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DIG YOUR OWN OPALS!
What better way to spend a day than to try your luck at finding your own opals? The Klinker Opal Property is located in the mountains approximately 40 kilometres by road from Vernon, BC and is situated at an elevation of about 1500 metres above sea level.
Best
opal hunting results will be obtained on sunny days when the play of
color in the opal will be much more easily detected. Your trip guide
will provide an orientation which will assist in finding opal under
most weather conditions.
The property is readily accessible from June to October each year and can be reached by most two wheel drive vehicles provided they have sufficient ground clearance. There are some 20 kilometres of gravel / dirt logging road to travel and portions of this road are quite steep.
"Fee digging" trips will commence when weather and ground conditions permit in June and will run until late September or early October. The trips will run rain or shine and are normally restricted to Friday, Saturday and Sunday (also Monday on long weekends). Please phone for special arrangements for groups of 4 to 6.
A daily fee of $40 CDN. is charged. We will provide transport to the site for an additional fee. This will allow each individual paid guest to remove up to 2.5 kilograms. (~5 lbs.) of "material" (opal, agate, rock, etc.) from the property.
Safety
equipment is required to be worn while actively digging, hammering and
chiseling rock - specifically safety glasses and good gloves and boots
are recommended. A list of equipment and supplies required or recommended
is given below but please assess your own needs. No mechanized equipment
will be allowed - hand tools only. Rental tools are available by the day.
Good rain gear, warm clothing and good footwear is essential.
Required:
- personal food, water and clothing needs
- safety glasses or other face/eye protectiondevice
- good gloves (leather work gloves recommended)
- good foot wear (leather hiking boots recommended)
- pick and shovel
- various shovels, bars and hammers as desired
- sample bags and/or buckets
- water spray bottle (please bring it full of water)
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Recommended:
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A good selection of motels and hotels are available in the Vernon area and a variety of camping sites are also available. Visit our Links page for accommodation & information about Vernon and the North Okanagan. Some light tent camping sites are available near the site (use at your own risk). The nearest emergency facilities are in Vernon, BC; about a 1.5hr drive. Don't have time for a trip to the mine? Arrange to pick up specimens at our shop location! |
Okanagan
Opal Inc.
7879 Hwy 97, 4 miles North of
Vernon
Use Pleasant Valley Road exit and watch for our signs
Shop open year round - please phone for winter hours.
Phone (250) 542-1103
days
Fax (250) 542-7115
Write Box 298, Vernon, B.C. V1T 6M2 CANADA
or contact us by e-mail for further information: okopal@junction.net