Crater Of Diamonds

Took my family here 15 years ago, had a great time! It was extremely hot and muggy but my kids begged to stay all day! Found a few stones worth taking home but no diamonds lol. Just decided to make a return visit. Tons of great family memories! Can’t wait!

I’ve seen in the news a couple of relatively large diamonds have been found here. Of course they were found AFTER my visit. There is more than enough dirt for everyone to dig, sift, sort and water sluice to find things that are pretty to look at.
Jasper! You will learn to hate that word. Of all the rocks, pepples and white colored baubles our group found the gemologist said it was Jasper! They should rename it to Crater of Friggin’ Jasper.
It’s a nice place for the family to spend time together. The kids can run amok and everyone will be pretty cool with it. If you grew up working in a huge vegetable garden then you should be right at home here. It is dirt, lots of it, and very little shade. There are a few water sluice stations set up with some cover, but it gets very muddy under there.
If you could keep up with when the dirt was to be tilled you may have a greater chance of finding something other than Jasper. If you plan on staying longer than an hour or so then try to come prepared with padding for your knees, hat for sun protection, gloves, buckets, bags/​sachels for your booty and a variety of gardening/​digging tools, maybe a wagon to pull your stuff around.
I would like to return in the Springtime when the humidity is a little lower. All in all a good time can be had. If the kids are bored with dirt there is a park attached to the crater aspect. There will be enough to occupy them for hours and maybe even have them begging to come back the next day. There is a really cool place nearby to stay that isn’t your typical hotel and it is worth a visit/​stay, especially if you have children or are a true fan of the outdoors

Since I’m still new in AR, I have to do all the Tourist stuff — this spot, while well out of my way, was high on my list. I’ve got a lot of geologist friends and relatives, and I’m trying to get them to come join me ;)
The parking lot is huge (three lots, really) and it will more than likely be jam-​packed. The place itself is out in the woods and off the beaten path, but also very impressively well kept-​up. It has a park vibe, but as such a big attraction, a *very* well funded park.
Amenities include a rather wonderful waterpark, a little historical museum and gift shop indoors (but be sure to check out the ones in town nearby as well, the rocks are bigger) and, of course, the «mine.» See the pictures for the mine, it’s a big field that’s regularly run-​through with tractors and thoroughly combed-​over by ambitious and hopeful tourists.
A day pass is $ 13/​person, without equipment rentals. Which, considering you’re going out to play in the mud and it’s very unlikely you’ll find a diamond, is a little steep, but still worth the splurge just for the experience.
It’s also worth noting that while diamonds are rare, this is still an awesome place to find other cool and more common gemstones. I drove my wife nuts lugging a full — but diamond free — box of rocks home from our trip ;)
You will get dirty. Really, really dirty. Luckily there are hose-​off stations, but then you’ll be really wet, and likely still dirty. So! Prepare accordingly, especially for those pups and tots!

It was a great experience, sadly I didn’t find much, they have a rental area for tools and buckets. In the rental area they even have someone who will identify what you find out in the mines. I will defiantly be coming back again.

This place wasn’t for me. It was really hot out and it was a lot more work than I anticipated. I lost a shoe in the mud and I thought I was going to die caring all my supplies. We didn’t stay long. I could see how this place would be fun for kids. I suggest coming prepared with an umbrella or something to keep the heat off you. Also a wheelbarrow because the tools and buckets of dirt are heavy… bug spray… and LOTS of water.

We came here after living in Oklahoma for a few years and hearing about people finding the large diamonds. We came for a day trip on our way to another vacation location. We walked around for half a day and then bought the advance kit to actually do some digging. This place is a great spot to bring the children to dig in the dirt and potentially find a diamond. I agree with all the reviews stating you need to come with an expectation to have some fun with family and friends and not finding a diamond. For me this is a great one day trip that I would do again with family.
Bring lots of water and sunscreen. There is very little to no shade on the diamond field. We brought an extra shovel which made buying advance kit more useful for two people. If you rent the kits expect to big deposit, which you get back if you return all the pieces. Other word of advice is to make sure you hold on to your equipment, people try and do walk off others stuff.
This is a great place to get outdoors, have some fun in the mud with the possibilities of a big reward.

We all had fun. It was a bit hot for our kiddos but fun. It would have been nice if they had a index card or something. We could take with us or posted at the wash stations so we would have a better idea of what we’re actually looking for.

We stopped here to strike it rich, but that didn’t happen, haha! Honestly, though, you should probably try digging for diamonds once in your lifetime if you have the opportunity. We were ill-​prepared for the task at hand. We rented supplies, didn’t bring suntan lotion, water, snacks, or chairs. Other people in the field had chairs, umbrellas, coolers, snacks, tools, etc. I’d recommend a chair and some sun-​tan lotion as necessities. You are, after all, in an open field digging in the dirt for hours.

Had a great time. Read their web site so we came prepared. Wish we had rubber gloves for washing as the water is cold. We went on an overcast day do it wasn’t hot.
Great place to take kids. Everyone there seemed to have a good time. We didn’t find any diamonds but a great day digging thru the dirt.
Would definitely go back. The entire community was friendly.
The only negative was one of the local churches had a wild game dinner the day before we got there.
Probably the only way to find a diamond is for one to fall out of wife’s ring and catch it in the sifter.

They have a great website. I would tell you to go for a ½ day, that will cure you of your «I might get lucky» thoughts. It’s a total come-​on to perpetuate tourism where there would otherwise be none.

Full hookup campsites for a great price! The park and bathrooms were clean, and there was a laundry facility. We even had a neighbor bring us over some leftover lasagna while enjoying our campfire. No complaints!

Seen the CoD on the news when someone had found a rather size-​able diamond… had to come check it out. LOTS of people. No sun on the day that we were there which meant harder time searching for diamonds since it didn’t sparkle. We were told that it had rained the previous day, thus resulting in sticky and messy mining conditions. There were kids there covered in mud from playing in the water holes. They do provide a wash area to rinse all the mud and mining equipment. Equipment rental was good so you didn’t have to spend $$$ to buy it. We left with nothing more than messy shoes and a few tiny quartz pieces. It was a good time had by all, and I might try it again someday. I wonder if they try to talk it up more than it really is?! Out of all the people who go there, not many find actual diamonds. Oh well, happy hunting!!!

If you are a true gem collector or if the thought of sifting meticulously through buckets of mud looking for tiny pebbles that probably aren’t dismonds, this place is for you. My kids are having fun, but wegner crystal mines were much better. This place is cheap enough and the concept is pretty cool, but it is super muddy by the troughs and crowded too, and it’s only friday. I bet the weekends here are crazy. At least there are water fountains and shade to sit in while I watch my 7 and 9 year old having fun wasting time.

We came here during Easter weekend and it was open. We had a wonderful time digging even though we did not find any diamonds. It was a fun thing to do and we did take home some jasper. I agree with all the tips the other people have posted. There is also a beautiful roadcut on the way to the mine. We will certainly be back!

The crater of diamonds State Park is a really nice and clean facility with excellent washrooms. Book early for holiday weekends because they will fill up. The staff here is really excellent at the crater of diamonds mine. It is a wonderful place but it can be very very hot during the summer. Elderly visitors should be extremely cautious because the terrain of the field is rocky and uneven. Make sure you have at least two days to spend here because you’ll want to get out into town and explore the shops. This is my fifth visit in three years and I will be coming back hopefully more often.

Beautiful campground and all around great experience. The staff was friendly and took pride in the park because it was very clean and well kept. The camp spaces were awesome, they were large, level and had fire pits. If you can bring your own tools you may want to consider doing so. They have rental tools but I have small hands so the screens were a little too big for me. I have so many good times to remember as I return home to California. What I will miss most about Crater of Diamonds are the serene forest and the hospitality of everyone I encountered. One of the best camping trips I have ever had!

Well, as promised, yes… yes we did return to CoD. We stayed at our wonderful little cabin (Finders Cottage, Tim Hughes) as we have done for the past two visits.
Unfortunately, same result. No diamonds. But we did go to Coleman Miller Mountain Mines (see review) near Hot Springs and found lots of quartz! Just as messy, but just as much fun!
I would like to point out a staff member: Mrs. Bonnie, who has been at the CoD for thirty years and loves being there! She is wonderful to talk to and discuss the park with. Wife purchased 12 bottles (YES!) of muscadine juice (nope, not wine… remember, Pike County is dry) and Mrs. Bonnie diligently and carefully wrapped each one. She even got a fellow staffer to give me a ride to the car with the box full of muscadine juice. We purchased a few other items and went our way. Only did two good days of searching.
As I stated in another review, there are other mining opportunities around the state… up near Hot Springs, outside Jessieville is the Coleman Miller mine where you can hunt for semiprecious gems like quartz crystals. You will have much better luck at finding quartz, but the process is messier (think red clay instead of gray volcanic ash). But no disrespect is intended to the fine folks at CoD. Check out my review of Coleman Miller for details.
All in all, wife and I love going to Murfreesboro and the area for R&R, and to search for our little treasures from Mother Earth. Arkansas is truly a Natural state.

This place was great, it is a great way to spend a day with the family. We didn’t find a diamond, but we did find a very convincing piece of glass. :(haha! We will definitely return, but on a cooler day.

Kids seem to have fun. And the adults who were there the day I was seemed to take it too seriously. This had the vibe of being in a bad casino: More «experienced» people than you talking loudly about finding a diamond /​striking it rich — all with a air of slight desperation.
Facilities are nice. People are nice. Sluicing water is scarily dirty. Chances of finding a diamond are LOW — keep that in mind. It is DIRTY work. So if you go, by all means come prepared for that (see the other review from 2010 about no flip flops).
The main «diamonds» being found here seem to be the ones the State of Arkansas is getting from the wallets of the folks who visit here. Yet… I really like and support state parks and natural areas. So if this one state park props up others via lots of folks plunking down some dough to do some treasure hunting? So be it.

Definitely a special place and unique in this entire hemisphere. The staff is friendly and the equipment rental is affordable. I didn’t find any diamonds; found some calcite instead but hey, you know going in that finding a rock is a long shot right?
This place is like a mineralogist’s dream; ground is covered with crystalline minerals and sand. If you don’t bring protective clothing the ground is gonna tear up your knees and feet like slash shreds C cords!
Here’s a list…
Hat, gloves, pants (lots of kneeling), good shoes, plenty of water and sunblock!!!