Annual Arizona Claim Dig Feb. 12 & 13 2019

This year the claims will be open to dig on Feb 12 & 13, 2019. You must be in the group to dig on these mining claims. DO NOT DELAY IN PURCHASING YOUR DIG AND GETTING A ROOM OR CAMP SPOT IN ARIZONA. The available places to stay start booking during the PREVIOUS YEARS SHOW. If you wait until June or July (or later) to try and get a hotel room or camp spot, you will be hard pressed to find anything nearby or affordable. Remember, many of the shows in Tucson setup in the hotels, which means a lot fewer rooms.

This specific dig trip will occur during the Tucson Rock and Gem Shows in Tucson, Arizona each year around Feb.  The fee for these digs can vary depending on availability of product, where the claims are located, time of year the dig is occurring, etc. For the upcoming 2019 dig, the fee is $55 per person, with limited space. We have two claims that are close by, that are each over 20 acres, so plenty of room to dig, however, we will only allow a limited amount of people to dig, so don't delay your purchase if you want to go. This will allow you do dig on the claim only during the claim times, usually lasting a few days. We will be at the Tucson Rock and Gem Show/Quartzite Show prior to the claim digs.

You will be responsible for travel, lodging, food, etc. This is only good for access to the claim to dig. We will meet on specific days at predetermined areas and carpool in. Road is accessible by SUV, TRUCK or other non-car/compact vehicles.

Please note: as is with any claim, mine or dig sites, there is no guarantee that you will find anything, however, we do guarantee that you will have fun looking and you can cross "prospecting on a claim for gems and minerals" off your bucket list. While it may not be the next giant piece of gold, you are sure to find something to take home. These claims have old mines and tailings on them and plenty of places to dig, so come prepared to do a little work to find that next cool rock or gem.
 
Once you have purchased your dig for 2019, we will contact you with more information via phone or e-mail as the dates get closer and will remain in contact with you right up until we meet in Arizona.

NOTICE: Great Lakes General Store, nor Rockhound Rock Shop, nor Kalamazoo Rock Club (KGMS), nor any other affiliate or subsidiary of our stores are responsible or liable for anything that occurs on the property during digs. This includes not being liable for injury, death, bite, cut, damage or any other harm that can come to a person during a dig and while on the property. We are digging in the WILD desert, so caution is always warranted. ALWAYS WATCH FOR MINES & HOLES, CACTUS, SNAKES AND POSSIBLE OTHER DANGERS. A liability release form will be REQUIRED before admittance to the claim.

REFUND POLICY: If you cancel on or before Dec 13th, 2018, you will receive a 50% refund on your payment. If you cancel after Dec. 14th, 2018 you will NOT receive a refund. There are no trades, exchanges, cash values, up charges, etc. We base this entire trip on the number of people attending, so please make sure you understand that when you commit to the trip, you follow through.

No one is permitted to be on the claims outside of claim dig times or without prior written permission. We hire several area residents who keep an eye on our claims and we are serious about the punishments for claim jumpers and trespassing.

What can be found in Arizona?  Turquoise,  Garnets, Arizona Peridot, Gem Silica, Petrified Wood, Azurite, Malachite, Chrysocolla, Agate, Jasper, Apache Tears and more!
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District Overview

The Harquahala Mountains are the highest mountain range in southwestern Arizona, United States and are located southwest of the towns of Aguila and Wenden. The name originated from a local Native American people "Aha qua hala", which meant "water there is high up". The range is oriented from northeast to southwest and is approximately 32 km long and 20 km at its widest point. At the northeast are two prominent peaks, Eagle Eye Peak and Eagle Eye Mountain. One has a natural opening or bridge through it appearing as an eye high up, and is the namesake for the peaks and Aguila (Spanish for eagle). The highest point, Harquahala Peak, rises to 1,732 meters. Socorro Peak (1,134 m) is at the southwest end of the range.

The very windy summit can be reached via a rough, 4-wheel drive road. This high point was used by the U.S. Army in the 1880s as a heliograph station. Then in 1920 a Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory was constructed on this summit and operated for five years before being relocated to Table Mountain Observatory, near Wrightwood, California. Its purpose was to study variations in the solar output as a possible factor in climate prediction.