Rockhounding In Bancroft, Ontario: Finding Treasures In The Ground
Rockhounding in Bancroft is like digging for treasure.
Remember when you were a kid, and you found a shining, metallic rock, thinking you had really struck it rich with a piece of gold?
If your parents were kind, they would let you think for a little while that you had found something precious. If parents were realists, like my dad, you would quickly learn “It’s not real, it’s fool’s gold.”
Even though I was disappointed that I hadn’t found gold, I still thought it was cool to find a rock that looked so much different than standard limestone or granite.
Note: Rockhounding in Bancroft is a well-known activity. However, the Bear Lake site mentioned in this post is now apparently private property and not open to public digging. Here’s a site with information about rockhounding opportunities in and around the Bancroft area.
Rockhounding In Bancroft: Finding Treasure In The Ground
Imagine my joy when I found not only fool’s gold in Bancroft, Ontario but also pretty impressive pieces of mica, apatite, rose quartz and white quartz. I felt the same joy as I did when I was a kid – the “WOW, look at these cool rocks” moment.
finding a different, exotic-looking rock has its own thrill.
My husband Frank and I had taken a trip up to Bancroft, known also as the “Mineral Capital of Canada”.
Rockhounding in Bancroft is one of the most popular activities in the region. We visited two mines: the Princess Sodalite Mine, and the Bear Lake Diggings area.
The Princess Sodalite Mine is where you can find the local sodalite, as well as other minerals shipped into the area and left in a large rock pile for you to sift through.
The Bear Lake Diggings site was more realistic with open trenches in the woods. The ground rich in mica, biotite, apatite, titanite, and hornblende.
The easiest to spot is the mica which litters the ground in many of the trails in this area.
Princess Sodalite Mine
For anybody who just wants a taste of rockhounding, the rock farm at Princess Sodalite Mine is a good start. It’s easy to find cool rocks here – from sodalite, white quartz and rose quartz.
Whatever you find and want to take with you costs approximately a $1 per pound of rocks you take with you, is a good start. It’s easy and all you need to ensure you have with you is a good pair of covered shoes or boots as you can get hurt if you twist your ankle on one of the rocks.
One thing to remember at the rock farm – don’t throw any rocks!
I found a core sample of granite and wanted to show Frank, who was about 10 metres away. I just finished saying, “Hey Frank, take a look at this!” when I threw the core sample about 5 metres, and it bounced to hit poor Frank right in the shin on his left leg. It caused quite a bit of pain, a bump and broken skin.
My reaction was to do a great Lucille Ball impersonation, “Oooohhhh Frankie!!!! I’m so soooorrreeeee!”. Lucky that I have a boyfriend who is so forgiving. Needless to say, his leg was feeling sore for a few days afterwards.
The Princess Sodalite Mine and Rock Shop is owned and operated by geologist Andy Christie. He’s a talkative gentleman with a strong Scottish burr and love of anything to do with rocks.
In his shop you can purchase sodalite jewelry, rocks and minerals from around the world, and other rock-related memorabilia.
Directions: Take Highway 28 east of Bancroft for about 4 km and you will see the Princess Sodalite Mine and Rock Shop on the north side (left) of the road.
Bear Lake Diggings
NOTE: No longer open to the public as it’s now private property as of 2016.
Located about 50 km west of Bancroft, near Tory Hill, Bear Lake Diggings is a rockhound’s dream.
It means making sure you have all the necessary gear, good boots, and bug spray (to deter all the mosquitoes, deer flies and black flies that love fresh blood) and patience.
What You Need To Take With You When Rockhounding
If you happen to have the opportunity to go rockhounding, for newbies like myself, I have a few tips. You will need a few extra things, aside from the boots and bug spray.
- First aid kit
- Lunch and lots to drink (digging will work up a sweat)
- Practical outdoor clothing: long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, a hat and safety boots ideally
- Rain gear – just in case there’s any rain in the forecast
- Insect repellent
- Safety glasses or goggles
- A rock hammer or a chisel
- Small shovel
- Sample bags or buckets
- Penknife
- Magnet
- Compass
- Local topographical maps
- Pen or pencil
- Notebook (write down what you found)
For our visit, we didn’t have most of these items. It was a quick in and out to check out the site, pick a few rocks and avoid being eaten by mosquitoes. We were lucky to find both black and white mica, and apatite during our short rockhounding experience.
Directions: Get more information about rockhounding opportunities in and around Bancroft.
Whether you are a newbie like me or a pro, rockhounding in Bancroft is fun. Anytime I can play in the dirt and find treasures, I’m there!
Bancroft is not far from Algonquin Park. If you’re making a day of exploring the region, take the highway across the park for beautiful views.
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Thanks for sharing this post with me, Margaret! I’ve always secretly been a bit of geology nerd so this is making my upcoming trip to Bancroft that much more exciting ;)
These are some beautiful findings. The Bear Lake Digging site is very rich in calcite. Could the Apatite crystal that you found be lodged in calcite rather than Rose Quartz?
This is a very helpful site for rock hounding beginner like me. Thanks!!!!!
I am planning a trip to Bancroft in June would love to find some interesting rocks and crystals any
other advice would be appreciated thank you for posting
Hi Laurie – The best place to get the information you are seeking is from Bancroft’s Tourism office: . When you get to Bancroft, this is the first place to go, as the team there will provide you with maps and details as to what you can find. The Mineral museum shows some of the types of rocks you can potentially find. Lots of Mica! Happy digging.
Hi there, i would love to take part in digging oe looking for gems while on vacation, is there anyway my daughter and i cna paeticipate and do this? This is something we have always wanted to go and do so we are hoping that its possible to come and see your lacation and experience it for the day. My name ia Debbie Menard and i can be emailes at debbieibrabim@gmail.com
Thank you
Debbie
Hi Debbie, I suggest you connect with the Bancroft Chamber of Commerce – or check out the City of Bancroft’s site to see what they offer in terms of rockhounding. Since this post, there have been changes to the rockhounding site I wrote about. It is apparently no longer easily accessible to the public. I’ve noted this in the post. Hope this helps!