Crater of Diamonds State Park: How to Dig for Your Own Diamond

At a glance

• Where: 209 State Park Road, Murfreesboro, Arkansas 71958, about two miles southeast of Murfreesboro on Arkansas Highway 301
• Hours: Typically: diamond search area daily 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Visitor Center and Diamond Discovery Center daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed New Year's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Check the official site before you go.
• Cost: Typically $15 for visitors over 12, $7 for ages 6 to 12, free under 6, for the diamond search area; check the official site
• Keep what you find?: Yes. Any rock or mineral you find is yours to keep.
• Allow: Half a day at minimum; a full day if you plan to wet-sift
• Phone: 870-285-3113

Yes, you can dig for real diamonds at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, and you keep anything you find. The park's diamond search area is a plowed field of about 37 acres sitting on the eroded surface of an ancient volcanic crater, and it is open to the public most days of the year for a small admission fee. Arkansas State Parks says it is the only place in the world where the public can search for natural diamonds in their original volcanic source.

That is the headline. The rest of this guide is the practical part: how to get there, how the field works, what to rent, how long to stay, and what a diamond actually looks like when it is sitting in your screen. Spoiler: smaller than you think.

Where is Crater of Diamonds State Park?

Crater of Diamonds State Park is at 209 State Park Road, Murfreesboro, Arkansas 71958, about two miles southeast of town on Arkansas Highway 301. Murfreesboro sits in southwest Arkansas, and Arkansas Tourism puts it about 2.5 hours from Little Rock.

If you are building a longer trip, Hot Springs and Mount Ida are both in the same part of the state, so a diamond day fits easily into a longer southwest Arkansas loop. Our Murfreesboro area page has the rest of the town.

Is it free, and when is it open?

No, the diamond search area charges admission, typically $15 for anyone over 12, $7 for children 6 to 12, and nothing for children under 6. Ages are counted on the day you visit, not the day you buy, and tickets are sold online or at the park.

The search area is typically open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Visitor Center, gift shop and Diamond Discovery Center typically run 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Everything closes on New Year's Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The campground and picnic area are open all year. Hours and fees change, so check the official park page before you drive.

How does the diamond search field work?

The search field is an open, plowed field where you walk out with your tools, pick a spot and start digging, sifting or simply scanning the surface. There are no assigned plots. The park's map shows sun shelters scattered across the field, plus washing pavilions and a sluice box for wet sifting.

Start at the Diamond Discovery Center before you head out. Staff there teach three recommended search techniques and explain the rocks and minerals you are likely to turn up, and it is also where you rent tools. Ten minutes there saves an afternoon of digging in the wrong way.

In broad terms, the three approaches families use are:

1. Surface searching. Walk the rows slowly and look for anything glinting on top of the soil. It costs nothing but patience, and it works best for small children.
2. Dry sifting. Shovel soil into a screen and shake out the fine dirt, then pick through what is left.
3. Wet sifting. Carry soil to a washing pavilion and wash it through a set of screens, which concentrates heavier stones in the center. It is the most work and the most thorough.

Arkansas State Parks says most diamonds found at Crater of Diamonds State Park turn up by wet sifting, but ask staff which method suits the field on the day, since conditions change.

What should you bring or rent?

You can bring your own hand tools or rent them at the Diamond Discovery Center, but no ladders, battery-operated or motor-driven mining tools are allowed. Rental tools go back the same day, and each one carries a refundable deposit.

Typical rental prices listed by the park:

• Basic Diamond Searching Kit (army shovel, screen set and 3.5-gallon bucket): $15
• Advanced Diamond Searching Kit (the basic kit plus a saruca, a sifting tool): $20
• Wagon: $12
• Screen set: $8; saruca: $8; long shovel: $6
• Box screen, folding shovel, bucket or kneeling pad: $5 each

Regulars who come back often can rent an enclosed storage pen by the day or for 30 days. For a first family visit, one basic kit per two or three people is plenty.

What to pack from home: water, sunscreen and hats (the field has little natural shade), clothes and shoes you do not mind ruining, a towel, snacks, and a small zip bag or pill bottle for anything promising. A kneeling pad is worth every cent of the $5.

What do real diamonds at the park look like?

A real Crater diamond is usually tiny, smooth and rounded, not a sparkling cut stone. The park's brochure says the average diamond found here is about the size of a match head, and even a stone of several carats can be smaller than a marble.

A few clues from the park's own diamond-hunting tips:

• Look for a small, well-rounded crystal rather than a sharp, angular shard.
• Diamonds have a slick outer surface that dirt and mud do not stick to, so a clean-looking pebble in a dirty screen deserves a second look.
• The diamonds found here come in three colors: white, brown and yellow.

You will find plenty of other things too. Amethyst, garnet, jasper, agate and quartz all turn up, and kids tend to fill a bucket with them. Bring anything you are unsure about to the Diamond Discovery Center: identification is free, and staff register any diamond you find.

Will you actually find a diamond?

Probably not, and it is worth saying that to the kids in the car. The park's brochure says visitors find more than 400 diamonds a year on average, spread across a lot of visitors, and the park counts more than 37,000 diamonds found by visitors since it opened as a state park in 1972. Those are real odds, but they are not good odds.

Set the goal as a fun day digging in a volcano, with a bag of pretty quartz and jasper as the near-certain prize. A diamond is the bonus round.

The record that still stands

The largest diamond ever found in the United States came out of this field. The Uncle Sam diamond, 40.23 carats, was found in 1924, decades before the land became a state park, according to Arkansas Tourism.

Other named finds on the park's list include the Amarillo Starlight at 16.37 carats, the Star of Arkansas at 15.33 carats and the Esperanza at 8.52 carats. And there is a quieter star in the Visitor Center: the Strawn-Wagner Diamond, a 1.09-carat white stone found at the Crater that was cut and graded a perfect D flawless 0/0/0 by the American Gem Society, according to the park's brochure. The brochure says it is displayed in the Visitor Center, so ask to see it: it shows what a Crater stone looks like after a jeweler gets to it.

In most of the world, finders keepers is a playground rule. In Murfreesboro, it is park policy.

How long should a family allow?

Plan on at least half a day in the field and a full day if you want to try wet sifting. Arrive near the 8 a.m. opening in summer to dig before the heat builds, and remember the search area typically closes at 4 p.m.

In summer, the park's Diamond Springs Water Park is a good reward for small diggers. It typically runs Memorial Day to Labor Day, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed Mondays and Tuesdays, and may drop to weekends only from mid-August. Admission is separate from the search area.

The park also has three short trails: the 1.2-mile Little Missouri River Trail, half of it paved and barrier-free; the 1.2-mile Prospector Trail, which needs a search area ticket; and a 0.2-mile walk to a wildlife observation blind. Leashed pets are allowed in most of the park, but not in the gift shop or the water park.

Can you camp at the park?

Yes. Crater of Diamonds State Park has 47 Class AAA campsites with 50-, 30- and 20-amp electric, water and sewer, plus walk-in tent sites, and the campground is open all year. Reserve through Arkansas State Parks. For other places to stay around Murfreesboro, see our lodging listings.

Where to go next: Lake Greeson and Daisy State Park

The easy next stop is Lake Greeson, the big lake north of Murfreesboro, and Daisy State Park on its shore. Arkansas Tourism lists Lake Greeson for fishing, boating and lake views.

Daisy State Park, at 103 East Park in Kirby, Arkansas, sits on Lake Greeson and the Little Missouri River in the Ouachita Mountains. Arkansas State Parks lists kayak and paddleboard rentals and guided kayak tours, fishing for crappie, bass and catfish, lakeside camping and yurts, and the Daisy Creek Trail. ATV riders know it as the start of the Bear Creek Cycle Trail, which follows the Lake Greeson shoreline. Arkansas State Parks pitches Daisy as a base camp for exploring southwest Arkansas, and it works well as a quieter campsite after a dusty day in the field.

For more ideas, browse our outdoors guides and road trips.

How we chose what to include

Every fee, hour, rental price and diamond record in this guide comes from official Arkansas State Parks and Arkansas Tourism pages, including the park's information brochure. We left out anything we could not confirm there, such as plowing schedules and per-day find rates. Opinions, like when to arrive and how many kits to rent, are ours.

The diamond day checklist

• Check hours and buy tickets on the official park page
• Water, sunscreen, hats and snacks
• Old clothes, closed shoes and a towel
• A small bag or pill bottle for possible diamonds
• Hand tools only: no ladders, battery or motor-driven gear
• Stop at the Diamond Discovery Center first for technique tips and rentals
• Look for small, rounded, slick stones in white, brown or yellow
• Bring every maybe to the Diamond Discovery Center for free identification
• See the Strawn-Wagner Diamond in the Visitor Center before you leave
• Summer bonus: Diamond Springs Water Park; any season: Daisy State Park on Lake Greeson

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Can you keep the diamonds you find at Crater of Diamonds State Park?

Yes. At Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, any rock or mineral you find in the diamond search area is yours to keep, and staff identify and register finds for free.

How much does it cost to dig at Crater of Diamonds State Park?

Admission to the diamond search area is typically $15 for visitors over 12, $7 for children 6 to 12, and free for children under 6. Tool rentals are extra; check the official Arkansas State Parks page for current prices.

What are the hours at Crater of Diamonds State Park?

The diamond search area is typically open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the Visitor Center and Diamond Discovery Center from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The park closes on New Year's Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Do I need to bring my own tools?

No. You can rent shovels, screens, buckets and full diamond searching kits at the Diamond Discovery Center, or bring your own hand tools. Ladders and battery-operated or motor-driven mining tools are not allowed.

What does a raw diamond from the park look like?

Diamonds at Crater of Diamonds State Park are usually small, smooth, rounded crystals about the size of a match head, with a slick surface dirt does not stick to. They are white, brown or yellow.

What is the biggest diamond found at Crater of Diamonds State Park?

The Uncle Sam diamond, 40.23 carats, found in 1924 at what is now Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas, is the largest diamond ever discovered in the United States.