How to Visit Crater of Diamonds State Park

Crater of Diamonds State Park has to be one of the most unusual state parks in the world: there you can actually find diamonds during your stay. Of course, you have to dig a little, and get rather dirty, but that's all part of the experience. John Huddleston found the first diamond in 1906 while working on his farm, and from 1911 to 1950 the site was commercially mined. In the 1950's, the Millars bough the site, turning it into a popular tourist destination, then sold it to the state of Arkansas as a state park in 1974. The largest diamond found was a 40.23 carat diamond named Uncle Sam. Who knows, maybe a diamond is in your future. Go to the Crater of Diamonds State Park to find out.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Clothes and shoes you don't mind getting dirty
• Shovel
• Buckets
• Seruca (a box with a screen as its bottom used for sifting dirt)
• A table

1. Find a place to stay. You can choose to camp on the grounds of the state park where you either pitch a tent or hook up your camper to the electrical hook-up. Water, water hook-up, showers, and a dump station make it seem like home. Go to the Crater of Diamonds State Park site to learn more about prices and making reservations.
2. Stay at the nearby Self Creek Lodge and Marina, where free passes to the Crater of Diamonds State Park are part of a most civilized package. Go to the Arkansas.com or Self Creek website to learn more.
3. Be prepared to go digging. Wear clothing you don't mind getting dirty, because you'll be spending a lot of time in the dirt, sometimes mud. One digger donned waders; he also found 8,000 diamonds since 1971, so this old hand knows what he is doing.
4. Bring or rent tools for the day. You will need buckets, shovels, a seruca (a box with a screen as its bottom used for sifting dirt), a table on which to search through what remains after sifting, and time.
5. Enjoy yourself. Even if you don't find a diamond you could find crystals, peridots, garnets, agates, and amethysts.