Fee mining sites are places where you can pay a fee to dig, pan, or search for rocks, minerals or gemstones and keep whatever you find. There are many places in the United States where you can pan for gold, wash gravel for gemstones, or split rocks to find fossils and have a reasonable chance of being very successful. We have been to fee mining sites many times, had some fun, and found some nice materials. We did not make a great find every time, but it was a good experience overall. One of our favorites is looking for Herkimer "Diamonds" If you own a fee mining site not listed here, please let us know . To be listed, a site must have a website and pass our review. We do not include sites where collectors search through materials that have been "salted" with things to find or where materials from other mines or locations are hauled in. Not all of the sites listed below require a fee.