Gem Mountain Sapphire Mine, Philipsburg

We bought two buckets of gravel for $40 each to sort through and found several cuttable stones. Our second bucket had an unusually high amount of sapphires, so be aware that your mileage may vary. They charge reasonable prices and make it straightforward to find sapphires. It was absolutely thrilling to find gemstones. The gravel was raw, muddy, and brown at first, not loaded with polished stones like some tourist destinations do to make people feel special. The way the gravel is sorted by the attendants pushes almost all of the sapphires to the top of the gravel pile when the sieve is flipped onto the table. This makes for a great experience, because multiple sapphires are usually visible before starting the longer part of the hunt. If you'd like your sapphires/garnets cut, they are currently experiencing a one year wait because of how many customers get in line.

Had so much fun, Travis was incredibly helpful and has such a great sense of humor!! Thank you for the recommendation of the scenic drive, my husband and I had the best adventure today. Gem Mountain is a must visit!!