Crystal Grove Diamond Mine & Campground — Hotel in Town of Oppenheim

Our first trip to New York to dig for Herkimer Diamonds was back in 2010. We dug at the Ace of Diamonds mine. Great time & loads of herks to be had. Smashed rocks, sifted through dirt amongst the piles, and walked around plucking them off the ground. We returned multiple times until suddenly the landscape changed and the rock pile was not the same. All there was were rocks from the cliff that the claims people had sheered off to hopefully find pockets in the walls. We find out that the Ace of Diamonds is in a lawsuit and it cannot dig up new material/loads of rock and earth from deep in the mine areas to dump for all of the daily customers to prospect. The place is a waste of time and money now. We return two more times hoping for change but none came. Still not producing anything but a few small chipped pieces. This year, we decided to try somewhere different. We watched tons of utube videos that were dated within the last year. Wow! Look at Crystal Groves Mines and all the fruitful finds! We decide to go there July 22, 2023. Spent the entire day 9am-4pm with four of us working hard trying to locate anything… We have done this before elsewhere and know to try different locations, depths, rocks etc. We found a total of 5 herks between us. Small broken and worthless. Warning… no one else was finding much of anything either. We talked to loads of people that day. So, I no longer believe utubers. Suspect that they faked finding them. Final thought…don’t waste your time and money at Crystal...

A rustic, charming campground that brings your senses back to the way camping should be...spacious sites, well constructed, clean cabins, shade trees, delight of wild flowers and foliage, bathhouse, shower (hot water!!) and outdoor washing sink. A gentle creek along the border with a bridge bringing you to a field for play, exploring, hiking paths and for the rockhound, a sparkling mine pit filled with treasures...for those who look. A small camp store holds supplies and treats, and generous bundles of campfire wood...delivered to your site . The hosts are some of the nicest people you will ever meet in this industry, and even beyond. They are friendly, respectful, and so willing to work with you if necessary. Sometimes it's the small touches that let you know you are a valued guest. They understand this. This is camping. Don't look for glittery bells and whistles. Look for the gentle accent lights that dance in the nighttime trees, look for safe pathways to wander , clear of debris. look for the "old scout camp style" bathhouse. well maintained..that brings a smile of memory and another smile at the vintage paint by number paintings decor...Feel safe and secure as you sit at your picnic table, gazing into your (hopefully) crackling campfire....perhaps face sticky with s'mores...settling thoughts and inspiring dreams as you tuck into your tent, rv, or comfy cabin for a sound...

I have nothing but good things to say about this place. We came up on april 24th and spent a few days here and it was absolutely fantastic. The campground was awesome, the people were fantastic and the mining was OUT OF THIS WORLD!!! This was our second visit to Crystal Grove and I can't wait to go again. Billy Joe and Joel were so kind and inviting, and we really felt like part of a big family while we were there. They were super accommodating, the cabins were clean and tidy, and there were herks EVERYWHERE. The showers were nice and hot, the bathrooms were clean, and even the other folks visiting at the time were super friendly. This spot can not be beat. It's affordable, family friendly ( thank god because our two toddlers are little maniacs) and all together a dream for an over worked bunch of mass-holes looking for some respite from the daily grind. If you know where to look (which they will tell you) you will find crystals. It's rustic, homey, and damn near perfect. Give it a shot, you will not be sorry. We found SO many diamonds we don't even know what to do with them all. Fantastic quality gems, great matrix pieces, this is THE spot. Try them, tell your friends,...