Crystal Park
Montana
Find: Quartz crystals, amethyst crystals, smoky quartz, with phantom points and double terminations possible
GPS: 45.48678, -113.10021
Nearest city: Bozeman, MT
Recommended Vehicle: Any
Season: Typically open mid-June through mid-October. Subject to change relative to snow cover.
Summary:
Crystal Park is probably one of the most fun places to take a family. This spot looks like a battlefield, with holes dug as far as the eye can see. Those willing to put a shovel to work are rewarded with quartz and amethyst crystals that can be plucked right from the hard-packed mud.
While it’s a bit tiring, carrying all of your gear for the day (including plenty of water) in one hike up the hill can be helpful. This place is larger than it seems.
When hiking, you will notice there’s a paved pathway you can follow up to the top of the ridge if you aren’t looking to hike straight up the steep slope of Crystal Park.
Note: This is a paid dig rockhounding area and carries a $5/day fee. The Forest Service made a sheet that explains Crystal Park rules as well. You can get to this area with any vehicle.
3 Helpful Tools
Short D-Handle Shovel
Expect to do a significant amount of digging here. A short-handle shovel is usually preferable to a longer one if you’ll be at it for a while.
Headlamp
A headlamp will help crystals embedded in the hard packed mud shine if you’re limited on light.
Classifier
A classifier is helpful to sort the quartz crystals from the dry, arid soil. I used a homemade 1/2” classifier in the photo above.
The drive into the Crystal Park area was beautiful.
Watch for animals as you drive. We saw many deer, even after the sun had been up a while.
You'll likely notice the chipmunks enjoy human company.
This one really wanted to introduce himself.
Here's a hole I dug in 2022 when I made my first visit.
I returned in 2025 and the dirt was much more wet, which I thought made the digging easier.
The quartz crystals weathered out of a decaying layer of granite.
I met a guy named Matt who kindly gave me this extra shaker box to sort out crystals and stone from the dusty dirt. I still use it 4 years later - thank you!
One of our better finds for the day - a scepter.
Right above my finger is a crystal packed into the mud. This is how most of my best pieces were found.
Montana is an unbeatable place for a Summer drive.