Idaho · national forest
Emerald Creek star garnets: who owns the ground
The star garnet is Idaho's state gem. The Forest Service: “There are only two places in the world you can find Star Garnets - India and right here on the Idaho Panhandle National Forests!” The Emerald Creek Garnet Area is a Forest Service recreation site south of St. Maries, and it runs on reservations.
The rules
- Reservation only through Recreation.gov or 1-877-444-6777. No tickets on site.
- Posted fees: adults $15, ages 6–12 $5, under 6 free, plus a $1 Recreation.gov processing fee. Tickets are bought from Recreation.gov, never through this site or the field guide.
- Limit: a mineral permit is issued for each person: 2 lb of garnet per person per day, one permit per person per year.
- Season: Recreation.gov lists Thursday–Saturday from the Thursday of Memorial Day weekend to the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. The Forest Service says the site closed early in 2026 because of a depleted supply of excavated material. Verify the 2027 season and fees.
- How it works: visitors work a Forest Service stockpile of garnet-bearing gravel through sluice boxes. Staff provide the tools and ask you not to bring your own sifters, shovels or buckets.
- Nowhere else: garnets “cannot be collected outside the Emerald Creek Garnet Area recreation site or while the site is closed.”
Getting there
The Forest Service: from St. Maries, follow Highway 3 south 24 miles to Road 447, then southwest 7 miles to the parking area. Permits, information and the sluice area are a ½-mile hike on the gated road up 281 Gulch. There are active logging sales nearby, so watch for log trucks. Recreation.gov says there is no cell service within 15 miles, no drinking water on site and limited shade, and pets are not allowed. St. Joe Ranger District: 208-245-2531.
Garnets on the rest of the forest
Elsewhere on Idaho's national forests, Forest Service guidance says “a reasonable amount is up to 10 pounds” of common minerals for personal, non-commercial use, and surface collecting needs no permit. Emerald Creek garnets are the exception: only at the site, only with a ticket.
Sources: Idaho Panhandle NF, Emerald Creek Garnet Area; Recreation.gov, Emerald Creek Garnet Area; USDA Forest Service rockhounding guidance; Idaho Code 67-4505.
Informational only — not legal advice. Rules, boundaries and seasons change. Confirm with the managing agency for the exact parcel before you collect. Last verified November 2, 2026.