Emerald Creek Garnet Area in Saint Maries, Idaho

Idaho, known as the Gem State, is home to over 240 identified minerals, with the star garnet being the most significant. Star garnets are named for the four- or six-pointed star that appears on their surface when cut and polished, due to rutile formations causing asterism. These gems can only be found in India and the Idaho Panhandle. The Emerald Creek Garnet Area near Saint Maries offers visitors the chance to dig for star garnets and keep them, attracting gem hunters worldwide. The site opens annually on Memorial Day weekend. Visitors collect gravel in buckets and use sluice boxes with running water to sift out stones, spotting the gems by their dark purple or crimson hue against gray rocks. Each mining session lasts three hours, allowing visitors to go through the process multiple times. Finding multiple star garnets is relatively easy, and visitors can take home up to five pounds of gems. This on-site digging activity is a fun family event.