Crystal Gold Mine
Crystal Gold Mine
4.5
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
The only authentic 1880's underground gold mine tour in the Northwest! Winter or summer, the Silver Valley is a great place to vacation! The Crystal Gold Mine, near Kellogg, Idaho was one of the first hard rock mines in the Silver Valley. Worked during the 1880’s; closed by hiding the mine, it was rediscovered in 1991, reclaimed in 1996, and opened as a tourist historical attraction. The work was all done in candlelight by hand. The guided underground tour explains how they drilled with "Hand Steels" using "Single Jacks" and "Double Jacks" (Hammers), how they traced the quartz vein using 1880 methods, how they tested the vein for gold. Beautiful stalactite crystals of smithsonite in an array of colors coat the walls. Gold and wire silver can still be seen in the quartz vein. Crystal Gold Mine can be reached by taking Idaho Exit 54 on Interstate 90 to the Miner's Memorial (located on the North side of the freeway). Turn left (west) on Silver Valley Road, and go two miles.
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See what travelers are saying
- Linda T1 contributionVery interesting tour. Nice knowledgeable guide and workers, lots of cool rocks in the mining kits available for purchase. It was a great way to spend a couple hours outside of Coeur d’Alene.Visited September 2024Traveled with familyWritten September 6, 2024
- zaggagalSnoqualmie, Washington61 contributionsA great group of people host this fun family attraction. We walked right down into the shaft and got to see a ton and learn so much about mining in the 1800s. I highly recommend checking it out and of course, trying to mine a bit yourself!Visited August 2024Traveled with familyWritten August 4, 2024
- Beth G2 contributionsDan our tour guide was great, genuine enthusiasm for the mine and giving tours. Their hospitality and friendliness is unmatched. My teen and tween had a great time and so did I. We did all the activities, the tour the panning for gold and gemstones and the shooting gallery. Highly recommend.Visited August 2024Traveled with familyWritten August 30, 2024
- Megan G1 contributionThe tour was great…very interesting and our guide was awesome. Lots of family-friendly elements to keep the kids engaged. We did the gem panning afterwards which our daughters also loved. Well worth the cost…loved supporting these local historians!Visited August 2024Traveled with familyWritten August 27, 2024
- sandraslspjSumner, Washington8 contributionsTour is awesome. Guy giving your must be a grandpa because he is so engaging with the littles. Was worried 10 year old grandkid would not be interested but she lived it. We paid extra for additional experiences and it was fun. The gift shop has lots of fun things. Had to take a little detour to get there since bridge was out but not a bad roadVisited July 2024Traveled with familyWritten July 23, 2024
- Lavender W6 contributionsUnforgettable tour. Worth the money. I hope they keep it affordable (PLEASE DO). We'll go back again. People are nice there! Bathroom is clean and easy to access. I am very pleased that we did this tour.Visited June 2024Traveled with familyWritten June 6, 2024
- Diana G1 contributionLoved the tour. The people were friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. The gift shop is stocked with an amazing array of items. It was a bit of a bummer that the gold panning is seasonal, but we can go back in the spring for that. Keep it up Crystal Gold Mine.Visited November 2024Traveled with familyWritten November 15, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
119 reviews
Excellent
84
Very good
22
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4
Akb
3 contributions
May 2023 • Friends
This experience is no longer owned by local people who care about the history. It is owned by someone from California who is only focused on the money it can make. The folks running it aren't miners. It was a much better tour when locals who are familiar with the area and mining in idaho were in charge. I would skip this if you are in the area and tour the silver mine in Wallace instead.
Written June 1, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Randall Beal
Otis Orchards1 contribution
Aug 2022
My wife and I took a day trip from Spokane WA just to go to the mine. It was worth the drive. Our guide was really good and explained the history of the mine as well as the interesting features on the inside. Well worth the drive.
Written August 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Curious549908
1 contribution
Jun 2024 • Family
We didn't go to the mine, but stayed one night at the RV park, worst one we've ever been to. When they told us which site we had, we drove to it and someone else was already in it. They told us they had asked to stay another night and they let them know it was already booked for someone else!!! The park was full but it just so happened there was one spot that someone had left early. They had to get us an extension cord and because it wasn't an even ground we weren't able to get one of our slideouts open. We were right off the freeway and it was so noisy.
They didn't offer us any compensation. We'll never stay there again!!
They didn't offer us any compensation. We'll never stay there again!!
Written June 30, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rich K
Fredericksburg, VA54 contributions
Sep 2022
It's important to know you should call ahead and make sure the time you want to go will work. We wanted to go at 10 AM but could not as a school field trip reserved that spot and we did not know. We got in at 11:30. It was a very nice tour. We were the only ones on the tour so it was relatively fast, about 15 mins and gave the feel of a real mine for sure. It's a nice thing to do to pass thru but I wouldn't go out of my way to go there as we did. Nonetheless it's a great attraction and deserving of your time if in the area.
Written September 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aln357
Anacoco, LA1,512 contributions
Jun 2023 • Family
Unfortunately, the history of this mine is a little incomplete because of lack of records, but the tour was still very enjoyable. We also were allowed to mine for gold at the end for an hour which was great fun for the kids. We did find some pyrite. Little expensive for what you get but still enjoyable experience that kids will never forget.
Written June 1, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JFHappyTraveler1
163 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
We decided to stay here for one night on our way out to Washington. The only reason I gave it a three star rating is mainly because the site that we were given wasn’t even a completed finished site. It was impossible to back in even though I was told it was a back in site. There was still gravel and rocks piled up in the site and we had no choice but to stay right next to the road in the park. We made the best of it. The campground was very clean and very small which was perfect. The gentleman that checked us in was very nice, however, even though there were empty sites which were completed sites, he told us that the computer system through ResNexus would assign the site. We have stayed at other campgrounds with that system and they have always offered a better site than what the system assigned. He did point out to us that the campground did not have shower facilities. We did know that before arriving. This would have been a five star rating if the site we were assigned was a completed back in site.
Written July 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
froney
Blaine, WA153 contributions
Sep 2020 • Family
Stopped here for a tour of the mine and were lucky enough to have the owner Ray as the tour guide. He was amazing and knew the answers to any questions our group had. This was the most informative tour that I’ve been on. After the tour, Ray gave us a quick lesson on gold panning. Recommended, and we’ll definitely return.
Written September 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
J K
Portland, OR71 contributions
Aug 2018 • Family
Recently I had the opportunity to take a tour of this attraction with my grandson and thoroughly enjoyed my experience (as did he -- who thought it was the high point of his trip). I am able to give this review from two perspectives: as a person interested in the mining history of the Silver Valley, and as a retired exploration/mining geologist. The tour is very well done. Our guide, Ray, clearly explained the geology and mineralogy of the mine, its history, and the terms used by miners for various parts of the mine and equipment. He was also very willing to answer questions posed by me and my son. What I particularly liked was having the opportunity to have my grandson see gold, silver and zinc mineralization "in place" in the walls of the mine. Following the approximately one hour mine tour, we were directed to an area where we could learn from Ray how to pan for gold. And, surprisingly, we each found a few flakes in our pans. In short, I highly recommend this tour -- whether you have no experience in the mining industry or many years. It is not only interesting and educational, but also fun.
Written August 13, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Glenn F
70 contributions
Aug 2020
The visit to the mine was entertaining and interesting to our entire group ages 1 to 57. The children and the adults liked the gold panning after the tour. I'd recommend the visit.
Written August 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joan M
Butler, PA28 contributions
May 2015 • Couples
We had a personal tour because there was no one else there. It was great. Put on a hard hat and we were taken into the cave and saw actual gold in the quarts layer, it was awesome to see.
Written May 27, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The temperature is a constant 48 degrees throughout the year. It would be useful to bring a sweatshirt but not absolutely necessary — depends on how cool that feels to you. The tour lasts approximately one hour, taking you 550 feet into the mine and at one point 900 feet below the surface.
Written September 12, 2018
A Tripadvisor member
Kellogg, Idaho
$14./adult
$8.50/kids
They do have a family package.
Phone number: 208-783-4653
Written August 16, 2016
What time do they open? What exit off of I-90? Price of admission? How long is the tour?
Written July 1, 2016
During the summer they are open 9 AM until 6 PM. Adult admission is $14.00 for adults, $12.00 for seniors and $8.50 for children ages 4 to 16. Children under 4 are free and they also have a family rate. The tour is about 25 minutes long, just depends how many questions everyone asks plus a le soon on panning for gold and up to an hour of gold panning is included. The gold panning is done in large tubs and includes a mix of various gems as well as some gold, so you'll definitely leave with something. Be sure to bring something to put your gold panning loot into or you can buy a little bag for 50 cents. I don't remember the I-90 exit number but if you are headed east on the interstate it is the last Kellogg exit, then go to the north side of the freeway and travel east on Silver Vallye Road about a mile. This is basically a frontage road and the gold mine will be on your left. Hope this answers all your questions.
Written July 2, 2016
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