How to Pan for Gold in Arizona

Choose an area in Arizona to pan for gold. Prime areas are those that are near mines. Areas known to yield gold include: the Tonto Basin in Gila County; the Lynx Creek; Eureka and Black Canyon City districts in Yavapai County; the Painted Desert; the upper part of Gold Gulch in Cochise County; the Dos Cabezas Mountains in Cochise County; the San Francisco River and Chase Creek near Clifton; the Alamo Crossing; the foothills of the Grand Wash Cliff near Hackberry; the Hoover Dam; and the Colorado River and the in Yavapai County. It is typically illegal to pan for gold in national and state parks, Indian reservations and military posts. Contact the USDA Forest Service if there is any question about an area.

Pan for gold in the fall. This is when waters have lowered and are not moving so fast. Hot Arizona temperatures also start to subside at this time.

Pick a spot in a creek, river or stream where the water is moving slow. Gold sinks so you will also want to find a spot where you can access the bedrock. Use a shovel to extract bedrock material.

Fill your pan halfway with bedrock material. Submerge the pan in the water and allow it to fill with water.

Shake the pan back and forth. Any gold will start to settle at the bottom. Start to let sand floating to the top escape from the pan. Eventually start to remove larger rocks and scoop away top layers of sand. Once the bottom of the pan is visible, inspect it for gold.

Remove the gold with tweezers and store it in a small, sealable glass container.