There are many places to go gold panning, from up in the mountain’s at a river or stream or small creek to the ocean. You can even find gold at the ocean and even in the desert. Find where and how to look for gold in the following areas:

• Prospecting Rivers, Creeks, & Streams

When prospecting in a river, you will want to look for both fast and slow-moving water. The bends in the river where the gold can get trapped. Gold is found where water flow is altered by obstacles such as boulders and logs or by watercourse contours, such as bends in river.

Gold can also be found where two rivers or streams come together. It is what’s called a "confluence zone." Gold will tend to build up as a pay streak in these areas. Water is slowed down by sand bars so gold tends to drop out and build up there. You want to look for signs of gold like black sands, pyrite and small quartz, as these are all usually good indicators of gold being in the area. Garnets may also be present, often appearing in many shades of colors including red, orange and pink!

Remember, don't forget to check public land records in the proper BLM State Office that will show you which locations you can prospect for gold.

Example of a "Confluence Zone," where two rivers meet at a center.

• Desert Prospecting

All areas that look as though a slowing down of water current occurred are worthy of closer examination for finding gold. Since gold is heavier than most other materials, it tends to settle and sink to bedrock. Depressions may hold rich pockets of gold, while bedrock that is fissured and shattered, acting as riffles, also holds potential for finding that shiny stuff. Be on the lookout for old stream beds or river beds, and look for areas where the water would have been altered in some way. Any gold that may exist there would have likely settled in desert washes and  alluvial areas.

Dried up riverbeds are potential locations for finding gold in the desert.

You may be asking how gold ended up all the way in a desert. Well, gold can very easily travel a long way from its water source, often transplanted there from decades of runoff, flash floods and even rare rain storms. Gold settles out and concentrates in what we call dry washes the same way as it does in and along creeks, streams and rivers! You can even use the Gold Rush Nugget Bucket to pan for gold in the desert as long as you use a source of running water! Just scoop in a lot of sand instead of dirt, but water is essential to clean the system. You can even reuse the water if you put a larger bowl underneath the bucket to collect any water that falls out.

• Beach Prospecting

I myself have never beach prospected before, but I heard it can be lots of fun! From what I have learned, most gold panning is done on the coastal beaches. In Washington, a popular place to go gold panning would be on the Olympic Peninsula. You want to look for where streams and rivers drain onto the beach and for the appearance of some black sand in the same area.

If you do gather some black sand and put in your Gold Rush Nugget Bucket, pour some dirt and water in there and see if you come up with anything. I have been told by many prospectors that work beaches that the gold on beaches is found about four feet down below the surface. If you're looking for surface gold, I’ve been told to look for a bluish-gray layer of sand, and that's where you can best find a potential paystreak of gold!

Also don't forget the best tool to take with you gold panning is the Gold Rush Nugget Bucket!

One of the major issues many prospectors run into while panning for gold is ensuring they are not needlessly dumping the contents of their classifiers while they may contain gold. Handheld metal detectors, also called pinpointers, are a commonly used tool by many prospectors to ensure that doesn't happen. However, it's very important to ensure the use of a quality poinpointing device to isolate the gold and to determine if, while panning, you are finding that shiny stuff!

With the Gold Rush Nugget Bucket, many users often dump the contents of the first and second classifiers when it appears there is no gold. Using a Nokta Pointer Metal Detector, for example, can help find that unidentified gold without the risk of dumping it out. Just scan the classifiers with the pointer and determine if there is anything worth keeping. The Nokta Pointer has some very cool features as well, including a waterproof design, sensitivity control, an LED light and interference blocking from other detectors. It's also incredibly lightweight and easy to use. 

The Nokta Pointer Metal Detector is both lightweight and easy to use.

Considering how wet the areas for prospecting usually are, the fact that this tool is waterproof can do a lot for preventing any kind of unnecessary losses. They're known to happen out there! Also, the pointer serves as a useful tool for the hobbyist or family member, where adults and kids can look for hidden treasure anywhere from the riverside to a backyard. The possibilities are endless...and you'd never guess what fits perfectly inside the Nugget Bucket's top classifier for storage and transportation. Some things you may find, in addition to gold, could be:

• Old Valuable Coins
• Meteorites
• Rings and Other Jewelry
• Historical Keepsakes (Civil war bullets, old equipment, etc.)
• Rare Metals

Nokta Pointer Accessories

No matter where your adventures may take you, consider pairing up a Gold Rush Nugget Bucket with a Nokta Pointer Metal Detector for your next prospecting trip. You never know what you may find out there, and you may just wind up having an enjoyable adventure! If you're curious about purchasing one, please follow a link to this page for check it out!

Kellyco Metal Detectors sells a range of handheld metal detectors as well.

For anyone that is interested in recreational gold prospecting and nugget hunting, let me suggest you head up to the Cariboo in British Columbia. For those who aren't familiar with this area of Canada, let me give you some background. The Cariboo is historically known for the 1862 Gold Rush that came up the Fraser River. The Cariboo Regional District spans the cities and districts of Quesnel, Williams Lake, 100-Mile House, and Wells in the central interior of British Columbia. There is a circle route from Likely, B.C. to Barkerville, B.C. that's about 160 km, with Barkerville as our target for this trip back into history.

Map of the "Back Road" in the Cariboo

You will drive past Ghost Lake coming from Likely. As you round a corner, there is a cafe in the middle of nowhere at Comet Creek. This is one of the most scenic routes in the province as you drive through the Cariboo Mountains. There is open ground everywhere for prospecting and gold panning, however, check that you are not claimed land. The best way to do this is to contact Energy Mines and Resources before your trip. There are large tracks of land set aside for public panning. When you dip your pan in the water at one of the many Public Panning Reserves and spot the tiny flecks of gold, you begin to understand why tens of thousands fought through all manner of pain and malady to get to it and why they still seek it today.

Gold fever gripped the world a century-and-a-half ago, and it never really left. In fact, nuggets are still being found near Wells, only 5 miles from Barkerville in central B.C. One prospector with in shows a $6,000 nugget he unearthed, which he refuses sell. 

The gold nugget a prospector unearthed near Barkerville, B.C.

Barkerville, now a national historic site, was named after Billy Barker: the man who kicked off the gold rush in 1862 when he and his pals hit the mother lode in Williams Creek. Their find ignited a 20-year multi-billion dollar industrial revolution and the arrival of treasure-seeking hordes. The payoff to Billy and friends in today’s dollars at today’s gold prices, would be more than $2.5 billion.

A current resident of the area says, "It’s a thrill to find gold but it’s more than that. It’s like fishing: the activity is the joy. Placer mining is romantic, which is why it keeps attracting people.”

For tourists, there’s a lot of enjoyment in discovering a part of Canada they might know little about. If you want a peek back 150 years, it’s right here in historic Barkerville. More than 140 historic buildings line the streets, most in their original locations. Folks in period clothing, stagecoach rides, mining demonstrations, restaurants and live theatre are right in the heart of the Gold Rush. There are plenty of B&B’s as well. You can literally touch history from one end of town to the other.

Barkerville is a host to many tourists because of its historical relevance.

So grab your Gold Rush Nugget Bucket and get out to Barkerville and the Cariboo for your next prospecting adventure! 

For more information about Barkerville, check us out!

East Kootenay Prospecting Trip

I had the chance to visit the historic area of Cranbrook, British Columbia last September. I took my favorite companions with me: my wife and, of course, my Gold Rush Nugget Bucket!

Cranbrook, B.C. is a beautiful and scenic area. More than just gold panning to do here!

The East Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada, has a rich gold-producing history. In 1864, placer gold was found on Wild Horse Creek and soon a stampede of placer miners was pouring up this small stream, each one determined to get a share of this newly found wealth. Before the end of the year, in the middle of this gold stream, the first town in the East Kootenay was flourishing. It was named Fisherville after Jack Fisher, a leader of one of the first groups of miners in the area.

By 1865, there were up to 5000 miners at Wild Horse Creek and Fisherville was booming. However, miners quickly discovered that the gravel bench the town was built on was rich in gold. The town was torn down and moved up the hill and renamed Wild Horse.

The year 1865 saw the first all Canadian route across southern B.C. completed. It was called the Dewdney Trail. About one-and-a-half miles of this trail end up at the old town site of Fisherville. There are some great trails and signage explaining the area and it's activities. At the bottom of the trail is the Public Panning Reserve, containing many gravel bars just waiting to be cleaned up with a Gold Rush Nugget Bucket, something the old miners didn't have the advantage of using.

Across the Wild Horse Creek from the old Fisherville hiking paths is the Maus Creek turn off. Eight miles up this rugged road you will come to the Nip & Tuck Mine: a small scale working placer claim, operated my owner Steve Latham. To visit Steve on his claim is a real treat! He is very friendly and loves talking about gold, mining and gems. For only $25.00, he gives you the grand tour and permission to pan on his claim, right next to Boulder Creek and the Wild Horse Creek. He has sluices set up in the river all season. Anyone on his property can use the sluices and you can keep any gold nuggets or pickers you find out of them. Any fine gold can only be retrieved when Steve does his clean up at the end of the season. I used my Gold Rush Nugget Bucket and didn't leave the fine gold behind for Steve, which is what I would recommend to anyone going up to visit the Nip & Tuck Mine.

Nip & Tuck Placer Goldmine, owned and ran by Steve Lathem.

If you are planning a trip to the East Kootenays, definitely pan for gold in the Public Reserve. Go up to Fisherville and hike around the old buildings and diggings, though there are no metal detectors allowed at Fisherville area. And of course, visit my friend Steve Lathem at the Nip and Tuck Mine!

Here's Steve Lathem’s Contact info:
Email: slathem@live.com
Phone: 1-250-417-5176

Elizabeth Lake Lodge is a great place to stay if you head up to Cranbrook B.C.

If you've got gold fever, grab your Gold Rush Nugget Bucket and head up to Cranbrook B.C. Canada. A very reasonable place to stay at up there is the Elizabeth Lake Lodge. It is very clean, and has super friendly owners, rooms have built in kitchenettes. Hope you enjoy the trip as much as us.

Whenever I go out prospecting during the summer months, I'm never satisfied with the bucket of concentrates I bring home. If you are anything like me, you collect gravel from the different places you visit to cleanup during the winter. I always fill a couple of other pails with unclassified material to mess around with at home. I have nine months of cold winter up here in Canada above the 49th parallel, so  I'm happy to have all this gravel to cleanup in the winter to keep the cabin fever at bay.

I have been conscientious about setting up a cleanup system for this itinerant gravel. It all starts with my Gold Rush Nugget Bucket, and a few other bits and pieces of cleanup equipment. Here's my list;

1. - Gold Rush Nugget Bucket
   
2. - Milk Crate
3. - 500 GPH Bilge Pump (Can be replaced by a ladle or open-quart juice container)
   
4. - Cement Mixing Tub (Can be replaced with any large plastic tub)
   
5. - California Bucket Sluice or Finishing Sluice of your choice (Can be replace
   
6. - Miller Table, Blue Bowl or other fine gold recovery item. (Can be replaced by the pan and taking a little extra time with the Gold Rush Nugget Bucket)
   
7. - Saruca™ or Gem Sieve (Can be replaced by tweezers and a little bit of patience)
   

Here's my winter cleanup system: I attach the Gold Rush Nugget Bucket to an upside down milk crate with bungee cords so that the Bucket will not move while I'm agitating the classifiers. I place the Bucket and milk crate in the mixing tub to catch and recycle the water. This keeps the Bucket base out of the water and allows free flow of the lighter material.

Mixing tubs are used to catch and recycle water.

The pump continually adds water to the top classifier and keeps the material flowing through the Gold Rush Nugget Bucket system, collecting the heavier items such as gold, silver and platinum in the concentration bowl. You can run as much material through the Gold Rush Nugget Bucket as you like, since the concentration bowl will always replace the light sand with heavier material. Remember to always check the top screen for nuggets or larger gems, and always retain the material from the second screen to process later for small gold pickers and semi-precious gems. 

Once you have completed your initial process through the Gold Rush Nugget Bucket, it's time to process these super concentrates. I use my California Bucket Sluice and then my Miller Table which speed up the recovery session. However, you will do just as well to use the finishing pan included with your Gold Rush Nugget Bucket; it'll just take a bit longer. Your end result from this step will be clean gold and other precious metals. You may have some magnetite left mixed with the gold if you are panning that can easily be removed with the magnet included with the Bucket. 

 A California Bucket Sluice can be used to speed up the recovery session.

Don't forget that all the small gravel you have been saving from the 2nd classifier can also be panned to get down to the heaviest material, which will be your gems and semi-precious gems (garnet, quartz, etc.) I use a gem screen ( Saruca™) which allows to very quickly get all the gems into the center of the screen. Once the screen is flipped over, it's a simple process of scraping off the gems from the top of the pile, then sorting through and separating the gems to color clarity and type.

The Saruca is a gem screen to collect precious and semi-precious gems as you prospect!

Don't sit around this winter! Work on those buckets of gravel with the aid of the tools in your Gold Rush Nugget Bucket and that glittering gold. Most importantly of all, have a lot of fun doing it!