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- Two More Places To Strike Gold In The Golden State
Summary
- Coloma in California is a remote and less crowded location for gold panning, perfect for those who want to bring home more gold.
- Jamestown offers gold panning tours and has a rich gold rush history, making it a great vacation destination for treasure seekers.
- Placerita Canyon State Park provides an educational and memorable experience for gold panning enthusiasts, allowing them to connect with California's rich mining history.
California is one of the best places in the US to find gold. After all, it's the original site of the gold rush, and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada are widely known as Gold Country to locals. Visitors can also tour the only vertical gold shaft mine in Colorado. Alternatively, visitors can also see real gold mining operations in action in parts of the country.
Despite the number of miners that poured into those hills in the 1800s, there are still flecks of valuable stuff to be found in various waterways across the state. There are regulations governing gold panning on public property. Essentially, visitors can only gather gold flowing through the water or lying on the ground. And they are generally barred from selling or using the gold commercially.
However, there are plenty of places tourists can visit to try their hand at striking it rich, and there are places all over the United States where one can still prospect for gold. Here are some of them in California.
UPDATE: 2023/11/09 17:07 EST BY NOAH STAATS
Two More Places To Strike Gold In The Golden State
This article has been refreshed with two new spots to pan for gold in California. Although some towns may share gold panning locations, each one offers something different to travelers. Remember to follow local and state guidelines, respect the nature around you, and have plenty of fun. It's a Gold Rush, baby!
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One place to find gold in California is Coloma. Here, people can pan for gold across town at places like the gold discovery site in the still visible tailrace of Sutter's sawmill in present-day Coloma, California. This area is more remote, with fewer people in and around each gold panning site. Therefore, it might be perfect for those who do not want to be with crowds and perhaps those who want to bring more gold home with them. The California Gold Rush of 1849 brought people to Coloma, which has remained a place to find treasure.
Even to this day, the town's tourism depends on gold panning and education, so feel free to stop and talk with a local historian to get all the scoop!
- Location: Nestled along the south fork of the American River.
17 Jamestown
One spot to still pan for gold in California is Jamestown. Here lies the quaint gold rush town, boasting historical buildings, green city spaces, and plenty of culture for the whole group. Moreover, Jamestown offers various gold panning tours and opportunities to visitors. The town has seen not one but TWO gold rushes, making it one of the cooler places to visit if that's interesting to you. Known as an OG Gold Rush territory, Jamestown has stood the test of time and continues to be a great vacation destination for those seeking a fortune.
One company we recommend going through when gold panning in the area is California Gold Panning, a locally-operated team of gold experts running tours and panning in and around the Jamestown, CA, area.
- Location: 17712 Harvard Mine Road, Jamestown, CA 95327
16 Placerita Canyon State Park
Placerita Canyon State Park was the first place where gold was found in California. Visitors can immerse themselves in the gold rush era as they pan for gold in the park's streams. With the proper equipment and techniques, hopeful prospectors can uncover small traces of gold flakes and experience the excitement of finding their own treasure. Placerita Canyon State Park provides a memorable and educational experience, allowing visitors to connect with California's rich gold mining history while enjoying the park's natural beauty.
- Location: 19152 Placerita Canyon Rd, Newhall, CA 91321, United States
15 Auburn State Recreation Area
Auburn State Recreation Area, located in Auburn, California, offers a remarkable opportunity for modern-day gold prospecting. With its rich gold mining history, this picturesque park allows visitors to try their hand at panning for gold in the American River. Armed with a gold pan and determination, enthusiasts can experience the thrill of uncovering small traces of gold flakes while surrounded by scenic landscapes and tranquil river views. The activity is only permitted within permanent, running streambeds, and using metal detectors isn’t allowed.
- Location: Auburn State Recreation Area Old Auburn - Foresthill Road, Auburn, CA 95603
14 South Yuba River State Park
While many locations in California are ripe for gold panning, rules do apply. Per the California Department of Parks and Recreation, for example, gold panning is permitted in South Yuba River State Park. However, only the "hands and pans" method is permissible; visitors may not use sluices or other mechanical means of removing gold from the water (or dirt). Further, panning for gold constitutes "rockhounding," which means gathering stones and minerals that are "on the undisturbed surface of the land."
- Location: 17660 Pleasant Valley Rd, Penn Valley, CA 95946
- River: South Yuba River
13 Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park
For newbie miners, Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park actually offers gold panning lessons, as well as tours of the park and a visitor center and museum. Panning lessons take place in on-site troughs, which contain various gems, fools gold, and real gold flakes. But DIYers can head to the South Fork American River (across the Mount Murphy Bridge) to try their hand at panning in the wild; BYO pan or purchase one at Marshall Gold Mercantile (in the museum).
- Location: 310 Back St, Coloma, CA 95613
- River: South Fork American River
12 Butte Creek Forks Recreation Area
Butte Creek Forks is known locally as a swimming hole, but it's also a promising gold prospecting spot. Depending on the type of "mining" (whether panning or actual digging), a permit may be required. Visitors can also stake a claim and begin a formal mining operation in various places in California, including the Butte area. Fees do apply, but anyone serious about finding gold might consider this option.
- Location: Butte Creek, Magalia, CA 95954
- River: Butte Creek/Swimming basin
11 Keyesville Special Recreation Management Area
Keyesville was once a live mining operation, but now, visitors can check out the historic buildings as well as a pan for gold or even go camping. Other recreation opportunities abound, too; mountain biking, ATVing, and horseback riding are all options.
- Location: Lake Isabella, CA
- River: Kern River (and Isabella Lake)
10 Downieville
Downieville is a small town off of the Yuba River, and it's one of the first sites where gold miners arrived in the 1800s. Many gold-seekers visit Downieville and other locations in Sierra County for gold panning but also river sluicing, dry washing, and metal detecting.
- Location: Downieville CA 95936
- River: North Yuba River
9 Columbia - California Gold Panning
In Columbia, expert gold panners teach others to find their own golden nuggets. California Gold Panning offers guided tours where visitors can pan for gold and learn more about the practice.
Columbia is a great place to visit for those new to gold panning to get their feet (and everything else, probably!) wet.
- Location: 17712 Harvard Mine Road, Jamestown, CA 95327
- River: Woods Creek
8 Merced River - Yosemite Area
For travelers who are headed to or from Yosemite for other recreation opportunities, a stop-off for gold panning might be just the ticket to rounding out a trip. The Merced River is ripe for gold panning, and the Merced River Recreation Area is conveniently located between the city of Mariposa and Yosemite National Park.
- Location: Merced River Recreation Area, CA 140, Midpines, CA 95345
- River: Merced River
7 Trinity River
Federal (BLM) land around the Trinity River is ripe for gold panning, with mineral deposits stemming from the Klamath Mountains. Various creeks are tributaries into the Trinity River, and one remaining mine (La Grange) is in the area.
- Location: Various public access points and campgrounds along the Trinity River (largely along CA 299)
- River: Trinity River
6 Oroville - Feather River
Oroville was also an early gold mining site back in the 1800s, though things have definitely changed since then; the Oroville Dam has stopped much of the water flow. However, emergency use of a relief spillway — and subsequent damage to the spillway — in 2017 meant that overflow water wound up in other waterways. That diversion pushed gold remnants into the two rivers below the dam, giving gold panners even higher odds of finding flakes. Visitors can also check out Adventures in Prospecting in Oroville for lessons in gold panning.
- Location: Various recreational areas along the Feather River, Oroville, CA 95965
- River: Feather River and Yuba River
5 Angels Camp
Another noteworthy stop is Angels Camp, California, with smaller creeks that carry gold deposits from the Sierra Nevada. Gold Rush Originals offers panning opportunities, and plenty of their customers strike it big, but visitors can also choose a public recreational area to visit.
- Location: 1227 S. Main Street, Angels Camp, CA 95222
- River: Angels Creek
4 Randsburg
Randsburg is located 45 miles northeast of Mojave and has one of the largest gold mines in the county. For many years gold has been produced here (while silver has been a byproduct of the site). Gold was discovered at the Yellow Aster Mine in 1895, and the typical mining camp quickly sprang up. It was named after a gold mining region in South Africa.
- Location: 45 miles northeast of Mojave
3 Columbia State Historic Park
This state park has a number of activities for tourists related to the gold rush era - naturally, one of the activities includes gold panning opportunities. The boomtown of Columbia was known as the "Gem of the Southern Mines" and offered a number of tour companies for visitors. At one point, Columbia was even the second-largest city in California and today is preserved as a Gold Rush town (fortunately, it was never burned down). It is a great opportunity to experience California's 1850s and 60s Gold Rush.
- Location: 11259 Jackson St, Columbia, CA 95310
2 Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park
The Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park is another place to go panning for gold. It is located on the Humbug Creek near Nevada City. It was once the site of one of California's largest hydraulic mining operations and today still preserves the largest hydraulic mining site in the state. Visitors can see the mine pit and several Gold Rush-era buildings (which are also listed on the National Register of Historic Places).
- Location: 23579 N Bloomfield Rd, Nevada City, CA 95959
1 Swasey Recreation Area
The Swasey Recreation Area is located near Redding and has historic gold-producing areas where one can still pan and find gold. The recreation area also has some 30 miles of dirt single-tracks that wind through the hills between Swasey Drive and Muletown Road. Visitors can also explore a number of trails of varying difficulty for cyclists and hikers. Some of the trails follow the historic mining ditches of the area.
- Location: Redding, CA 96001