Looking for something fun to do near Lake George, NY? Consider going garnet mining! This fun family activity not only provides entertainment but also a unique souvenir!
When researching a place to go mining during our trip to the Adirondacks we chose to visit Barton’s Garnet Mine at Gore Mountain. It was a bit hard to find the actual website for this facility, many websites link to sites that no longer are in use. You can find the correct website for Barton’s Garnet Mine here!
READ ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE HERKIMER DIAMOND MINING!
Tour Times
Tours are offered seasonally on weekends only and start at 10:30am and 12:30pm. These are the only two tour times, and if you are late you cannot join the group once they have departed.
Before the Tour
We arrived for the 10:30am tour at 10:05. There was ample parking space.
I HIGHLY recommend parking close to the gate, and backing into your spot. I’ll expand more on this in a bit!
After arriving, we used the porta-potties and then made our way inside to buy our tickets. We were surprised to find that there were two bathrooms inside, I wish I had known that before using the porta-potties! Keep in mind, there are no bathrooms at the mine you will be driving to!
Tickets cost $20 for adults, and $15 for children and seniors. At the time of our visit, the children’s price was for kids 17 and under.
When we bought our tickets, we also rented our tools which required us to leave a drivers license at the office to be returned once we gave our tools back.
At 10:20 a.m., an announcement was made for a last call for the bathroom. A few minutes later, our tour guides Jason and Jake came to speak to us and gave us a quick overview. Then, we were off!
The Tour and Mine
At 10:30, we began to convoy down to the mine in our own cars. The drive down was about a half mile. This is where parking comes into play! Only the first ten cars to go through the gate were allowed to park at the bottom of the mine, the remaining cars needed to park a bit aways up a hill and walk down. They ended up arriving close to 10 minutes after we did, which put them at a bit of a disadvantage, as we had earlier gotten the spiel we needed before claiming our spots and beginning to dig.
Before we got to dig, our guide gave us a brief overview of the history of the mine, what we could expect to find when digging, and the rules of the mine. Because this is a national historic site, you aren’t allowed to smash or pry the large rocks and break them apart. Additionally, you cannot go in the water, and you must stay within the limits of the dig site, which is marked by flags.
As you are limited to digging and sifting, it is easy for small children to participate. We spent the day squatting or sitting where we could and by the end of our time in the mine my back and legs were feeling it! There is no shade at the mine site, so be sure to bring a hat and wear plenty of sunscreen.
The garnet pieces that we found weren’t necessarily jewelry quality, but we had a lot of fun searching.
After the Tour
After the tour, the convoy departs together and you are able to buy the gems you have collected at $2 a pound. You will also return your rented equipment and get your license back. There was quite a line when we returned. Some folks were dropping off their equipment, and others were buying tickets for the next tour.
If you felt as though you didn’t have enough time to dig, or your time got cut short, you are allowed to return for a later tour. Tickets are good all day long!
I think garnet mining was a fun family experience and I am glad that we did it! I’m not sure if we will visit every trip, but I would definitley recommend that you check it out at least once if you are interested in rocks and minerals!