Plush Oregon? Who’s heard of it? I hadn’t before my recent trip to Oregon. My wife is a rock hound and we did a little research while camping in Lakeview Oregon. We learned you can Opal mine just over the border in Nevada and Sunstone mine near Plush Oregon, which is about 36 miles from Lakeview. Sunstone is the Oregon State gem. The digging season runs from late May till September. Both of these locations yielded some gems.
The fee to opal mine was $70 each to dig through tailings at the Bonanza Mine. We were able to dig for Sunstones for free at the Spectrum Mine, but most of the locations do charge a fee if you want to use a conveyor belt to search through buckets of pre-dug dirt.
The Sunstone mining area is about 25 miles north-west of Plush Oregon and on a dirt road. Follow the signs and you won’t miss it. There is a BLM primitive camp site near the mines, which is accessible for motorhomes and trailers if you don’t mind the 25 miles of gravel road. You can also stay in a teepee or small cabin at Spectrum Mine. Accommodations run around $40-45 per night.
The opal mines are east of Lakeview about 100 miles on Highway 140 or about 100 miles north of Winnemucca Nevada on Highway 140 in Virgin Valley. The roads are dirt leading into the mining area and are well marked. Pay attention to the weather because you will get stuck if it starts to rain. Even in 4×4. There is also a great campground, about 2 miles from the highway as you travel the dirt road leading to the mines. The Virgin Valley Campground does not offer many amenities but it’s free and has a beautiful hot spring swimming hole near the restrooms. Some of the mining locations offer free camping also.
Traveling to these locations is through some picturesque high desert landscape, which is so different from western Oregon. Make sure you have plenty of gas because there isn’t any gas stations near by. It is truly in the boonies.
