Great family vacation places to pan for gold or dig for precious stones?

If searching for gemstones and crystals sounds like a vacation idea to shoot for, then consider planning a trip to some of these locations and see what pans out. There's more than just gold to be found in the wide open spaces to the west. Arizona has a wide variety of gemstones that have kept rock hounds coming back for decades.

Peridot and turquoise lead the pack, followed by notable amounts of agate, garnet, jasper, opal, and petrified wood, that can be found at many of the pay-to-dig mine sites. One state over in Nevada, gemstone hunters can dig for fire opals and turquoise. Nevada opal is some of the finest in the world, only second to Australian opals, and can command prices in the thousands of dollars for a quality specimen.

There are a number of pay-to-dig mines operating in the Virgin Valley area where these gemstones can be found. California may be best known for its tourmaline and turquoise, both of which are found primarily in the Riverdale and San Diego counties, however, panning for gold is still a favorite past time in much of the state. One of the best places to pan for gold is at the Tahoe National Forest in the South Yuba.

Oregon is home of world class feldspar. Red labradorite, more commonly known as sunstone or heliolite, can be found in abundance.