Hot Springs Arkansas is a great place for van-living! The Ouchita National Forest is known for quartz crystals and there are many other awesome, affordable recreational opportunities nearby. While visiting the area, we spent four days exploring the gems, trails and springs of this magical area. Here’s a quick rundown.
Lake Ouchita (pronounced WATCH-it-AW) dominates the landscape here. It is huge, and there are several established national forest, state park and COE campgrounds around its windy, craggy shore. If campgrounds aren’t your thing, there are many opportunities for dispersed camping in the Ouchita National Forest as well.
While chunks of snow-white quartz can be found virtually everywhere in these parts, if you want to find perfect clear jewelry-ready crystals, you probably need to go to one of the many local area crystal mines. These mines charge a fee. Some allow you to crawl around in the actual mine (a clay-y pit!) while others bring their tailings (the waste from the mine) out for you to sort through. The actual mine option gives you a better chance at spectacular finds but, be forwarned, it is much more of a commitment.
Wegner’s Crystal Mine
We chose Wegner’s Crystal Mine because we definitely wanted to go out to the actual mine site rather than sort through tailings, and it was a well established operation with good online reviews.
At Wegner’s, groups head up to the mine three or four times a day. No need to reserve, just show up at 9:30, 11:30 or 1:30 and buy your ticket. It’s a good idea to bring your own tools: buckets, shovels, work gloves, boots, etc. (Wegner’s sells/rents some of this stuff in case you need it.) Two hours at the mine costs $19 per person and you can keep all the crystals you can carry out.
Out to the Mine
Little did we know the ride out would be part of the adventure! Wegner’s Crystal Forest Mine a ways up into the national forest. By “a ways” I mean it’s a few miles up a very rough road that you access by riding on the back of a a massive pick-up outfitted with metal benches.
In short order, we were bouncing along a rutted narrow road, ducking branches and tilting precariously to one side then the other. Though a touch scary, it was a blast! NOT for the faint of heart, though.
Searching for Crystals
Once at the mine, we were given a few cursory instructions and let loose over a wide area of churned up red dirt and clay. There were crystals everywhere. So. Many. Crystals.
It was overwhelming and confusing! What was the best method for finding keepers? Should we commit to one spot and, steadfastly, dig? Should we wander around and pick crystals up off the surface? Some combination of the two? Well, there really aren’t many “shoulds” here. Any method will get you some fine quartz specimens.
Dan committed to one spot and methodically sorted through his few square feet of dirt. I mostly wandered, digging a bit here, moving on to shinier pastures, digging a bit more there.
Between us, we found more than enough gems. They ranged from white to “crystal” clear. We even found a few crystals with cool manganese occlusions.
The two hours just… flew by. In fact, they became three and a half hours, because the truck didn’t come back for us right away 🙂 Did we mind? Nope. Not a bit!
We rode the bumpy, sloshy roller coaster of a road back down the mountain, gabbing with our fellow rockhounds. Some folks had found amazing specimens, clusters of large crystals a few feet wide(!)
Back for More
We spent the next day at Tompkins Bend Campground, scrubbing and sorting our finds. This was like discovering them all over again; intricate patterns and smaller crystals emerged from the rough clay we’d carted out of the woods.
The day after that, we were back for more! We focused on a different area of the mine this time, and found more large chunks, clusters of crystals growing on the substrate and also on each other! It was a positively awesome few days of rockhounding!
On to the Baths!
After all that sweaty, dirty fun, we were more than ready for some sweaty clean fun: Hot Springs’ famous hot springs! We drove the twisty, country roads back to town and soaked for a few hours at the historic Quapaw Bath House. It was a wonderful splurge.
Then we enjoyed the water in a whole different way. At Superior Bathhouse Brewery, the Hot Springs’ water is made into beer! This spot was awesome, with delicious food as well as a selection of 18 beers made on site.
It’s a dog friendly venue with a welcoming patio and large restaurant. Milo was allowed into the actual restaurant, and even given a gift: new bandanna (as well as a chunk of my burger). Oh, the beer was great too!
Hot Springs Rocks!
Hot Springs, Arkansas is a van-camping rockhounds’ dream! Camp spots are easy to find here, many super-affordable. We paid between $7 and $12 per night during our four days in the area, and had flush toilets and hot showers everywhere. (After you’ve been on the road for a while, this is a big deal, trust me.)
Next time, we will hike a bit more, explore some hstoric sites and visit a few more crystal mines (We met some folks who found some ginormous crystals at Avant Mine).
Your crystals are beautiful. And what fun finding them! Do you do anything special with them?
That road does look bumpy but the woods look nice!
Thanks! I have tried my hand at wire wrapping, but mostly I enjoy finding them… and all the other rocks, gems and fossils that take up a bit of our time on the road. We give them as gifts to family and friends. When the rock box gets too heavy, I send a flat rate “gift” to my brother in law (also a rockhound). 🙂