crystal grove diamond mine & campground

The Crystal Grove Diamond Mine + Campground is a pretty site located in St. Johnsville, NY about 40 miles from Cooperstown at 161 County Highway 114; exits 29 + 29A off the New York State Thruway). You can ret tools from them or bring your own to break rocks or dig in the dirt to find Herkimer diamonds. These minerals are clear quartz crystals that are double-terminated (pointed at each end). They have separate pits to work in. There are picnic tables and a playground in a nearby meadow. You check in at the main office which has a gift shop. They sell snacks and soda, but no cooked food. The restrooms are a short walk from the office. You then drive a bit down the road to the pits. You can also camp there in tents, cabins or your own RV. This is the first time we have been to this place. As always when mineral collecting, it's pot luck, but I'd have to say that the quality and quantity of what we were able to find was not as good as other places we've tried. The Crystal Grove is an alternative to the Herkimer Diamond Mines which is more commercial, but if you're in the area, give them a try. The place is pleasant and the owners are friendly.

First time at Crystal Grove and we can not wait to go back . Camp site was quiet and your surrounded by trees so it was cool & comfy. Plus the facilities were extremely clean!! We dug for Herkimer diamonds and found quite a few by breaking rocks or just lying on the ground. We also sluiced fir gems, fossels, and rocks. Mind you these bags are salted which we knew by nevertheless we had a lot of fun. The owners were fabulous and found out they were from Pa and we knew some of the same people. So thank you Evan & Cecily for an enjoyable weekend.

Last year we wanted to try something different for a vacation. We had heard about herkimer diamond mining and thought why not? So we went online and found a campground located across from the famous herkimer diamond mines. We booked the holiday weekend and paid in advance online. When we arrived at this "campground" we were horrified by what we saw. NO TREES. People camping on top of people. RVS stacked edge to edge. The word NIGHTMARE came to mind. We looked at one another and said "we are out of here" the KOA "campground" refused to refund our money even tho we had just arrived. It was so horrid we just said "f it" we will figure something out. So we left $400 poorer and with no where to stay. We spend the first night in a hotel and in the am we headed out to Howe Caverns for the day. Flying by the seat of our pants with no sleeping arrangements in the pouring rain. At how caverns we saw a brochure for this campground CRYSTAL GROVE. So we called and asked if they had an available cabin on the holiday weekend and like it was meant to be they said YES. When we arrived we checked in at the office and rock shop and went to our cabin to settle in. We were floored by the beauty of the campground itself, thickly wooded with century old trees, private sites, and our cabin, named HARD ROCK CHALET was quaint, unbelievably clean and comfortable. The bathrooms and showers were impressive and CLEAN. This will work we said. The diamond mine is located just steps over a scenic bridge connected to the campground over a breathtaking creek. And our nightmare suddenly became a dream. We mined for diamonds and found them!!!! We fished in the creek for trout. We hiked through the woods along a trail by the mines and swam at a swimming hole just feet down a meditation trail located off another area of the campground. PERFECT UPSTATE ADVENTURE!!! And all in one spot. We fell in love with crystal grove that trip and have since returned with our 4 children once and again by ourselves for Memorial Day weekend. The people who own this true gem were friendly and we have gotten to make friends who return to vacation as well and new friends EVERYTIME we visit. The owners come around and welcome folks at their sites, hang out and get to know you and even helped us find one of the best fireworks shows we have ever seen over Fourth of July. They are the best part of this magical place!!! Over our now many visits we are proud to call them friends. They have treated both us and our children and everyone else we have met here like family. If your looking to do some rock hounding or just want to have a stress free camping trip this is the ONLY campground in central NY to go.

First time herkimer miners, my family of 4 camped here for the weekend. We had fun but didn't find much more than broken bits and small clusters in chucks of bedrock. We spent all day mining. The owner seemed more interested in doing his chores than helping out new miners. A friendly returning miner helped us out greatly. Without his advice I would have found nothing of value and would have ended my trip feeling very let down. If you are looking for the big haul don't come here. But if you are looking to have some fun and for a less crowded alternative to the other mines then this is a good choice.

We have been to the mine and campground 4 times now and are planning our 5th this summer. We started going in 2006. We have alway had a great time and the owners are great people. We look forward to going back!

My husband, four kids and myself we camping here over the weekend and it was great. The camp sites are very private and not right on top of each other like most campsites are. The kids had a great time digging and found tons of diamonds and nice rocks. The owners are very friendly and, since we had never been digging before, gave us a lot of advice. The restrooms/ shower areas are very clean and taken care of. They also have a little store to buy things, such as jewelry, which was very reasonably priced. My family and I had a great time and will definitely be going back next year.

My family and I have been returning to the mine yearly now for 5 years. My children are now 14, 12 and 8. We love this place more each time we are there. Evan and Cecily are both extremely nice and very helpful. The camp and all amenities are always clean. The mine is always digable.It is hardwork but rewarding nonetheless. Going back again this year in August expecting to find the big ones!

We have visited the other two mines previously, but liked this one a lot. It was small and not busy. The owner was not friendly or helpful at all until we paid our money, then she warmed up and answered our questions. The camp sites and cabins looked nice even though we did not stay there. We found lots of "diamonds".

just holes in the ground. The campsite has little in the way of amenities

My hubby and I were just there this past Mon-Wed. ( July 16th-18th) short trip I know, but this is our first time digging for Herkimers. The campsites themselves were big, had more than enough room to park our auto, tent, the picnic table, fire ring etc.. We found the owners very kind and Evan was pretty darn funny! He told us what to look for and where some nice ones were just taken out not too long ago. We went where he told us and found some beautiful ones! It's alot of work but so well worth it. The bathrooms were nice and clean, same with the showers. The hot water from the showers felt pretty darn good after a day of pounding rocks.. lol Each time we needed ice, firewood or anything we were promptly greeted and taken care of right away. When the wife ( I'm sorry forgot your name!) she was very nice and took care of us with no problems... even though she only had use of one hand, her other one was broke and in a cast. I hope you heal quickly!! We had such a great time and loved meeting a group of women, all sisters. We are planning a second trip sometime in the Fall. I can't wait and at least then I won't have a big black boot from recent surgery to deal with!!! Oh one more thing their prices in their gift shop were VERY reasonable. I bought a glass "tube" to fill with some of the small ones for a necklace, it was only $3 ... the last day on our way home we stopped at Herkimer Diamond Mine and their prices were outrageous!!! the same tube was $8. yes EIGHT. They are making a killing I'm sure and I don't see the need for such prices. Anyway we'll be back to Crystal Grove! Thank You for taking such good care of us! Lon & Theresa

My wife and I and our two kids have camped at Crystal Grove several times this sumer. We like the cleanliness of the campsites and the facilities (the showers are hot and clean and the bathrooms are also freshly painted and clean), the all-around hospitality of the owners and the other campers. It's definitely a place we plan on returning too.

So I needed a place to camp for a few days. I tried one place but it had outhouses instead of bathrooms and no phone or internet. I called this place and was assured they had phone service and internet. On the way there my sister called and said my mother had been taken to the ER (she is 86) . I really needed to stay connected in case I needed to fly home(1000 miles). When I got to Crystal Grove the owner was obviously unmoved about my concerns. Never smiled once. I paid for my site and then she said that there was phone service for my ATT a mile up the road. I had no bars and no internet of course at her location. I went up the road to Royal Mountain Campgrounds and had 5 bars and internet. I paid for a site and called Crystal Grove who refused to give me my money back even though I had not set foot on the campsite and had only paid 20 minutes previously. Royal Mountain campground is beautiful with caring and hospitable ownership, and cheaper than the rest by 10 dollars!! Good shower and bathrooms. Quiet and shady. My mother is fine BTW and I was able to call her in the hospital. Dont go to Crystal Grove Diamond Mine. royal mountain campgrounds are better by far.

I spent part of the holiday weekend at Crystal Grove Mine collecting Herkimer Diamond crystals.This is a family friendly fee for dig with tent and cabin camp sites.I always get some beautiful crystals when I go there.The whole place is clean and well kept.There are restrooms and showers.The rock shop has all kinds of rocks and minerals,mining tools,jewelry and of course Herkimer Diamonds.

Just got back from my second trip to Crystal Grove Diamond Mine and campground, as with the first it was great. Crystal Grove has a real nice rustic camp ground with restrooms and hot showers. The camp ground is clean and quiet and in its self a great place to spend a few days, but we were there to mine Hirks. True mining for Herkimer Diamonds is very hard work. Although many people find a few just looking around, or in the tailings piles, to get the best finds you need to move a lot of rock. Crystal Grove is probably the best bet for someone who has never tried to split sheer rock walls with wedges and hammers. The rock here is just a bit easer to work then the other pay to mine sites around Herkimer Ny.My buddy and I spent three and a half days moving rock and extracting beautiful diamonds. We did very well and found some really great specimens. Although we worked much, much harder then the other people visiting the mine, we took home several hundred great diamonds. Some in the dolomite matrix , some loose, and a few clusters.Evan and his wife, (the owners of the mine) are great people and try to help in anyway they can. If you spend the day at Crystal Grove you will no doubt see Evan on his golf cart handing out sparklers or helping the miners. They also run a small rock shop that you can buy gems, tools, ice, firewood, ect.My second trip was like my first, really enjoyable and I will return next year. Anyone that’s into rock hounding or just wants a nice weekend camping spot should check out Crystal GroveThanks Guy’s we’ll see you next year B Wassel

My wife and I just returned from our trip to Crystal Grove, and to be honest, we had a great time! The facilities were clean and nice. We stayed in one of their cabins which was clean and comfortable (and the ceiling fan was a lifesaver from the heat we've been having!).We actually had the mines to ourselves on Saturday, and the owners were quite friendly and helpful. He stopped by our cabin one night while we were outside just to chat and see how our day went. She wasn't terribly talkative, but still nice.Crystal Grove is the opposite of what you'll find at the KOA and Ace of Diamonds mines in Middleville. It's a small place run by the husband and wife and is NOT commercialized like the "big name" places. They strive to maintain a level of conservancy with the utilities by asking you to turn the lights off in the bathroom/showers when you're done, and by putting in sink and shower controls that must be held on. It's a challenge to shower one handed, but it's doable. If you've got little kids, be prepared to help them clean up as they won't be able to reach the shower controls.We opted for the "scavenger" method to find our diamonds, and actually had some pretty decent luck. The rains at night helped to uncover several good quality diamonds. A hammer and chisel will get you some nice ones from the many rocks inside the mine, as well.We both enjoyed our stay, and would consider returning, if only to avoid the commercialization of the other mines.