Crystal Park

Montana

Find: Quartz crystals, amethyst crystals, smoky quartz, with phantom points and double terminations possible

GPS: 45.48678, -113.10021

Nearest city: Bozeman, MT

Recommended Vehicle: Any

Summary:

Crystal Park is probably one of the most fun places to take a family. This spot looks like a battlefield, with holes dug as far as the eye can see. Those willing to put a shovel to work are rewarded with stunning quartz and amethyst crystals.

While it’s a bit tiring, I recommend carrying all of your gear for the day (including plenty of water) up the hill all in one go.

This site has a $5/day fee. The Forest Service made a nice sheet that explains Crystal Park rules as well. You can get to this area with any vehicle.

If I could only bring 3 tools…

Short D-Handle Shovel

Expect to do a significant amount of digging here. A short-handle shovel is usually preferable to a longer one if you’ll be at it for a while.

Gold Pan

I had a gold pan with me and filled it with water to rinse the crystals I separated from the dirt. Any old container or bin should work just fine, though.

Classifier

A classifier is helpful to sort the quartz crystals from the dry, arid soil. I used a homemade 1/2” classifier in the photo above.