Rockhounding in British Columbia

Rockhounding in British Columbia , Canada

In July 2001, Brad and Laurie fly to Vancouver, rent a SUV and head off to Kamloops. We pass through Whistler and Lillooet. The scenery is spectacular! In Lillooet we locate George after several phone calls. George meets us at his shop in town. He is the former president of his local (now disbanded) rock hounding club. Jade and placer gold panning are his areas of expertise. When the rivers are lower (August & September) George takes groups out for panning at several of his claims on the Bar river. George took me to a maintenance yard where he is presently sawing a 6 ton boulder of Jade. He is using a specially modified logging saw with an 8 foot diamond blade. It takes 200 hours to make one complete cut. Ultimately, the thick jade slab will be on display at the town’s square which represents the town’s rich mineral history.

After a full day in Lillooet, we drive on to Kamloops . We stay at a campground on the north banks of the Thompson River in Kamloops . We meet up with Rob Davis who takes us to one of his claims in the Tranquille Creek area. We proceed up the mountainside. It seems like a ˝ mile hike but was probably more like Ľ of a mile straight up. We research a volcanic outcropping and proceed to start breaking up the outcropping with large chisels and sledges. Rob and Curtis (friend of Rob and member of the Thompson Valley Rockhound Club) are exceptionally friendly and helpful. For a reasonable fee, they will take you to the claim; carrying the tools and safety equipment. We are looking for agate nodules in an ancient andesitic lava flow. When the lava initially cooled, gas bubbles were trapped. Over the millennium, silica seeped into the cavities. Depending on local minerals over the years, the agate forms in different colors and patterns. The colors found are clear, green, yellow and white. Some have tubes while others have moss or opal bands. Some are geodes with a quartz druzzy coating. Some of the gas bubbles never filled with agate and consequently are empty. The hard rock mining is hard work but, thanks to Rob and Curtis’s hard work, I was able to return with 11 four to 9 inch diameter nodules and geodes. Safety considerations are number one for Rob and Curtis who keep a watchful eye over our group.

I was fortunate to be able to squeeze 1 day for rockhounding into my wife’s 8 day vacation. Our travels took us through Kamloops and needless-to-say, our return trip passed through Kamloops after visiting Jasper National Park , Banff , Lake Louise and Emerald Lake.

If you are planning a trip to British Columbia we can make some recommendations or you may contact Rob Davis at: rockworks@telus.net . If you want to collect rocks and minerals, Rob is the person to see. I recommend this trip, but do plan on spending 2-3 weeks and enjoy the rich history, nature and local stories. You will see many ecosystems, from rain forests to semi-arid deserts to glaciers.

Rob's shop in downtown Kamloops