Exit 210C off of northbound I-25 in downtown Denver drops you right into Crescent Park on the east side of the highway. Driving a few yards south, you’ll see parking next to the South Platte River. Walk straight to the river and you’ll find yourself on the cobble bar. From the bar you can see a small cobble island just upstream and a bar downstream on the east side of the river near the amusement park. Here’s a view of the bar from the island, you can also see the area where there’s good flow to set up a sluice. In the distance on the right, you can just see the downstream cobble bar at the amusement park. I haven’t sampled that one, but you can bet it has gold. Maybe better than here from what I’ve heard since I last visited this site.
And of course you can see Mile High Stadium! Here’s a view of it from the island. What I didn’t see was any evidence of other prospectors…this spot looks untouched 🙂
All three of the spots in these pictures have gold!
The gold: In recent samples of the surface gravels, I found a modest amount of -50 mesh, fine gold. In other sites along the South Platte River, digging deeper yields larger flakes so that would be worth trying here too. I dug five test samples for this report and found fine gold in every single one. The gold at the head of the bar seemed to be the best but more sampling is really needed. Some of the surface gold was small enough that I couldn’t see it in my pan while at the river. After processing my concentrates at home (see my other blog entry on how I process cons: https://findinggoldincolorado.com/finish-processing-your-concentrates-after-a-day-of-digging/ ), I could see about 2-3X the colors I saw while sample panning.
If you try this spot, I’d love to hear how you do. If you’d like info on other sites near here, grab a copy of my guidebook to Colorado gold prospecting. Learn where to find it here. With over 180 public access dig sites across Colorado Gold Country, you’ll be glad you did!
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