Pardon the pun, but this was an experience I totally dug—digging for crystals at Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge in Jet, Oklahoma.
When I found out there was a place to dig for one-of-a-kind crystals just 2.5 hours from Tulsa, I knew this was the perfect weekend adventure for my family. Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge has a large crystal digging area that is open seasonally, based on the pattern of the migratory birds that call this area home, where you can spend hours searching for hourglass selenite crystals. These crystals are only found here in Oklahoma!
We didn’t know exactly what we would find when we arrived at the park, but the experience was shockingly very wheelchair-friendly. The parking area is just a few feet away from the actual dig sites, and while you could roll out further across the hard-packed, smooth salt flats if you wanted… we found tons of crystals when we started digging just a few feet from the dig site border.
Make sure you pack the right materials: a big shovel, smaller garden tools, lots of water for washing away the dirt and rinsing crystals, cardboard to sit on, cups or scoops to reuse the water, and a colander. Plus containers to load up your crystals, you’re allowed to collect up to 10lbs each! Whoa.
Be prepared to get messy. Your first step is to dig a deep hole in the ground. Then you slowly pour water down the sides of the hole to reveal the layers of salt, sand, dirt, and crystals! These crystals are very delicate, so if I went back I wouldn’t swirl them around together as much as I did. Instead, I would rinse the dirt off of each one individually to help them stay nice and shiny. We only had to dig for a couple of minutes before we found our first crystal, and from there we collected literally hundreds of crystals ranging in size from 1/2″ up to 3″. I found it easiest to lay on my stomach so I could reach the water at the bottom of the pit, to scoop and rinse the walls, revealing more crystals. This was a one-of-a-kind experience that I can’t wait to do again!
Make sure to check out the Fish & Wildlife website before you go to confirm the digging schedule, they’re only open April 1 through October 15, and then pop 66003 Garvin Road, Cherokee, OK into your GPS.