Dark Star Crystal Mines - Ontario Rockhounding, Crystal and Mineral Collecting
Dark Star Crystal Mines is a premier destination for Ontario rockhounding, crystal collecting, and mineral exploration.
We are located just south of Haliburton and west of Bancroft, Ontario, Canada's mineral capital. We offer collectors, rockhounds, and geology enthusiasts the opportunity to discover authentic Canadian crystals on our pay to dig mining claim. Whether you’re new to rockhounding in Ontario or an experienced collector, Dark Star Crystal Mines provides an educational and ethical approach to mineral collecting in Ontario, showcasing the natural beauty and geological diversity that makes the region world-class. Our properties have the Bancroft area's famous vein dykes, incredible REE rich pegmatites and skarns.
Ontario Rockhounding and Crystal and Mineral Collecting at Dark Star Crystal Mines
Discover more than just crystals at Dark Star Crystal Mines—we’re your gateway to rockhounding in Ontario, hands-on mineral collecting in the Bancroft area. You will learn as well as find. Explore our official merchandise store for Dark Star mugs, hats, and T-shirts, learn all about the Dark Star collecting experience and how to book a pay-to-dig crystal trip in Ontario, and dive deeper into Ontario geology with our Rockhound Series books on Lulu.
Whether you’re looking for the best places to rockhound in Ontario, planning a crystal-digging adventure, or expanding your mineral knowledge, Dark Star Crystal Mines connects you to the best tools for rockhounding, the most authentic trips, and the education needed to read the geology of igneous rocks in Bancroft. To be successful you must learn from us to understand rock transitions, to work within skarn onion layers, to plumb the depths of pegmatites and in videos we will show you the insides of abandoned uranium mines.
Several of the rockhounding articles on this web page have been published in large newspapers and magazines and our historical insights to such places as the Eldorado gold mines and how to prospect for gold in Ontario will leave you eager to set out with your shovel and pan immediately.
Come with us and experience rockhounding in Bancroft Ontario at the Dark Star crystal Mine or any of many lost and forgotten mine sites around the Bancroft area.
Ontario Rockhounding, Crystal Mining and Mineral Collecting Articles
Explore Ontario rockhounding, crystal mining, and mineral collecting articles at Dark Star Crystal Mines, featuring expert guides on field collecting, tips for enthusiasts, and insights into the metaphysical properties of crystals and minerals
Explore the Rockhounding Articles at Dark Star Crystal Mines—your go-to resource for expert tips on crystal and mineral collecting in Ontario and beyond. Our in-depth guides help collectors succeed in the field with practical advice on the best rockhounding tools, prospecting vs. rockhounding, and where to dig for your own crystals at Ontario’s best pay-to-dig mines.
Dive into detailed features on Cobalt, Ontario and its historic silver boom, Ontario’s pegmatites, Bancroft vein-dyke fissures, skarn deposits, and geological transitional boundaries. We also explore igneous and metamorphic geology, legendary African diamond mines, and the incredible opal fields of Coober Pedy. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned collector, our field guides, articles and selected Dark Star Videos will elevate your rockhounding adventures.
Explore our metaphysical crystal articles at Dark Star Crystal Mines, where rockhounding meets spiritual insight and ethical mineral collecting. Our in-depth guides for collectors explore crystal energies, healing properties, and the spiritual uses of earth crystals, while highlighting the natural synergies between our crystals and our responsible, eco-conscious approach to mining.
Learn how to successfully find impressive crystals, large apatite spires, powerful black titanite wedges and quartz in any of several incredible forms. Here you can learn how to truly identify what is quartz and what is fake. Your experience with us in rockhounding in the Bancroft area will set you ahead of other armchair practitioners. You will not have purchased your crystals from a shop, you will have found them at their source. Deepen your connection to the land, and understand how ethically sourced crystals can support personal growth, meditation, and holistic well-being.
Natural Crystals, Rare Minerals and Collector Specimens for Sale
Shop natural crystals, rare minerals, and collector specimens from the Dark Star claim at Dark Star Crystal Mines, near Bancroft, Ontario, where enthusiasts can acquire authentic, hand-collected specimens straight from Ontario’s Bear Lake geology.
Dark Star Crystal Mines, rockhounding, Crystal and Mineral Photo Gallery
Explore our photo gallery at Dark Star Crystal Mines, showcasing the exciting experience of rockhounding, crystal, and mineral collecting on the Dark Star claim in Ontario — from field adventures to rare specimen discoveries
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Dark Star Crystal Mines Reviews and Rockhound Testimonials
Read reviews and rockhound testimonials at Dark Star Crystal Mines, where collectors and enthusiasts share their experiences collecting crystals and minerals, exploring the Dark Star claim, which is directly across from the Old Bear Lake Diggings, and enjoying hands-on rockhounding adventures in Ontario.
Rockhounding in Bancroft is at its best in our vein dykes, our pegmatites and our skarn deposits for which we specifically staked our several claims. As rockhounds and prospectors, with suitable effort, it is highly probable that you will find beautiful Ontario crystals such as feldspar, titanite, apatite, zircon, monazite, quartz and amethyst.
With the rockhounding knowledge that we provide you will then be better equipped, not only with tools, but knowledge to go out and seek those lost and forgotten mines all across the Bancroft area and find rocks and minerals to your satisfaction. We are a pay to dig mine that provides the most authentic of experiences in wild rockhounding and few sites can compare to the experiences that we offer.
Chris F.
An "excellent locations for mineral collecting enthusiasts. The logging trail provides easy and simple
access that would assist with using the location as a public mineral collecting site.
It is strongly recommended that further prospecting and mapping work be carried out to explore the rest of
the claim, and to retain the mining rights here towards developing this claim as a public mineral collecting
site."
Chris conducted an assessment of the now Dark Star Claim back in in 2014 and though his findings just barely scraped the surface, he clearly understood that there was enormous potential there (as said above). Good eye Chris - thanks for sharing. Fortunately the Chamber of Commerce weren't paying attention.
Gordon B.
"Just wanted to share this image of one of the finds from your claim. It's a "beaut" even if just thumbnail size. (I kinda like this size because I can fit so many more specimens in my cabinet.). It was oxidized so it got a nice iron-out scrub.
Theres also a few shots of the feldspar that Patrick collected at the North Claim, turns out to be a gorgeous aventurine with a small twin formed across it.
I'll have a few more shots to send along when I can get back to my cleaning.
Take care guys - Gordon"
Gordon and Nad are big on the Ottawa-Montreal DJ scene. You always know where their crew is working as techno is blasting out of a fissure in the forest floor.
Rodney and Sabrina
Hi, Rodney here. We met a couple of weeks ago at the mine. I was with my wife Sabrina. We were at Dark Star this Saturday and were lucky to meet Mark's wife.
W bought our daughter Karissa and she loved it so much it sparked a fire in her to go more often and to go to school for geology.
You guys are super-nice people and we loved every minute that we are there.
Thank you so very much - Rodney, Sabrina, Karissa
Rodney and family are now frequent and successful visitors.
Visitor Stories
Hi Mick and Mark!
Just wanted to share this image of one of my finds from your claim. It's a beaut, even if just a thumbnail size (i kinda like this size as i can fit many more specimens in my cabinet that way lol). It was oxidized so it got a nice iron out scrub.
There's also a few shots of a feldspar Patrick collected at the North claim. Turns out to be a gorgeous aventurine with a small twin formed across it.
I'll have a few more shots of my finds to send along when I can get back to cleaning. Injured my piriformis last week so the mineral life is currently stalled for now (ouch).
Take care Guys
Gordon B.
Hi,
Rodney here. We met a couple of weeks ago at the mine. I was with my wife Sabrina. We were at dark star this Saturday we were lucky to meet Marc's wife.
We brought my daughter Karrissa and she loved it sooo much and it sparked the fire in her to go more often and go to school for geology.
You guys are super nice people and we love every minute we are there.
Thank you so very much
Rodney and Sabrina 08/04/2025
Hi Mick,
I hope you're doing well! This is Connie, I visited Dark Star a couple weekends ago, the same weekend as the Gemboree, with my friends Willow and Cristin. It was such a fantastic day of digging with many awesome finds, I wanted to send you some photos and videos of what things looked like after a bit of cleaning. I've yet to scrub them with Iron out, but plan to follow Marks advice of soaking them in clean water afterwards to avoid damage from the harshness of the chemical.
If you'd like to include any of the photos or videos in your uploads to youtube, I'd be fine with that as long as you let me know when you do so!
Connie G. 08/13/2025
Work Cited
Fouts, C., 2014. Report on assessment work for Claim #SO 1500471, Lots 7 & 8, Concession 10, Monmouth Township, Haliburton County, Southern Ontario Mining District. Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forests, Geoscience Assessment Office, 17 p.
Rockhound of Distinction - October 2025
There are so many great people that come to visit us, but Jason stands out for his work on Hubbert's hole. We named the fissure after him and since he started the excavation, between his work and ours over 200 titanites have been extracted from 40 foot of trench. Thank you for your persistence Jason.
