Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Obtain a gold panning pan. Sheet iron pans with low, sloping sides and a flat bottom constitute the best gold panning pans.
Identify the area where you will pan for gold. In Michigan, gold has been discovered in bedrock, in sediments and in gravel of streams. The area where you plan to pan for gold must have a nearby stream or shallow river which will allow you to do the panning. Gold tends to mass in crevices and cracks of streams as it settles where the stream's flow slows. It also works its way to the bottom of deposited sediments.
Access the Land and Mineral Ownership Map of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to ascertain land ownership rights in Michigan. Recreational gold prospectors have DNR permission to pan for gold on state land where the state owns both mineral and surface rights.
Contact the local Michigan Forest, Mineral and Fire Management supervisor where you want to pan for gold to receive more information about the area where you wish to prospect. Sometimes the Michigan DNR map indicates that an area belongs to the State of Michigan, but in fact, only part of that plot of land belongs to the state. The local Forest, Mineral and Fire Management supervisor will have additional information for each area.
Follow Michigan DNR regulations regarding gold panning. DNR regulations stipulate that panners may not dredge, excavate, dig or otherwise disturb the riverbank during recreational gold panning.