Open Ground
Gem Mountain Sapphire Mine
Fee dig · Rock Creek gravels · Hwy 38, near Philipsburg, MT
Open groundThe prize. Montana sapphires in every color but red
Where. Hwy 38, near Philipsburg, MT
Status. Open ground
Where. Hwy 38, near Philipsburg, MT
Status. Open ground
The account
The oldest and largest public sapphire ground in America. You buy gravel by the bucket, wash it at the trough, and tweezer out the rough, blues, greens, the odd orange that heat-treats to fire. Millions of carats have come off Rock Creek since the 1890s, and the gravel has not run out. Neither have the people bent over the trough.
Leads, where the trail points now
- What you can keep: Montana sapphires in every color but red. Confirm the site's current rules and any day fee before you go.
- Where: Hwy 38, near Philipsburg, MT. Private fee operation, gravel by the bucket; every stone you pull is yours.
- Best practice: record anything notable, leave the ground as you found it, and check the latest access notices before you travel.
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The starting brief, the gear, the legal picture for this exact ground, and a GPS chart pack you can load and go. The map stays free.
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