asked for lunch! We are planning to go again and the kids have asked when more than once. Thank you for such a fun day trip. I would recommend this to anyone and have, several of our friends have been and have had very positive comments also.

Arrowhead was just one stop of many we made while we were there. We read the reviews well ahead of time, as we always do--amazing how beneficial these review sites turn out to be. Of all the places we went while we were in Arkansas, myself, my wife and our five children ALL wish we would have just gone back to Arrowhead each day we were there. I think this mine sets the bar pretty high. There are dozens and dozens of places we'd like to go to dig across the U.S. We only hope our experiences at other dig sites aren't paled by our experience at Arrowhead. I'll tell you what though--making Arrowhead your last stop in Arkansas is both a blessing and a curse: You'll wish you'd been able to spend more than just a day there, but if you dig anywhere else in the Mt. Ida area beforehand, you'll be glad you saved the best for last. Arrowhead is what defined our trip to Arkansas. We went home thoroughly happy, and sad we had to leave. *Tips: Bring plenty of water and snacks--you won't want to leave to get more once you get started there. *Bring toilet paper (I know, I know... But, hey, we're all adventurists, right?) *Bring plenty of canvas bags and/or buckets/containers. When you think you've got enough, throw a few more in. We filled two green canvas military duffle bags, two more smaller canvas buckets and three buckets. This was with the stuff that would FIT in a bag or bucket--there were things I brought home that I had to just lay in the back of the van. *DON'T FORGET THE SUNSCREEN!! *There are plenty of tree lines around to take refuge from the sun--you can even pick through the piles of tailings while you're resting.

This will be a great experience for the whole family. I went with my son and found so many crystals we had to buy a suitcase to bring them home and they are BIG!! The man at the site was extermly helpful and knowlegable. Bring some snacks, water and dig away. We will be BACK..

We love digging for gems and fossils with our grandsons and found the Arrowhead Crystal Mine just a six hour drive from where we live in Springfield, Missouri. You must call ahead and make a reservation to dig. Prices depend on if you just want to take your chances on finding something, or if you want them to open a pocket for you. YOU WILL FIND CRYSTALS HERE! So many of the places we've been gem, crystal, or fossil hunting, you pay a lot and don't come away with much. Arrowhead Crystal Mine is different. Once the owner opens a pocket for you, it's just a matter of carefully extracting the crystals. If you don't want to get dirty, just walk around and pick up small crystals off the ground. It's very hot down in that part of Arkansas, so we decided on a weekend in October and it was still very hot. There is no shade in the area where you will dig, so bring a big beach umbrella, a hat, and plenty of water. We brought a picnic lunch as well. Take plenty of breaks. For more information or to make a reservation, checkout their website: http://www.arrowheadcrystals.com/

My friend and I dug for crystals at Arrowhead Mine earlier this week and it was everything we had hoped for and more!! We did the $100 Option (check out their website) and found lots of beautiful crystals. We had about 5 hours to dig before we had to hit the road and it was hard to tear ourselves away. You can stay all day and keep anything you find within the large digging area. Brian, the mine volunteer who helped us was extremely friendly, helpful, and obviously wanted everyone to have a satisfying and safe experience. The road back to the mine was a little rugged but we made it fine in my Focus going slow. We would definitely go to this mine again!!

We had reservations. When we got there, the mine was closed. We called and they said they were not going to open up. We drove 10 hours to get there. I would not recommend this mine at all.

Ok first I read all reviews. Basically they were positive about this mine except for 1 or 2. I just got to the hotel after a day of digging and here goes. This was possibly the best experience I have ever had. I do not work for mine, I am from south Texas and this was our first time at Arrowhead mine. We called 2 weeks in advance and told the owner we were interested in a day of digging for myself, my wife and my parents. We paid 250$ for our option. Let me just say this...... Wow.... We are talking about 3 full five gallon buckets and a couple of clusters that would not even fit in the bucket. I have been on the internet looking at prices of cleaned clusters and large single points. We have determined that the trip was paid for not even half way through the first bucket..... In fact we could take just 3 of our largest clusters and that would take care of all fees. When we arrived our guy was waiting for us,,, Very nice, very profesional and very well versed in the knowledge of all we asked and needed to know. He went through all safety and rules of mine. If we needed anything he was on site all day. Also our paid area was covered and protected from anyone touching it. I would just like to let the guys from Arrowhead know I cant thank you enough for all the great crystals we have recovered from the mine today. I know you guys check this site and I hope you remember Mike from Texas......If anyone out there is considering this Mine,,, dont hesitate its a winner...Only one word of warning... If you are not from the south bring lots and lots of H2O..... and sunscreen..I would recommend this Mine to anyone I know .... See you guys again very soon............................