They were very friendly and willing to answer any questions I had. I am planning on going again in the next week. I drive from Texas and it's worth the trip to me. read more

I booked a 50A site (13A) but when I arrived, I found out there was no firepit. I asked if there were any other options and they were able to move me to a 30A RV site with a firepit. It was memorial weekend so the place was packed and fully booked but they were still able to accommodate my request. They also planned a BBQ and a band to play since it was memorial weekend. Folks who paid for mining was able to attend the dinner. The band could not play because it ended up raining. The bathrooms were clean and was always stocked with toilet paper. Shower was also clean and had good pressure with hot water. There's no reception here but there is WIFI (star-link?) available around the campground. I drove here with a Tesla Y and was able to charge at the campground with the full amperage (30A - 24A for the vehicle). Cassie was very helpful with her knowledge about opal mining and we went out to the tailings for a day to try our luck. We found a few pieces of small opal and petrified wood pieces. read more

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Being an amateur rockhound from the Midwest, I'd wanted to go opal hunting "out West" for many years. My chance arrived this year, and it turned out to be by far the best day of rock hunting I've ever had. It also, by chance, fell on my 64th birthday, and it was a birthday like no other. I was very, very fortunate to uncover the pieces of two beautiful limb casts. The larger one was a little over a foot, in four pieces, and it was beautiful fire opal, over two inches thick for most of the pieces' total length. The smaller limb cast was just a little shorter and thinner, also came out in four pieces, and was black opal. This black opal had some fractured areas on the end pieces, but also included a six-inch-long piece of limb that's almost completely intact. I found the fire opal limb about mid-morning and Jake was there in minutes to take video of the find and insist that I get the pieces into water right away, and he also gave me some pointers about caring for them. I'll add that Jake and Cassie were very helpful and communicative and were at the mine on and off throughout the entire day. This was in mid-May and it was not crowded, with perhaps nine or ten wall diggers and a few more digging in the tailings. If you're planning a trip, especially if you're a first-timer like I was, keep this in mind: Early or late in the season means smaller crowds and a greater chance that Jake or Cassie or one of the other mine staffers can give you some personalized instruction on what to look for. It helped me significantly. About the digging fees: $190 a day to dig on the wall might seem excessive, but it also offers the highest chance of unearthing a significant prize, as happened to lucky ol' me. For me it was a no-brainer, since this was roughly 2,000 miles from where I live in Ilinois, and my investment in both money and time was already significant even before I first dug into the dried clay. So I decided I'd treat myself and go for the biggest gamble. Royal Peacock and the other opal mines nearby are also very, very remote. For me, newly 64 and driving a smaller car, it was a bit disconcerting on the drive up from Winnemucca. But it's an easy drive, with only two or three long (and not very steep) mountain grades and plenty of flat, straight stretches for the 130 miles of paved road. The last 10 miles is a curvy gravel road with some minor washed-out spots, but if you've done any country driving it shouldn't be a concern. Still, pack provisions and a blanket, just in case of car problems, because you'll have no cell-phone signal for virtually the entire drive. My memories of my trip will last for a lifetime, as it was that special. I totally understand that you can make the trip, pay the digging fees and not find anything. That's the chance you take. Many times, I've driven from Illinois up to far northeastern Minnesota, to go agate hunting on the north shore of Lake Superior, and I've been shut out (often by changing weather) several times. There are no guarantees. But yes, you can get very lucky. I'd planned this as a once-in-a-lifetime chip, but it was so special, I'm going to try to make a couple of return trips. read more

We had such a wonderful stay! Owners and staff make it a very comfortable and enjoyable place to stay. We enjoyed 2 days over at the dig sites and found some very nice pieces of Opal and petrified wood. Friday night the owners provided a laser music show on the side of the mountains next to the campsite. Jake a staff member who was at the dig sites with us was very helpful, knowledgeable and helped explain items we found. Would recommend this place and look forward to going again! Attached are just a couple of pics of our finds. Once home from this trip we will photo the remaining pieces and share. read more

I arrived at 11:30pm Thursday night. Went and got the low down at 7:30 when the store opens, and $531 dollars later I was digging. They charged me a night in the full hookups where I parked to sleep until they opened. I bought a pick for the highwall. I also paid for two adults to dig highwall $190 each. The scenery was nice and the road was ok , quite a long way to go on dirt with a RV, I wanted to fill my bucket list so I chose the Royal peacock being I had been driving by it for 40 years and never stopped in. I guess the moral of the story is Bring a Fat wallet. I will not return or recommend it to others. I think I would bring in some pay dirt and start panning gold or some other kind of tourist trap. read more

Simply put it was very expensive. We got nothing in return. The only help, pointers or interaction we had was from the other people dumb enough to pay to be out there with us not the staff. Who were God knows where most of the time. Maybe they were eating ice cream and laughing at us rubes on security cameras. I have done this sort of tourist dig at other mines and never left feeling like a chump but this time I sure did. read more

Employees were of no help. This is total waste of time and money. I have been to other mines for different materials, this is by far the worst experience I have ever had. read more

We had a fantastic time at the mine. We dug on the bank and Craig helped us figure out where and how to dig. We found a bit of an opalized branch and some really fun black opal pieces. The guys digging next to us found some pine cones. I can't wait to dry out to our opal see if we have some fire in them. The staff were so friendly and the dig site was a lot of fun. We also stayed in the cottage while we were there. It was just the right size and we really appreciated the private bathroom and shower after a long day of digging. We met some fun people staying in the RV Park as well. We would definitely recommend coming to the Royal Peacock Opal Mine for a great time and some fun opals. read more

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Wow, what an incredible find! My father and I drove from Portland, Oregon down to Arizona and decided to stop here for a night. We did not do any mining, but set up tents and camped for the night. It was very reasonably priced ($10 a person,) and is one of the most remote camping locations I've been to so far. The family that owns the camp is very friendly, and have a little shop set up for mining registration, equipment rentals, minerals and snacks. Up the road, closer to the highway is another campground with a hot spring you can swim in (which is apparently free to camp at.) My favorite part of the camp was how truly beautiful the area is, and how remote it was. It was incredible hearing coyotes howling at night, and having deer and rabbits come up close. This campground is located in the middle of an antelope preserve, though unfortunately I didn't see any on my trip. There isn't any cell service (I have Verizon,) though there is free wi-fi on site. Overall a great camping experience, and I honestly wish I could have stayed longer and explored the area. Well, there is always a next time! read more

Love this place so much! Brought my older aunt and preschooler here to stay the night and do some mining. We did the tailings and found so many little treasures... also a couple big ones. Even my 4 year old found something. The staff is AMAZING, they were so informative and friendly. The mine overseer stayed with us until we knew what we were doing, helped us find a couple and was very patient with my son bringing him every rock on the mountain to look at. We stayed at one of the cabins they rent, which was very clean and equipped with a kitchenette. Should also mention the valley is stunningly beautiful. Thanks for a great experience! Hope to someday make it back :) read more

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Let me preface this by saying I am an earth scientist by training and drilled for oil in the Gulf of Mexico for many years for Shell Oil Company. The Earth is fickle and there are no guarantees of success extracting -anything- from the Earth. People should know that going in. From Reno it's 300 miles to get there. Be prepared for a long drive. It's asphalt all the way through Winnemucca to Denio and to the Virgin Creek turnoff....except for the last 10 miles which is a car-driveable gravel road. The campground is among the most well-kept campgrounds I've stayed at in a very long time. The shower facility is jaw dropping. There's wifi. The details are paid attention to. Very, very clean. They use the honor system for drinks, ice-cream and ice. Julie, the mine owner, and Pui are amazing. Pui (the guide) has a BS and MS in seismology from Japan. He knows of what he speaks. He will tell you to dig to China. Dig in the bentonite layer (darker clay) in the bank which is near the bottom of the bank. You might be better off walking the tailings though. Less work than the bank and you can just walk along the look at the tailings themselves. One young man found a $500 opalized chunk of black something or another sitting right on top of a tailing mound. A camper next to us the day previous found a black opal the size of a softball. He showed it to us. Pui told him in the five years he's worked there it's the largest opal he's seen pulled out. Conservative estimate of the value was $25K. There are opals there. It's not mined out. It takes effort however. It was hot digging the bank. I strongly recommend bringing a sun cover of some kind. There are no trees. We got one opal after about six hours. We dug in the kaolinite (white) layer for a few hours before realizing opal occurs in bentonite. Oh well. Bring appropriate tools for digging the most the fastest. Prybar and other rockhounding things would not hurt. When they say 'pick axe'......it's one of the big ones. They have gear for you to use however, so don't fret if you don't have any. We did not have any need for a sieve. Bring a water squirt bottle and paintbrush so you can identify the opal in situ. Pui will show you how to use it. The campground for tent campers has no sun protection. Bring a tarp or leanto for sun protection while at camp. There is no mobile phone service. Julie and Pui are very nice and accomodating. Even if you don't get an opal the Virgin Valley is gorgeous and worth the trip. It's an oasis in the middle of nowhere. It has a LOT of birds. Saw two species that we still have not identified. If you have small pets, keep them near because there are raptors and owls there. Ask Julie where to go hiking. There are two places...we went to one by her old homestead and there's another that reportedly is as amazing as Hell's Canyon. read more

My six-year-old granddaughter has been excited about this trip to go "Opal Hunting" for over a month since I first mentioned it, counting down the days and doing her research on YouTube. THE OPAL MINE I decided to do our opal hunting at the Royal Peacock Opal Mine since we stayed at their nearby RV Park. Craig, the mine foreman, was great with my granddaughter. Showing her the correct way to go through the tailings and giving her a few pieces he found as she was learning. We did not find huge pieces in the tailings, but we did find enough opals, including black, fire, and common white, to make our search worthwhile. While finding opals is not guaranteed, Craig spends enough time with every "miner" to ensure them with the best chance of bringing something home. This was a great first-time mining experience that will ensure we make the ten-hour trip from Las Vegas again real soon. THE RV PARK The Royal Peacock RV Park was an oasis in the high desert of Northern Nevada. It is 30 miles from the nearest town and 10 miles from the last paved road but is far superior to the federal campground eight miles away. The pricing is reasonable, and Julie at the front office (for both the mine and the RV) was friendly and efficient. The grounds and facilities were kept spotlessly clean. It is a full-service RV park with pull-through 30 and 50 amp RV sites, some with tree cover, and tent sites with water and cooking/fire pits. My granddaughter, ever the rock hound, found some great specimens around the park. Though I had trouble with my RV and had to arrive a day late, there was no problem (and no charge) switching the dates. Many people at the RV Park were not there to mine opals, just using it for an enjoyable stay in the best RV Park for those passing through the Virgin Valley. Edited to add RV Park since there is not a separate listing. I will add pictures soon. read more

Hey, Recently took a trip to the Royal Peacock mine and paid the $190. daily fee for mining opals. There were 9 people out there mining for opals either on the bank, ground or from tailings. The result next to nothing--dug for the whole day and found nothing. Only 1 tiny piece of common opal that was solid caramel colored, provided to me by the employee out there. What a sham. The Royal Peacock Mine had no opals to be had. How can they charge people knowing this? The main idea is the profit they are getting from the people digging. The videos are good, but in actuality you will be as disappointed as we all were if you waste your money and go there. There are other opal mines nearby that charge less for tailing digging, and I saw for myself lots of opals were found. My bucket was empty--no opals. The person who dug from the other mine had plenty of beautiful opals. The owner of Royal Peacock needs to stop fooling people about being the best opal mine in Denio, NV because clearly it's a pipe dream place much like the illusive butterfly . read more

Took the family here for our very first ever opal hunt. I'm giving it 4 stars, but since this is the first opal mine I've ever been to, I'm not sure what I should have expected. The drive in is on unpaved, rocky road with amazing scenery. The mine is only about 14 miles from the nearest paved road, but please be aware that because the road in is unpaved you will be traveling at 30 mph or under, so that 14 miles takes a while! There is a shop, a house, a restroom, and a campground with what appeared to be RV parking separate from the mine area. This is where you go to pay the fee for digging ($45 per person over 12 for digging in tailings). You can also rent equipment here or just buy some already mined and polished stones. If you rent equipment here, you will have to drive back here to return it when you are through. They do take your name and address when you pay the fee. The lady who helped us was very sweet and was willing to explain what it was we would be digging for. Her son and their cat were also quite helpful! The mine is maybe a mile from the shop area on more rocky road. The supervisor there greeted us when we parked and also showed us some specimens of what we would be looking for (he had some in his pocket). We were there on a Saturday in late August and it was not crowded at all. The people that were there were quite friendly. If you go, you will want a hat, sunscreen, lots of water, lunch, and a light long sleeved shirt and pants. There is NO SHADE over the tailings piles or the dig sites. When the wind started whipping up it sandblasted us something fierce! Ouch! Oh, and for heaven's sake - wear closed toe shoes!! Bringing a bucket, gloves, and a squirt bottle with water (to squirt off possible opals or dissolve false ones when there is doubt) helped us immensely. read more

Mineralization is very weak in the area they had us digging. We moved about three yards of material and got almost nothing. Most people only moved about 1/4 -1/2 yard of material per person. At the end of the day our bucket was empty. After making the rounds i found out that no one had taken anything good. This was disappointing. I had prepared for getting skunked but i figured that we would at least get a few little pieces to take home, and i would have felt better if a few people went home with some nice pieces. Don't bother with the bank digging, just do the tailings, especially if you have kids. Most kids were unhappy because there was nothing to be had. Rainbow ridge across the valley produced infinitely better pieces. The tailings piles produced nearly a half bucket of good opalized wood. Tons of good pieces with fire. Everyone who purchased a loader's bucket worth of material were extremely happy with the results. Lots of huge pieces of firery opal and hundred of saleable specimens. Staff was very nice and the kid who was helping everyone dig was really helpful. If he wasn't there i think i would have been more pissed off. After talking to some old-timers in the blm campground they said that everything from there is really weak and that they were just cashing in on the rockhounding fad. I think it's just completely overpriced. I'm going to file the royal peacock under the title "tourist trap". Also I would definitely camp at the blm campground about halfway down the road instead of bothering with their campground. Most sites didn't appear to have fire rings and they were very close together. The BLM camp is free and has many nice pit toilets. There is a nice hot spring that is maintained by locals in the center of the campground which has a very nice hot shower room. read more

My brother, a few friends and I were here on Monday and let me just tell you it was fantstic! You have a couple of options, work the tailings or dig in the mountain. Because of shoulder and back injuries, my brother and I decided to work the tailings. I found a beautiful little chip full of fire that I'll post pictures as soon as I'm able as well as a bunch of pieces of petrified wood---some even are opalized! Though nothing too big for us, a person the day before found a black opal worth $5,000-$7,000!!! It takes a lot of work and a ton of patience, but in the end totally worth the money. Before i finish, I just have to take a little space to thank the guide who was working the banks on Monday morning. I can't remember your name but you were so helpful and kind and busted your butt helping people dig the mountain and tailings. You definitely kicked this review from 4 to 5 stars. Your advice "look for the flat bird poop" definitely helped! Thank you read more

Me and my boyfriend visited for our anniversary and we had a great time. We found quite a few pieces that we were really excited about and most the people there seemed to have found at least a little something . The staff was awesome, Julie in the office was really sweet and Craig was so helpful and knowledgeable about where to dig and what to look for and seemed genuinely excited when someone found a piece. The only drawbacks are that it's a little pricey and it's out in the middle of nowhere ( which didn't bother us, we liked it because it was peaceful, but it could bother some people). They have showers which is nice after a long day of digging. If you re there late in the season it's pretty cold, we rented a cabin, they pretty basic but we were happy to have it since it was so cold. read more

Let's see-- What I liked about this place... - the woman at check-in was very pleasant and helpful What I didn't like: - it took forever to get there from Winnemucca, NV. Probably about 3 hours. - The dirt road portion wasn't bad, but thank god we didn't bring our rv out there. Our new class A would've had dust throughout and rattled to death. - The "mine" was poorly marked so it was difficult to know where the tailings piles were for digging through. - The mine host was almost fully absent for my visit. He showed up and helped about 1.5 hours into my dig, said about 4 words, shoveled the tailings out of my way, and then actually did dig with me for a few minutes. But no instructions or guidance. (Remember, only about 4 words) - The bank mining was obvious where to go, but nearly impossible to know what to look for or how to mine the wall, especially without the host's help. - The cost was EXORBITANT!!!! Teeny tiny little pieces were all that were found in either the tailings or the bank/wall. And none had any fire or sparkle. Just common opal. For the cost, there should be more assistance and maybe a little basket of "consolation pieces" for those of us not finding a stinking thing. - I will never go back. Too, TOO expensive for the outcome and distance. (I could've bought a nice piece of opal jewelry for the $200 we dropped here today. ) - Very disappointing. read more

I made my first trip out to the Virgin Valley last year. I also spoke with some "old-timers" in the prospecting trade and heard a completely different story then "Cal A V". I was told the further down into the valley you went, the better quality and more stable the opals were. In fact, I believe the largest opal ever found to date was un-earthed at the Royal Peacock Mine. So with that in mind my husband and I decided to hit up the last mine in the valley which ended up being the Royal Peacock. Being unfamiliar with what exactly to expect we opted to rent one of the little cabins that they offered instead of bringing our RV. The woman who booked our reservation was upfront in telling us that the accommodations were somewhat rustic, but to my surprise (being a slight clean freak) the cabin was very clean and cozy. Once up on the mine we were given a formal talk about rules and what to look for and were left to "choose" where we wanted to dig on the bank. Digging the bank is not for the weak or lazy. It is some of the hardest/best work I have ever done. To give you some perspective, I am a farmer/prospector/silversmith/mother by trade. At the end of the day we were exhausted, dusty, and hooked. Our first day rewarded us with a few beautiful opal specimens. It seemed that everyone that day had found at least a little something to bring home. We decided it was so amazing that we would extend our trip one more day to see what else we could un-earth. Knowing a little better about what we were in for I opted to try the tailings and my husband went back the the bank. I had a blast in the tailings and found many smaller pieces that were dried, without cracks, and ready to be worked and put in jewelry. My husband once again found many pieces of larger opals as well. Since our first visit to the Royal Peacock we have been back a handful of times. Staying up to 2 weeks during a visit. We now take our RV with us and stay in the full service RV park they have at the bottom of the mine. The road to the mine is 10 miles of gravel but it is a large and well maintained. We have had no problems making it in. In those trips we have never been disappointed with our findings and are more than willing to pay the digging fees required. Some trips have been better than others as far as what we have found, but I have ultimately come out with far more opal than ever imagined and for way cheaper than I would find even in the wholesale market. It's understandable how some people who come to the mine and dig only "1" day may leave empty handed. It can be a bit like a game of cards. You may not win right away, but the more you play the better your skills become and the better your odds become. So with that in mind, my advice is to go for more than just one day. It allows you to get familiar with what you are looking for (they don't come out of the ground polished) as well as gives you time to process through more material, increasing your odds. I could go on and on about how wonderful the Royal Peacock mine is but before I lose your attention I would lastly like to mention how great the family is that runs the mine. They are some of the most straight forward, honest, kind, and hard working folks I have been blessed to cross paths with. They are the true gems! read more

We camped here last night and it was awesome! Great campsites, fire pits, amazing star gazing, free firewood, a clean shower... The people there are incredibly nice and opened the opal shop for us this morning so we could look around since we didn't have time to mine. Would highly recommend! Very inexpensive for a tent site too! read more

Absolutely fantastic. We enjoy rockhounding (which is excellent here), but we enjoy quality people even more. We've rarely, if ever, met nicer and more caring hosts. As full-time RV'ers, we rarely like a place enough to stay more than 2 days. In contrast, we enjoy the Royal Peacock campground so much that we have spent a total of 4 weeks here in the last 13 months. Never have we encountered such gracious hosts, who care so much as the people here. Whether you're seeking excellent rockhounding, a base camp for hunting, or just amazing sunsets and fresh, clean well water, you'll find exactly what you need here. Plus- there's always ample ice available (100+ miles from any store or cell signal), Wi-Fi is slightly slow, but all things considered, it's phenomenal considering the alternative. We will be back again and again, just can't say enough nice things about the Royal Peacock! read more

It is off the beaten path, but the experience was fun. We found some small opal. The mine is family owned. Super nice people. We had a outdoor power presentation about opal after dusk and cake was offered afterward. You meet some rockhound at the mine. We did the tailing instead of working at the bank. Just be prepared when you come to dig. We also visited the rock garden made by a local miner and had a chance to talk to him. read more

My wife and I visited the Royal Peacock in early August and mined for two days in hot weather. We stayed in the trailer we had reserved three weeks earlier in order to avoid towing our own trailer from Utah. The trailer was neat and clean and it was nice after a long, hot day of mining and the shower was much appreciated. If you visit in hot weather I advise you to bring a small, inexpensive box fan to place in a window to help replace the hot air in the trailer with cool air in the evening. This applies equally to those who bring their own trailers or those who rent the trailer at the mine. We opted to mine the tailings and I soon learned that moving lots of dirt does not necessarily equate to finding opals. In spite of lots of serious digging we found our best pieces right on top in plain view where people had been walking over them for days or weeks. I found a stunning solid black opal about the size of a walnut, a petrified pine cone and a few other nice pieces. My wife had good luck also. We were thankful we had the foresight to bring a shade pop up to set up on the tailing pile. This enabled us to search for opals the entire day instead of only about 4 hours like most of our fellow miners. The sun and heat drove them back to shelter prematurely and they did not get the full benefit of a long day of hunting. Our hosts, Julie, Jake, and Piu were gracious wonderful people and did whatever they could to ensure our success. We feel we made new friends and will always cherish our visit at the mine. We also made many friends with the abundant wildlife in the area. We saw countless chukars, jack rabbits and hawks. Coyotes serenaded us every night along with the bull frogs in the pond nearby. Piu said he might even name their next rooster after me! Randy, Lorri A read more