Easy and effortless scheduling. Reasonable rates for camping and mining. Great campsites, each far enough away from one another you don’t feel on top of your neighbor. Short walk across the foot bridge and a maintained field into the mining areas. Plenty of bathrooms and showers. Great for big groups and the solo camper. Will definitely be back!
These guys are laid back, super awesome, have all the tools you will need to rent super cheap. Great vibe! I ended up not digging and walking and then walked in the black diamond mine area and found 3 really nice Herkimers! Met some amazing people. Glad to have had the opportunity to go!!
Restrooms: Clean, super short walk from the mine.
Dog-friendliness: I have a cat on a leash and there was no issue!
Picnic area: Perfect spot to stop and enjoy a snack or lunch in the shade or sun.
Loved the campground, and had so much fun in the mine. Found a lot of beautiful crystals. We spent our first full day there, second day went to another mine and was very disappointed, spent our last day back at Crystal Grove and was finding stones everywhere. A bad storm came through and ran us out for about 20 minutes, went back out to the pit and the rain uncovered many treasures. Highly recommend.
My family and I recently stayed at the Crystal Grove Diamond Mine and Campground, and everything about the experience was fantastic! The grounds themselves are tidy and really well maintained. The campsites have plenty of space between them, and gorgeous trees providing plenty of shade and privacy. The staff are super friendly and thoughtfu.. We had a great time mining, and came away with tons of crystals, as well as a sweet family memory in this lovely location. This place exceeded our expectations and then some. We will definitely be going back next year. Inexpensive, and worth the trip.
I literally have nothing bad to say about this AMAZING campground! Staff is so so friendly, the site is beautiful and we had sooo much fun rock hounding! 100% recommend and will definitely be going back for sure!
I can’t begin to express how much I loved mining here. The people are amazing and super helpful and the landscape is very diverse with plenty of options on where to dig. I found my first large sized diamond as big as my hand on my first visit. I will be continuing to come here as often as possible! Thank you everyone at Crystal Grove for going above and beyond with customer service. Y’all also have done very well for keeping the grounds clean and the roads in great shape.
I love the natural setting, with plenty of room for kids to play, and, as miners themselves, the new management is VERY focused on providing you with some of the best Herkimer Diamond mining experiences ever! Can’t wait to go back!
Super friendly staff, clean bathrooms and showers and large campsites bordered by plenty of trees for privacy. The two mines onsite are great for hunting for “diamonds” and I found them a lot easier to move around in than other, larger operations nearby, especially with young kids.
We have been to Herkimer several times over the years, but this is the first time we went to Crystal Grove. The dig sites were freshly excavated, so we got a lot of quartz. What a great place for me with my wrecked knees – I found many beautiful stones just sifting through the rubble! My hubands and friend spent time at a wall with sledges and pry bars and he got some beautiful matrix stones. The parking is right on site, a big grassy area with some tables and some shade. We did not camp there (a little too rustic for me), but to walk back thorough the wooded campgrounds from the dig sites was minutes. That’s where the bathrooms are, and they seemed very clean and well-maintained, though obviously didn’t use the showers. The 1st day we went was the pig n dig, $15 for mining and pig roast it was great! It was kind of busy, but the young men (didn’t catch their names) were friendly and patient!
We’ve only been going to Crystal Grove the last few years, but we love it. It has a more natural, woodsy setting than others, with shady sites, several walking trails, and a cheerfully splashing stream. The facilities are good and well-maintained; the play area keeps the grandkids happy, but the most exciting part is that the new management have been working ceaselessly to open up TONS of new material to enhance the Herkimer-hunting, and it is paying off in more and larger shiny treasures going on home with eager rockhounds. Can’t wait to visit again!
My family and I have been going to this place for years. The caretakers are all about providing excellent customer service. Our reservation was handled promptly and professionally. The cabins that we have stayed in were clean and comfortable. We were within walking distance to the mine and we really appreciated the opportunity to “hunt” while we stayed there. The gift shop has many different rock specimens as well as different “Herkimers.” There is plenty to choose from but it isn’t overwhelming. I highly recommend Crystal Grove to all of my friends if you want a excellent experience!
My boyfriend and I visited Crystal Grove for the weekend. We rented one of their cabins and loved it! They’re adorable and the perfect accommodations for miners. The staff is very friendly too! The bathrooms and showers are close to the cabins and tent sites. As for the mining…come expecting to work. Herkimers are not falling out of the sky, but they’re in there if you work hard enough. I suggest starting with the larger rocks lying around. Trying to break one of those open is a bit easier than taking down the wall. And once you find one…the excitement is overwhelming. Overall, Crystal Grove is a lovely place and we highly recommend it!
We went to Crystal Grove to dig for the day while camping elsewhere in NY last fall. We had an awesome time & booked an extended weekend so we could camp. Our whole family had an AMAZING time and everyone was so friendly! We can’t wait to be back up there next week!
First time camping here and definitely not disappointed. The owner and staff are really nice and attentive. Great customer service and the prices are good. Mining was cool. It is a lot of hard work, mining and hammering, but worth it. You definitely burn some calories. Got to keep some cool rocks and crystals I found. Anything you find you can keep which is great. I would definitely come visit here again.
We went on a field trip from school and the whole 3rd grade had so much fun digging in the pit and finding treasures. It was a great time, and the staff was extremely nice and very helpful in everything. Thank you!