Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Research areas where gold has been found in the past. Libraries, historical societies, state and federal land records, and the Bureau of Land Management can provide a wealth of data on areas of successful gold exploration. More than 500,000 people rushed to prospect the sand and gravel bars of the American River. More than 125 million ounces of gold was found during this incredible rush, but the gold prospectors of that glorious era didn't get it all. More than 80 percent of the gold in California is still where nature deposited it, awaiting discovery, according to www.historichwy49.com.
Contact the district office of the U.S. Forest Service to purchase a land ownership plat map of the area you wish to prospect. (This map clearly shows private lands, patented mining claims, state and public lands. the map also shows rivers, streams, lakes and back-road closures.) Gold panning and metal detecting are permissible on most creeks, streams and rivers on public lands. Do not prospect on private land without permission; it is considered to be "claim jumping" and is punishable by fines or imprisonment.
Join a local prospecting club. Learn from the experience of others. Many clubs have their own mining claims or access to abandoned mining sites where gold nuggets can still be found.
Go metal detecting after a windstorm in the California deserts. High winds move a huge volume of sand and often uncover nuggets previous buried too deep for casual discovery.