Join us for an exciting day spent digging through your own private ore pile in search of native copper, silver, datolite, quartz, feldspar, calcite and epidote!

Folks of all ages are able and welcome to join in this unique experience. Caledonia Mine offers fee digging by ADVANCE RESERVATION only. Experienced and knowledgeable staff will be on hand to help with collecting techniques and specimen identification. This is truly a hands-on educational and potentially profitable experience.

Caledonia Mine is set in the side of a mountain overlooking the beautiful valley of the Flintsteel River. The mine is easy to reach, a 20-minute drive from Ontonagon, Michigan. The area is surrounded by other fun things to do, from hiking the Porcupine Mountains to relaxing on the beautiful sandy beaches of Lake Superior.

Registration at the mine site is at 10:30 a.m., digging from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

Fee Digging - Private Ore Pile (advance reservations only)

The mine is open for mineral collecting mid-May through early September. A limited number of days and spots are available. In addition, we offer rock and mineral collecting adventures for groups at other nearby mines that we own.

Commercial mining from the mid-1860s through the 1950s left many tons of broken ore. In addition, our specimen mining over the past 20 years has removed many tons of ore from underground. Your private ore pile is built from these sources. Knowledgeable staff will be there to help with identification and collecting techniques. Water is supplied for rinsing and exposing your finds. You will have 4 hours to go through your pile. Registration at the mine site is at 10:30 a.m., digging from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Anything you find in your pile is yours to keep.

We will provide a bucket and digging tools for your use with each pile. You may bring your own additional collecting equipment if you desire. We will have metal detectors for rental. Safety glasses are required for all. We will have those for sale at the mine.

Also available: Fee Digging - Datolite Pile (advance reservations only)

Each Datolite Pile contains approximately 1/3 yard of screened datolite rich rock along with other associated minerals from inside the mine. You will have 4 hours of digging time. Registration at the mine site is at 10:30 a.m., digging from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Anything in your pile is yours to keep.

We provide a bucket, shovel, water source and elevated screen to sort and rinse the rock.

Datolite is a semi-precious gemstone, found in nodular form only in the Lake Superior Region. Caledonia specimens often contain copper and are prized by collectors.

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Reservations

FULL PAYMENT IS REQUIRED WITH RESERVATIONS - We accept Visa, Mastercard or checks

Refunds of 75% will be promptly made if we have notification at least 2 weeks prior to your reservation dates.
Cancellation notification must be made by mail, fax, or e-mail ONLY.

Gift shop

Visit our gift shop at Gitche Gumee Landing, 202 Ontonagon St., Ontonagon, Michigan (at the north end of River Street) to see a great selection of gift items including copper specimens, all sorts of interesting copper items, and many other minerals from Michigan and the world. We also carry locally made Upper Peninsula Candles, highly scented candles in ceramic crocks, a variety of unique rock and mineral candle holders, votives, and other candles. There are also a variety of lovely jewelry items and many other gift items as a souvenir for yourself or for another. Also for sale are publications by Great Lakes Geoscience including Copper Country Road Trips, Self-Guided Geological Field Trip to the Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan, and others.

Visit the U.P. Candle site

Caledonia Mine Company Store

Contact us

The Caledonia Mine – Red Metal Minerals

Richard Whiteman
202 Ontonagon Street
Ontonagon, MI 49953
Phone 906-884-6618
Fax 906-884-6753