Our Crystal Dig Retreat will take place March 6-9, 2024 on the shores of beautiful Lake Ouachita in Mt. Ida, Arkansas. We will spend 2 days surface mining for Arkansas quartz, with add-on options for hard rock mining. Day three activities to be announced, with options for an additional day of mining, an excursion to one of the Lake Ouachita islands, or a day in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Lodging

Retreat accommodations are at the beautiful Mountain Harbor Lodge on Lake Ouachita. We can reserve up to five cottages.

Each cottage has one large master bedroom with a king size bed, and two smaller (but spacious!) rooms with 2 queen beds in each. All bedrooms have a private bathroom, with a private entrance onto a deck that overlooks Lake Ouachita. There is a hot tub on the deck of each cottage. The cottages have a large kitchen, bathroom, and laundry facilities. These cottages are tastefully decorated and fully equipped.

Deluxe King room – 1 king bed, deluxe room, private bathroom. 1 or two people.
$1650 (total for 4 nights)

2 Queen bedroom – 1 room, two queen beds, private bathroom. 2 people max.
$1500 (total for 4 nights)

Traveling with a group? Our registration form allows you to book multiple rooms or an entire cottage.

Retreat expense

The cost for mining and food is $450.

There are few options for meals in the Mt. Ida area. We will have healthy meals catered for the group. We will accommodate special dietary needs with advance notice.

Included meals:

• Light breakfast on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
• Bagged lunch to take to the mines and island Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
• Dinner at the cottages on Thursday and Friday
• Wednesday dinner is on your own at the restaurant the Mountain Harbor Resort restaurant
• Saturday late afternoon is an optional trip to Hot Springs, dinner on your own (or we can make a group reservation.)

Optional hard rock mining – Hard rock mining is a process of mining that takes place above ground. Picks, hammers, and pry bars are used to remove crystals from the ground. The mine will accommodate up to three people at a time at their commercial dig site. A miner will guide you through the process and help you extract material from a specific area with high quality crystals. These special 6-hour “pocket digs” start at $1000. The price is divided equally by up to three people ($333 per person). You are guaranteed by the mine to take home quartz equivalent to the amount you paid for the dig at wholesale prices. For example, if you pay $350, you will take home crystals worth $500+ retail value. You are able to pay additional and take home as much as you care to pay for beyond the minimum amount.

Other Expenses

• You will be responsible for the cost of transportation from Little Rock to Mount Ida. We will provide a list of transportation options.
• Please tip your miners and housekeepers. We will have different miners on different days, so please plan accordingly.

Schedule

• Arrive Wednesday, March 6
• Mining and activities March 7, 8, 9
• Depart Sunday, March 10
• Additional days may be available. Please contact us to request in advance.

Transportation from the airport in Little Rock will be available. Please let us know in advance if you need transportation.

Room availability

We have a total of 8 queen rooms and 4 king rooms, with the possibility of two more queen size rooms in smaller cottage.

RESERVE YOUR SPACE NOW

Space is available on a first come, first served basis.  Registration is open to members of The Alchemist and the Magpie facebook group and email list first. Registration and deposit must be received by August 5, 2023 to guarantee your spot. On August 6, we will open registration to people outside our group.

Each cottage will accommodate up to 6 people. If you are part of a group that would like to occupy one cabin, please contact us so we may reserve the appropriate space for you.

To keep the costs down, we prefer a check, however, we can arrange for other payment methods with a fee to cover credit card company fees.

To reserve your room, please fill out the forms below. $500 deposit is due by August 5, 2023 for Early Bird prices. After August 5, prices will increase and we will open the event to people outside our Facebook group and mailing list.

Refund Policy

Deposit

• 100% deposit refund for cancellation 60+ days before retreat start date.
• 50% deposit refund for cancellation 30-59 days before retreat start date.
• 0% deposit refund for cancellation 0-29 days before retreat start date.

Remaining Balance

• Remaining balance is due 30 days before the retreat start date.
• If paid at the time of booking, a full refund of the remaining balance is available up to 30 days before your retreat start date.
• If you cancel 0-29 days before your retreat start date remaining balance is not refundable