Tailings digging

Tailings fee is $100.00 per person per day.
When accompanied by an adult, children 10-15 years old are half price. Children under 10 are no charge.

We recommend being at the mine at 8 AM! No reservations are required for tailings. The cut off for tailings digging is at 9 AM! No exceptions and no half day rates.

Tailings are materials that have been mined previously. They are produced by our own digging, as well as materials brought out from the virgin ground loads dug the day before. Tailings is a good place to start if you have never dug with us before. Tailings offer lots of material to go through. There are tailings from the last 50 years of digging, to tailings that are just days old. Virgin ground load materials dug the previous day are brought out and added to the tailings each morning. Opal clay breaks down pretty rapidly in the sun. Younger tailings will have bigger clay clods. and will appear darker in color as they are still very moist. You will want to spend time on these materials; breaking down clods and raking through the fines for opal that was missed. Opals found in the more recent tailings should be considered wet opals, and treated accordingly. These opals should be kept in water, cleaned and displayed as wet specimens. Digging in the older tailings is mostly a matter of carefully raking through drier, finer material. You want to move dirt, but not so quickly that you miss what is there. It is easy to rake dirt faster than you can process it with your eyes. Look for wood shapes; an opal covered in dirt can be camouflaged and easy to miss. Opals found in the older tailings should be kept in a dry container, especially if you plan on trying to cut a stone.  Remember, older tailings are where a potential cutter can be found. Tools needed are a clod tool and a small rake, available to borrow from the rock shop. You will need a container or baggie for dry material, and a small bucket with water for wet opals. A reservation is not required to dig in tailings.

Virgin Ground Loads

Virgin Ground Load fee is $900.00 for up to 3 adults! We offer half loads on a limited basis for $600.00.
Your minor children are included. Additional adults are $100.00 each (tailings fee). Reservations are required, and must be made by phone. You must be at the mine site at 8 AM! We will begin taking reservations on February 15th, 2024.        

Virgin Ground Loads are prepared each morning for the diggers who have reserved a load. It is fresh dirt, right from the bank, knocked down by an excavator. We do this "to order" so that virgin ground is not wasted or allowed to dry out. A loader scoops up a bucket full of clay and brings it out from the pit to where it will be worked on a flattened area. You will be able to park your vehicle next to your load so that you will have your tools and supplies handy. Load materials include clay clods up to the size of a micro-wave oven, and down to fines. This material is worked by hand, with simple hand tools available to borrow from the rock shop. The clay is taken apart with a clod tool, and the fine materials are raked to thoroughly go through them. The clod tool is much more efficient than a pick for this job, and will not damage an opal as badly as a pick would.  A load, worked properly and thoroughly, will keep two adults busy all day.  If you finish your load early, you have access to tailings until 4pm. You will need to have a bucket with water to put your opals in. Remember these are wet specimens and need to be kept in water. We have water for your buckets available at the rock shop. If you have found something you would like to display as a wet specimen, you can bring it to the rock shop at quitting time. We can help you match your opal to an appropriate sized dome. If time allows, we can help you sort and clean your finds for display. We have many sizes of domes available for sale in the shop. You will need a bucket with a lid for each person digging. It is also a good idea to have a smaller container and lid for special finds that might get damaged by being tossed in your bucket. For those with knee or back issues, there are several steel tables available to rent for $50.00 each. The tables work very well, and are requested regularly by those who have used them. If you wish to use a table, you must reserve it when you make your digging reservation as they get booked up quickly. Materials can be worked until 4 PM, it then becomes tailings for the next day.

Planning your trip

Camping in Virgin Valley

If you plan to visit Virgin Valley for an opal mining trip, you might want to consider camping at the Virgin Valley or CCC campground, as the locals call it. It will put you much closer to the mines than a hotel would. While there are no RV hook-ups available, not much else is missing. There are quite a few sites available, most with fire rings and tables. There are outhouse facilities, a shower house, and a wonderful swimming pond from the same warm springs. Your kids will love the swimming! It is a nice oasis to come back to after a day of opal mining or sightseeing.  Some years, there is a camp host, but not always. It is still a free camp, with a two week stay limit. There are not many shade trees, so grab a spot with shade, or bring your own when the weather is hot. The camp is usually not too crowded, with the possible exception of Memorial Day Weekend, and the Fourth of July. Fire restrictions are not in effect often, and you must bring your own firewood, as there is none available. Because there is water here, you may have mosquitos in the evening, so bring some bug dope. On warm summer evenings, you will hear bullfrogs singing in the kids fishing pond. There is fishing close by so don’t forget to get a license and bring your gear. You can purchase a license online at NDOW licensing.

The campground is located two miles in from Hwy 140, five miles before you get to Rainbow Ridge Opal Mine. It is centrally located between the mines open to the public.

Check out the Charles Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge online for more information on camping and things to do and see in the area.