Big Rock Candy Mountain

crop__0011_Layer 8Big Rock Candy Mountain offers family-friendly nature tours to this BC Heritage, internationally famous crystal collecting area. Cominco’s Rock Candy Mine operated here in the 1920’s.

Your family can collect sparkling quartz crystal geodes, fine fluorite in green & purple, and beautiful barite, while enjoying spectacular mountain scenery & abundant wildflowers. Your guide will help you learn to collect, and explore the remains of the Rock Candy mine historic artifacts. Two levels of tours are offered to families: Safaris and Colorful Crystals.  Adult mineral collectors love our Vugs tours, where we guarantee access to a fresh vug for each collector, and the possibility of beautiful barite crystals, for which the mine is famous.  The mountain continues to produce museum-quality specimens of fluorite and barite on quartz.  Join us to take home a piece or a packfull!

Click for Rock Candy photos.

Rock Candy Safari: 

45An introduction to Rock Candy's colorful minerals and mining history.  You will collect gemmy green fluorite, banded purple fluorite, sparkling quartz and  (if you're lucky!) barite crystals. Access to druzy quartz and fluorite zones. Safari trips start June 1st. 

Dates: Wednesday thru Sunday, June1 to Oct 1.  

Trips are available 5 days per week, June through September.  Advance booking is highly recommended!  Safaris require a minimum number of participants to run; we cannot predict whether the minimum will be met unless you pre-register.

We are proud to partner with Grand Forks Visitor Information Centre, a BC Tourism affiliate, to offer the Safari trips.  While in Grand Forks, visit Gallery2, which shares the historic court house building with Visitor Info. 

Times:

10 a.m. to 2 p.m  The trip departs our rural meeting place at 10 a.m., so to register on site at Grand Forks VisInfo, you must arrive downtown Grand Forks by 9 a.m..

Book through Grand Forks Visitor Info (NOT Geology Adventures.com): 250 442 5835 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

  • Price is $25/adult; $20/youth/senior; $10/child (under 6)..
  • We do not recommend this trip for kids under 3.
  • Group price is $350, for up to 30 people.
  • Prices are in Canadian dollars.
Collect all you can carry in one load.  Access to main pit only.  We provide hammers and one-size-fits-all safety goggles, bring a chisel if you want one.  Closed-toe footwear is required.

Colorful Crystals Tour:

Family-oriented collecting tour, where you will have access to freshly mined areas, which ensures abundant collecting opportunities.  Fluorite crystals are so abundant on these tours that you will be standing on specimens as you collect others.  Kids will love the abundance of sparkly quartz geodes in gemmy green  fluorite. Depart Grand Forks at 9 a.m., return by 3 p.m. Access to at least 3 zones.  This trip is usually only offered once per year.

Scouts: This trip will qualify you for Geology merit badges.

Book through Geology Adventures. Advance booking is required.  This trip ususually fills at least a month in advance. 

Collect all you can carry on a day-long trip. We provide hammers & chisels.   Colorful Crystals tour available:

2012 dates:

  • July 15

Voluminous Vugs Tour: Featured on the Travel Channel show, Cash & Treasures.

Photos of our TV shoot here.

Serious mineral collectors love this tour, with fresh vugs opened just for you.  Includes use of our professional collecting tools, as well as hammers, chisels, pry bars. Collect in the same areas which we mine to produce museum specimens.  Meet us in Grand Forks at 9 a.m., for 8  hours of the best collecting you've ever experienced.  Access to all zones.

Book through Geology Adventures. Advance booking is required.  These trips usually fill several months in advance. 

  • $350/person  Kids 14 and up are welcome, but will be charged full price.
  • Group price is $2200, for up to 8 people.
  • Price is in US dollars. Click to compute rate in Canadian dollars:http://finance.yahoo.com/currency-converter#from=USD;to=CAD
  • We may limit the amount you collect in museum quality vugs to the first $1000/worth.

We allow a maximum of 8 collectors on site during the 'vugs' tour.

2012 dates:

July 14, July 21.  Additional vug trip may be offered in Sept, 2012.  Email us to join the waitlist for that trip.

School Programs and private trips are available to Rock Candy during any snow-free month.  For pricing and other info contact Visitor Information at 250 442 5835, or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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