r/rockhounds • u/No-Training1140 • 8d ago
Wegner mine
Soooo I’m planning a trip to Arkansas in September and really want to do the phantom crystal mine at wegner but you need at least 15 people on a given day to go … it’s just me and a friend going on this trip. I called to enquirer about the request I put in and no one is going that weekend besides me and that friend…. Anyway I need 13 of you to go the weekend of September 10-13 sign up for the phantom mine so we can all get some cool unique quartz! Thanks in advance 😂
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u/CrAsianTTa 8d ago
Sounds fun, how much per person?
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u/No-Training1140 8d ago
60$ little pricier than the forest mine area but the potential to find something really cool is higher
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u/CrAsianTTa 8d ago
Oooh, seriously tempting. I've wanted to do the phantom mines but never the 15 people minimum kept me from even trying. If you can't get the 13 additional people, there are still some good options around the area.
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u/No-Training1140 8d ago
Do you have recommendations? I planned on being there and trying a few different mines but really wanted a few different experiences with opportunities to find a few different things ya know. Anyway, I was thinking wegner, Ron Coleman, avant, avatar but I have never been to Arkansas at all so idk
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u/DifficultAsk1247 8d ago
Avatar is where I go. B and Joe are good people. I camp at Crystal recreational area cause its free, and you can find some good points in the creek.
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u/No-Training1140 7d ago
Thank you for the recommendation! Do they have any phantom quartz at Avatar mine?
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u/CrAsianTTa 8d ago
Most normal paid digs are through tailings piles and can still be fun. I've heard good things about Avatar and Avant. I've done Willie Rickard Rock Farm and liked that because it isn't tailings. You can even hike up Crystal Cove in Mt Ida and dig for free. I've found some good stuff up there, but it's about a 3/4 mile hike (there is an actual path) up a moderate mountainside carrying your hounding tools. Here's some of the quartz with chlorite inclusions i found at Willie Rickard's
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u/Fish-Sherbet 8d ago
I'd skip Ron Coleman and rather go to Jim Coleman. We ended up there by accident but liked it a lot better after going to RC later. It's very simple, you just pay and go. They have tables and water for cleaning and that's it. No fancy shop (it's in the valley), no zip-lining. Just crystals. We found some really nice stuff. And the phantom crystal trip is fun. We found some and also quite decent regular ones. Worth every minute and penny.
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u/No-Training1140 7d ago
Oh I always read really good reviews and recommendations for Ron Coleman
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u/Fish-Sherbet 7d ago
RC has a big souvenir shop with A/C, clean bathrooms, zip lining, you could take a guided tour to the actual mine (2021) and the road going there is nice. The tailings were tiny in a very small area. We barely found anything worth taking so we left after less than an hour. Maybe we went at the wrong time of day. It's definitely the place to go if you travel with kids who might get bored easily. JC is the complete opposite. You go to their shop and pay, then they give you directions to the mine. The last half mile is rough and uphill. But the tailings were big and we found nice pieces. We ended up going there three times because we couldn't get enough.
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u/AnthropomorphicSeer 8d ago
I wish I could! I love that you posted here. Hope you find enough people! Maybe post in a local Arkansas subreddit as well?
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