Tripp Mine Gemstones & Camping
104 acres hosted by Joseph C.
6 tent sites
Family-friendly
Recent Hipcampers say this Hipcamp is great for families and kids.
Joseph is a Star Host
Star Hosts are highly rated, responsive, and committed to providing incredible experiences.
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Reviews
99% Recommend43 ratings · 37 reviews
Recommends
· July 2025
We had the ceremony campsite! It was beautiful with lots of chances to see wild life. The mine was great and we were both able to find lots of different gems. The owners were also super helpful and extremely friendly! We will definitely be going back! All together is was a great experience, 10/10 we do recommend
J
Jasmine W.
3 months on Hipcamp
Recommends
· July 2025
Tent · With kids ·
Ceremony Site - Island Mine Lake
Joe's land was the first time our family had used Hipcamp so we were a little unsure of what to expect. The property is a mix of woods and of course the mine. It was so peaceful and undisturbed that we weren't sure we were in the right place! We originally planned on staying at the Ceremony Site, but we moved to the Primary site due to our heavy load (this was one stop during a long vacation) and recent rains made us not want to go down the rough and muddy road. Once we were setup we were able to take in the beauty of the space. We ran into Joe a few times, but wish we could have spent more time with him learning about the land and history of the mine. All in all we had a great time and if we are ever in the area again, we'll definitely return!
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Michael B.
4 months on Hipcamp
We got to camp at the primary site right over the mine. Excellent specimens on display. We had a really nice time and found lots of cool rocks! Bring bugspray and sunscreen.
Christine B.
2 years on Hipcamp
Recommends
· June 2025
Tent · With kids ·
Ceremony Site - Island Mine Lake
Enjoyed our overnight stay. We booked the ceremony site but ended up staying at the primary site because the recent rain made the road a bit challenging. The host was very welcoming. The kiddos enjoyed mining for beryl, black tourmaline and aquamarine. We did not see garnet though but that is OK. Bring headnet.
J
Janet H.
4 reviews
Recommends
· June 2025
Tent · Group trip ·
Tripp Mine Primary Site
It was very rainy day for us but we enjoyed exploring. There were so many different kinds of rocks just everywhere. I loved them all! We didn’t find any easter eggs but it didn’t matter we were surrounded by tourmaline and quartz and mica. Everything we touched was a gem to me! Very pretty views and clean open campsite. Tom was very informative and showed us where the good stuff was and told the history of the mine and the area. Joseph was very responsive and helpful.
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Kerri A.
2 months on Hipcamp
Recommends
· June 2025
Tent · With kids ·
Garnet Camps - Communal #2
We all had a great time - My family spent time actually looking for rocks and I spent time finding big rocks with seams so I could break them with a hammer. Joseph showed us around the mine and campsites, giving us a history of the land as he showed us around. The whole experience was enjoyable and we're looking forward to visiting again.
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Max M.
2 months on Hipcamp
Decent spot for rock collecting, we did not camp. Had the place to ourselves. Ample shorl, microcline, albite, biotite, milky quartz. Some garnet. Found some small chunks of beryl and some gemmy aquamarine but nothing very impressive. Most interesting finds were montmorillonite as a yellow secondary mineral and some Amazonite. Looks like there was some green apatite too. The site address is correct, you just have to go past several no trespassing signs and stay to the right. Didn't see Joe all day but that was fine, I was with a crew of 3 and things were fine. Price is a little steep but we wanted to give it a try. If you're collecting and camping its a decent price. We were just daytrippers though. Would be cool if there was a day pass option for rock collecting that wasnt as expensive, but all things considered a decent stop. Worth it if you haven't tried it and are looking for pegmatitic minerals. There are several tailing piles and some rock ledge to collect from. We mostly just looked at tailing piles and turning stuff over.
A
Alexander K.
2 months on Hipcamp
What a great place for families to go and just enjoy the outdoors. Joe was very knowledgeable and helpful. We had a great time and found some great pieces to take home. We felt very safe with the kids there the owner always seemed to be checking in and making sure everybody was doing okay. Just an awesome place to go and spend some quality time with family and get some quality gems as well. We found several types of quartz tourmaline aquamarine barrel and of course the kids love all the mica. Can't wait to go back.
J
Jayme L.
4 reviews
Despite the stormy and rainy weather we enjoyed our stay at the Tripp mine it was absolutely peaceful and beautiful and we found some nice stones during our trip! Look forward to coming again
Tracie T.
2 years on Hipcamp
Recommends
· May 2025
Tent ·
Garnet Camps - Communal #2
Awesome mines to explore with great finds everywhere! Was our first time there and will not be the last cant wait to bring the kids for an overnight camping trip!
J
Jayme L.
4 reviews
Recommends
· May 2025
Tent · With kids ·
Ceremony Site - Island Mine Lake
This place was absolutely lovely. We tent camped at the ceremony site and had a blast fishing, mining, and relaxing. The waterfall is absolutely beautiful and listening to it at night was so peaceful. Joseph was super helpful and welcomed us when we got there and showed us all over the different mines and to our campsite. We were able to surface hunt lots of rose quartz, and black tourmaline, and came home with pieces of beryl, aquamarine, and some really awesome mini garnets. Everything was perfect! We will def be back. And yes, the road to the ceremony site is rough, but its all part of the fun!
A
Amanda C.
7 months on Hipcamp
Joe and tom have provided an awesome space to camp out in the great New Hampshire wilderness. On top of it all, an excellent place to hunt for rocks and minerals. If you are a rock and mineral collector I highly recommend this location to camp and collect. If not, I still recommend this location to camp out. Who knows it may get you interested in becoming a hobby collector. All and all a great place to spend the weekend.
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Nicholas H.
2 months on Hipcamp
Recommends
· May 2025
Tent · With pets ·
Garnet Camps - Communal #1
Awesome camping experience! For the garnet site you stay right next to the gravel pits! The kids and us mined till dark and then first thing in the morning! Bring safety glasses and extra hammers!
W
William N.
2 reviews
Recommends
· May 2025
Tent · With pets ·
Ceremony Site - Island Mine Lake
Super fun trip with my partner and kids! Joe, the host was great! He gave us a tour of the mine to kick things off. We found little piece did Aqua, and lots of super nice quality quartz!!
Definitely, camping on the gravel pits so wear good shoes and bring bug spray.
100% recommend!
W
William N.
2 reviews
Recommends
· May 2025
Tent · With kids ·
Garnet Camps - Communal #1
I can’t wait to return to Tripp mine! Great place! The hosts are very kind and informative.
R
Raiden B.
2 months on Hipcamp
Recommends
· May 2025
Tent ·
Tripp Mine Primary Site
I had a great time rock hounding - found quite a few beryl crystals!
J
Jill G.
2 reviews
If getting to collect minerals all day is your idea of a good time (like it is to me), this is the place for you! This mine has such great variety that you certainly won’t get bored. It was a treat to have the whole place to myself (most of the time). The ceremony site is beautiful. Very quiet and private and a great place to relax after a day of collecting. I will certainly be returning!
A
Amy R.
3 months on Hipcamp
Myself and 4 friends spent the weekend at Trip Mine. Joseph was very informative in showing us what and where to look for certain minerals. The property was beautiful and we look forward to seeing it again.
J
Joseph K.
3 reviews
Recommends
· April 2025
Amazing staff and a beautiful property. Road was a little muddy but they’re actively working on improving. Joseph and his brother both came and gave us a tour of the property and explained the history of the mines.
G
Grant D.
2 reviews
We loved our first stay so much that we booked the same site exactly one week later since we are only about 3 hours away.
It was drizzly and rainy during our stay - which was great because it makes the colors so much brighter and more visible in the crystals. Joseph messaged to make sure we had no trouble starting a fire in the afternoon - we didn't- but it was nice to know he would have made himself available if we needed.
We loved watching the rain on the pond and seeing the mine after a fresh rinse. Found a lot of nice pieces and we will definitely be making this a regular visit when we have an available weekend!
Heather G.
4 reviews
Recommends
· October 2024
Great spot! Host was very helpful. We had a blast!
Ty M.
4 years on Hipcamp
Had a great time making big rocks into smaller rocks, and finding gemstones like aqua marine and green beryl crystals! Joe was very friendly, and helped explain what we were looking at, and how to go about the site. Will definitely be making this an annual trip!
J
James L.
9 months on Hipcamp
Everything at the site was awesome! Tons of space to camp and lots of little extras we didn't expect but highly appreciated during our stay.
Joseph went above and beyond with the tour showing us all of the dig locations. He was very knowledgeable about the minerals and had many of them on-hand to show us what can be found.
I have visited over 50 mining locales on the East Coast and this site is absolutely one of the best. We showed up expecting the usual highly picked tailings site and ended up finding it was just the opposite. Tons of great material here still for the finding! We concluded our rainy last day with a few awesome finds including my largest Beryl find thus far.
Heather G.
4 reviews
I really enjoyed my visit - I found a bunch of nice beryl crystals and the host stirs up the tailings to help increase the odds of finding them. Definitely recommend!
J
Jill G.
2 reviews
I absolutely loved the Ceremony camp site. It was a little slice of peace and heaven on some very magical land with a beautiful pond view, and even a canoe. I would strongly suggest a 4 wheel drive vehicle with decent ground clearance to get there. The site is a short drive from the main entrance and you drive by a few of the main mining areas. We arrived at night and our breath was taken away by the reflection of the car lights on the bits of mica that are everywhere. If you are the type of camper that is okay without showers/bathrooms and willing to trade privacy and serenity for an incredible camping/mineral collecting experience, I'd highly recommend both the collecting experience and the Ceremony campsite. Collected mostly Mica, Smoky/clear/rose quartz, tourmaline and a tiny beryl. Will not forget this wonderful experience anytime soon. Thank you to the owners for sharing this beautiful land with those who are drawn to experience its magic.
B
Brian C.
10 months on Hipcamp
My family had an amazing time at this camp site. We arrived at noon and Tom showed up at the same time, oriented us, explained a ton about the mines and minerals. You could tell the passion he has for the site and giving campers a great experience.
We stayed at the ceremony site which has a ton of privacy and is a short drive back to the main mine sites. You could walk it too, but had a bunch of tools so we just hopped in the car and rode over. We have a Honda CRV which handled the path fine. The last drop down to the camp site is pretty steep, if there is any chance of rain I would park at the top of the last drop down to the camp or you probably aren't getting out of there.
The camp site was great. Kids fished until it was pitch black and kept on fishing. They brought back some stones from the mine and continued to hammer away at them until they were out of gas.
The mine pits were a ton of fun. We had sledge hammers, shovels, pick axes, buckets for our loot, and I had a wagon to cart it all back in. Tom even leant us an extra mason hammer.
Totally worth it! Would definitely camp here again.
Matthew S.
3 reviews
I absolutely loved my stay here and had such amazing time mining the trip mine!! I will say you need four wheel or all wheel drive to get to parking and especially to the site but I love off-roading so that part was great too just commenting so people could be prepared . Joe was such a great host and made us feel welcomed and helped pointed me to where I found some gorgeous rose quartz, aqua marine beryl and lots of mica .. can’t wait to go back and find some garnets ! I highly recommend checking out this spot if you enjoy treasure hunting and relaxing by the fire with view of water at night this the spot for sure !
M
Meghan G.
11 months on Hipcamp
Great Spot to camp and collect minerals. The owners are very pleasant.
E
Erik H.
1 year on Hipcamp
A great night under the stars. Tom and Joseph are good people and the mine has plenty of good specimens for all.
The bullfrogs kept cadence all night, but no encounters with any other animals.
Primitive sites that I would visit again and recommend to anyone interested in camping and rockhounding.
M
Mike A.
1 year on Hipcamp
Recommends
· June 2024
Tent · With pets ·
Ceremony Site - Island Mine Lake
So secluded and peaceful! The fireflies over the lake at night made the nights magical. Thank you, Joseph!
B
Breida M.
1 year on Hipcamp
Location
Alstead, Cheshire, New Hampshire, United StatesTo respect the Host's privacy, the precise address of this land will be provided after booking
Hosted by Joseph C.
Joined in January 2024Things to do nearby
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