Hike-in Required
No
Open Year-round
Yes
ADA accessible
No
Guided tours
No
Please respect the outdoors by practicing Leave No Trace. Learn more about how to apply the principles of Leave No Trace on your next outdoor adventure here.

The red banded onyx mine site is a historical site located in the vicinity of the town of Crystal, Nevada off of Highway 95.

Set on BLM land, the site is fine for collecting. Reaching the site requires driving several miles down a gravel road that has both large rocks as well as areas of soft sand, so 4WD High Clearance is recommended.

Upon driving up the hill, the mine site immediately becomes visible, as it is a quarry of deep red in the otherwise brown landscape. There are signs of previous mining here, such as bore holes. It is possible to walk to the base of the hill and find the banded onyx lying on the ground. Those willing to climb the slippery and rocky hill will find large chunks of color on the boulders.

There are no amenities of any kind here, and no shade.

It is best to approach the site from the east, pulling off of Highway 95 on White Blvd. There was limited cell signal to the mine, however it may help to map out navigation prior to pulling off of the highway.

Logistics + Planning

Preferable season(s)

Spring
Winter
Fall

Congestion

Low

Parking Pass

None

Pros

Interesting rock collecting.

Cons

Rough landscape. No amenities.

Pets allowed

Allowed

Features

Geologically significant
Mine

Location

Nearby Adventures

Las Vegas + Southern Nevada, Nevada
  •  

Comments

Have updates, photos, alerts, or just want to leave a comment?
Sign In and share them.