Wednesday, June 30, 2004
Digging For Garnets
There are only two places in the world to find Star Garnet gem stones... India and Idaho.
Recently we decided to become treasure hunters and spent an afternoon digging for garnets at the Emerald Creek Garnet Area near Clarkia, Idaho. The kids were excited to be looking for gems, but none of us realized just how much work and mud was involved.
From I-90, we followed Hwy 3 south to St. Maries and then started watching the odometer. After exactly 24 miles be on the lookout for the Emerald Creek turnoff. We missed it at first, as did the family in front of us. Follow this road, marked 447, for eight miles until you see the garnet area parking lot. From there it's a half-mile hike through the forest to the ranger station, where you buy permits. My kids, 6 and 2, were free.
A ranger gave us a quick tour of the dig area and then placed us in a hole. The kids worked in a shallower area, picking through rocks and getting very muddy. Oh yes, you will get very wet and muddy!
I dug, the wife sifted with a screen, and the kids splashed and piled up rocks of all sorts. We found a few garnets right away, showed them to the kids, and then they started finding them in the gravel piles that other people had missed. We carried on for about three hours, hoping that with each shovel full we'd find that record-breaking garnet!
There were several other families there that day, as well as a couple of "rock hound" hobbyists. Some did better than others, but we all found plenty of garnets. Fossils too. And several pounds of "interesting" rocks that my son just had to bring home. One of the hobbyists gave my son some small sapphires he had found in Montana. You meet some nice people when you're up to your elbows in muddy water.
We'll definitely be back, but with older clothes and big rubber boots. It was a fun, and educational, way to spend an afternoon.
Recently we decided to become treasure hunters and spent an afternoon digging for garnets at the Emerald Creek Garnet Area near Clarkia, Idaho. The kids were excited to be looking for gems, but none of us realized just how much work and mud was involved.
From I-90, we followed Hwy 3 south to St. Maries and then started watching the odometer. After exactly 24 miles be on the lookout for the Emerald Creek turnoff. We missed it at first, as did the family in front of us. Follow this road, marked 447, for eight miles until you see the garnet area parking lot. From there it's a half-mile hike through the forest to the ranger station, where you buy permits. My kids, 6 and 2, were free.
A ranger gave us a quick tour of the dig area and then placed us in a hole. The kids worked in a shallower area, picking through rocks and getting very muddy. Oh yes, you will get very wet and muddy!
I dug, the wife sifted with a screen, and the kids splashed and piled up rocks of all sorts. We found a few garnets right away, showed them to the kids, and then they started finding them in the gravel piles that other people had missed. We carried on for about three hours, hoping that with each shovel full we'd find that record-breaking garnet!
There were several other families there that day, as well as a couple of "rock hound" hobbyists. Some did better than others, but we all found plenty of garnets. Fossils too. And several pounds of "interesting" rocks that my son just had to bring home. One of the hobbyists gave my son some small sapphires he had found in Montana. You meet some nice people when you're up to your elbows in muddy water.
We'll definitely be back, but with older clothes and big rubber boots. It was a fun, and educational, way to spend an afternoon.
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Mineral Ridge Trail
There's nothing better for a family than a FREE activity. Which is why I enjoy taking my kids out hiking on nature trails.
The Mineral Ridge National Recreation Trail is located at the north end of one of the most beautiful lakes in the country -- Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
The trailhead is just three miles off I-90. The 2.5 mile hike begins as you gradually ascend Mineral Ridge on a clean and clear trail that never seems like too steep a climb. My kids slowed down after about a mile, as we neared the top of the ridge. But once we leveled out and had a lunch break, they were rejuvenated and eager to get started again.
The view from the top, looking south across the lake, is spectacular. This is why people bring cameras on their hikes. There's a bench to rest yourself on before starting the downward loop back to the parking lot. There are bathrooms and a picnic area at the trailhead.
Be sure you check out the short side trail near the top of the ridge that leads to an old mine. It's safe enough to go inside. There's a bench there too. I like benches (another sign of encroaching old age).
