Opal Hill

The Opal Hill Mine
(Or The Opal Hill Fire Agate Mine)

Click To Enlarge

Nancy Hill is the part owner/operator of the mine, and gave us a great tour of the site, including
some finished products to photograph that are a must see (see pictures that follow).

What Are They?
The rock formations consist of sandstone, rhyolite and basalt, the fire agate forms in the seams of
agate between these. These beautiful brown rocks (fire agates) display reds, blues, greens and
oranges and can resemble the back of a CD when turned to the right angle. White and green agate
nodules are also found at the mine. As well as crystal formations called crystal flowers, which are
crystals laid out like a flower.

Click To Enlarge

Operation Hours/Seasons
The mine is open from October 1 thru May 1 and is privately owned, but is open to the public for a
small collecting fee of $15 a day or $25 for a couple, children 16 and under are free.

Digging At The Site
The mine is a section of mountain where the overburden has been moved by caterpillar to expose
the rock formation which contains the fire agates. There are numerous small holes dug out where
fire agates has been found, however there are no tunnels or shafts in this mining. Nancy is more
than happy to show you what to look for, where to dig, and explain how to get it out. She is also
experienced in the finishing of these, and can tell you how to bring the fire out in your piece of fire
agate.

Equipment To Bring
You should bring at least…pick, shovel, hammers, chisels, safety glasses, gloves, a bucket to put
your pieces in, whisk broom (to clean off the dirt) and something to sit on the ground with (an old
tarp or cardboard). Also bring plenty of water and food, and the usual desert travel items (maps,
GPS, cell phone spare tire (with air), first aid kit, etc)

Photos

Digging For The Fire Agates

Finished Products

Actual un-edited enlargement of the above center piece of fire agate!

USGS Topo: Opal Hill

GPS Information:

Approx Center: N33` 36' 42.4" W115` 27' 53.2"

Written Directions:

From Blythe:
Take Highway 78 South to Palo Verde. At Palo Verde turn right on Palo Verde Rd, follow the dirt
road and signs thru the farms and desert for about 8.7 miles to the mine. This dirt road is rough in
spots, making a 4x4 suggested, but high ground clearance truck will make it okay.

From Interstate 10:
At Wiley’s Well Exit, go 2.8 miles south on paved road passing the prisons, which will turn into
graded dirt road. Continue south on the dirt road (well maintained) 8.6 miles to the sign for Opal
Hill Mine, turn left (East) and continue 1.9 miles to the mine. Good dirt road up to Opal Hill Mine
turn off, but gets a little rough in spots near the mine making a 4x4 suggested but high ground
clearance truck will make it okay.

Comments & Member Reports:

The January 14, 2006 outing to Opal Hill Mine had a good turnout. About 18 people showed up to dig for fire agates at the mine. We had nine vehicles make the trip, two were cars which did not make it all the way to the mine. The dirt road leading up to the mine is rough and 4 wheel drive is suggested, or high ground clearance SUVs. So a few shuttle trips were necessary to get everyone up to the mine site. Nancy helped everyone find a place to dig and showed them what to look for. It was a very nice sunny day and everyone had a great time. Nancy made sure that everyone there got a piece of fire agate to take home. Gerry made up six nice metal road signs and donated them to the Opal Hill Mine. I guess someone stole most of signs that Nancy had set up on the dirt road leading to the mine. And there are numerous dirt roads leading off of the Opal Hill Mine road, Nancy was very grateful for the donation. Way to go Gerry. Thank you from the club.

GPS AN1 File: To be used with popular mapping programs.

This file can be loaded into many of today's popular mapping programs allowing you to see not only the specific area, actual claim, but ever twist and turn of the roads and trails that were mapped out when visiting the site.

Picture Maps: In 3 different levels of detail, from:

Wide Area

Exit Information Size

Turn Information From Highway 78 (Palo Verde Road)

Take Highway 78 South to Palo Verde. At Palo Verde turn right on Palo Verde Rd (West), follow the dirt road and signs thru the farms and desert for about 8.7 miles to the mine. There is a soft sandy section of the road just past the farm going up the mesa. There are several dirt roads breaking off from the main road, keep going in a westerly direction. Each intersection has a sign on it. This dirt road is rough in spots, making a 4x4 suggested, but high ground clearance truck or SUV will make it okay.

Turn Information From I-10 (Wiley's Well Road)

At Wiley’s Well Exit, go 2.8 miles south on paved road passing the prisons, which will turn into graded dirt road. Continue south on the dirt road (well maintained) 8.6 miles to the sign for Opal Hill Mine (wooden arrow sign), turn left (East) and continue 1.9 miles to the mine. Good dirt road up to Opal Hill Mine turn off, but gets a little rough in spots near the mine making a 4x4 suggested but high ground clearance truck or SUV will make it okay.

Every Hill Around You Detail

Details centered around Opal Hill Mine.

Please note.....

We are a NON-Profit organization. NO ONE in this club gets paid ANY salary.
All money collected goes back into the clubs claims / tools / cookouts, etc...