Crater of Diamonds State Park
Visitors search a plowed volcanic surface for diamonds and other minerals, then keep whatever genuine specimens they discover.
Artwork inspired by Niloak Pottery
Crater of Diamonds protects the deeply weathered surface of an ancient volcanic pipe where diamonds and other minerals can reach the soil. Visitors search a regularly plowed field using surface observation, dry sifting, or wet screening, and may keep authentic finds. The park’s value is geological even when no diamond appears: jasper, calcite, barite, lamproite, and changing soil conditions reveal the deposit.
Begin with the exhibits and a ranger explanation before renting equipment. Recent rain makes wet screening productive but turns the field into adhesive mud; hot dry days demand shade breaks and much more water. Do not bring motorized or prohibited mining equipment, and have promising finds identified by park staff rather than polishing or testing them yourself.
- Search area
- 37.5-acre plowed field
- Rule
- Keep genuine finds
- Reality
- Most visits find no diamond
Quick guide
- Learn first
- Identification + search methods
- Bring
- Water, shade, and mud-ready footwear
Make the visit count
- Set honest expectations
- Treat a diamond as a rare outcome and geology, mineral finds, and the search process as the guaranteed experience.
- Match method to weather
- Follow surface search works after rain; wet screening needs water and equipment; dry sifting suits different soil conditions.
- Protect possible finds
- Place unusual crystals in a container and take them to staff rather than scratching, crushing, or polishing them.
- Manage exposure
- Choose the open field has limited shade and can become dangerously hot.
Good to know
This is a paid outdoor search field, not a cave or conventional mine tour. Equipment can be rented, but simple hand tools are enough; arrive early in summer, bring far more water than a museum visit requires, and expect mud after rain and low odds of finding a diamond.
Notice these
- Public diamond search field
- Keep-what-you-find policy
- Volcanic-pipe geology