Finding Gold in Colorado

Historic Sites & Modern Prospecting Honey Holes

The Wandering Prospector Guidebook

June 16, 2023 · Finding Gold in Colorado - The Books, Gold prospecting sites, Mining Tourism

We are excited to offer you the next book in our gold prospecting guidebook series**. Finding Gold in Colorado: The Wandering Prospector** - Volume 2 in our guidebook series. A #1 New Release in its category and a frequent Amazon bestseller, it includes over 340 pages of all new material covering 270 new prospecting sites across Colorado gold country. This book represents five years of research and exploration trips from late 2018 through into early 2023. It also represents the collaboration of many of my fellow prospectors in the Finding Gold in Colorado Facebook group. Without them, many of these prospecting areas might have been overlooked or gone untested. I update the book annually with any rule changes or other information learned along the way. Now updated for 2025!

Note: As an affiliate marketer I get fees if you buy certain products through my website.

BUY IT HERE! Available in paperback, ebook, and hardcover NOW!

We are particularly excited to share all of these new prospecting opportunities. Many of them are in regions documented in our first guidebook Finding Gold in Colorado: Prospector’s Edition. There are also five new chapters in this book (with 107 of the 270 sites) covering regions that aren’t in the first book at all. But, to repeat. this is ALL NEW MATERIAL AND ALL NEW DIG SITES! Buy both books and you have all the information needed to prospect at over 450 sites!

Why aren’t all of these new prospecting sites in our first guidebook you ask? Well, aside from the fact that the first book is already almost 500 pages long, many of these new sites needed further research to confirm legal access or to address other issues. The new chapters cover areas that were excluded before because those areas didn’t host a significant gold rush and a gold rush boom town. However, there is gold, so let’s go get some!

Below you can see the map illustrating the general areas covered by each chapter of this new book. Chapters S, T, U, V, and W are all completely new areas although you may recall that Chapters S and T are also in the color photobook Finding Gold in Colorado: Inspiring Images. Can you spot all five new areas on the map below?

Map of the Chapters in Finding Gold in Colorado: The Wandering Prospector

Hints: Look for S - The upper Colorado River, T - the Eagle River, U - The Cache le Poudre River, V - The Purgatoire River, and W - The Roaring Fork & Frying Pan Rivers.

How is the gold at these new sites? It is a wide range in terms of both amounts and sizes. Some of these sites were exciting to prospect, others have much less gold, but if you are in the area, will still be fun to explore with your gold pan.

So, grab a copy of the new book here and “Find Your Gold!”

Want to check it out and buy it at a real store? Call ahead and then visit one of these:

  • Arvada: Arvada Army Navy Surplus (signed copies)
  • Bailey: Platte River Outfitters (signed copies)
  • Black Hawk: Vic’s Gold Panning (signed copies)
  • Breckenridge: Nature’s Own (rock shop) (signed copies) or the Country Boy Mine gift shop
  • Buena Vista: Once Upon A Trapeze bookstore
  • Cañon City: The Gold Mine Rock Shop on Highway 50
  • Central City: The Hidee Mine (signed copies)
  • Colorado Springs: The Western Museum of Mining & Industry in northern Colorado Springs (signed copies); also at the Gold Prospectors of Colorado meetings
  • Cortez: San Juan Gems
  • Cripple Creek: the gift shop at The Hotel St. Nicholas
  • Dillon: Summit Historical Society at the Dillon Schoolhouse Museum
  • Delta: Mr. Detector
  • Durango: Gardenswartz Sporting Goods
  • Fairplay: The South Park City Museum shop
  • Georgetown: It Is What It Is just across from City Hall
  • Glenwood Springs: High Country Gems & Minerals (signed copies)
  • Idaho Springs: Argo Gold Mill or the Visitor Center & Museum (signed copies at both sites)
  • Leadville: The Rock Hut (signed copies)
  • Nathrup: The Rock Doc (between Poncha Springs and Buena Vista)
  • Taylor Park (& Gunnison): Taylor Park Trading Post
  • Olathe Kansas: High Plains Prospectors or on their website here
  • Tigard Oregon: Prospector’s Treasure Trove or on their website here

AUTHOR DIRECT SHIPMENTS:

Want to buy directly from me? I only sell to addresses outside of Colorado (because of Colorado’s complex sale taxes.) IF you are outside of Colorado and would like a signed copy, send me $26 via www.paypal.me/buyabook/ and email your address to me at kevin@ findinggoldincolorado .com …I’ll drop one in the mail to you asap, with a free logo sticker too!

This new book on Amazon after it went live! Thanks for all of the support for my work! It stayed at #1 on the relevant Amazon Best Seller lists for many weeks in fact!*

Tags: Colorado, Denver gold prospecting, free gold panning, gold, gold panning, gold prospecting, metro Denver gold panning, placer gold, prospecting, Where to find gold

Archived comments (12)

Comments from the original site, preserved read-only. For questions, join the Finding Gold in Colorado Facebook group.

KevinInColorado · Jul 16, 2023

I Hope you love it!

KevinInColorado · Jul 16, 2023

I’m thrilled to think my work is bringing new adventures to you two!

KevinInColorado · Jan 15, 2024

For 2024 I have corrected a few errors and typos in the manuscript. If the printing date on your copy is before 1/15/2024 (look on the last page, just inside the back cover for the printing date), make the following corrections to your copy of the book:

  • Site B-10, the downstream boundary should be Main St.
  • Site F-12, should say turn right from 285 to Platte Drive (not to the left)
  • Site O-06, should say East Fork rather than South Fork in the text.
  • Site Q-21 should say “outside bend” in the gold finding tips instead of “inside bend.”
  • Site S-01 the upstream boundary should have a negative sign in front of the longitude, so you don’t end up in Mongolia!

For books printed before 05/15/24, add the following:

  • Site B-13 respect signage asking visitors to stay on the trails (due to ongoing reclamation).
  • Site C-07, the gps location for the parking should read longitude -105.5002 (not -105.0002). Thanks to Chris Mohs for catching this.
  • Site F-09 the upstream boundary latitude should be 39.2500
  • Site T-09A respect any signage posted by the landowners: City/County of Denver and the Eagle Water District

For any books printed before late January 2025:

  • Site B-14, due to expansion of the dam, public access has been reduced and the area upstream of the access road is now fenced off. Also, rangers are writing trespass tickets to anyone on dry land on the opposite bank from the parking. Stay in the water or on the near bank. Finally, a couple of safety cautions: the bank from the parking down to the creek is very steep. Also, water levels in the creek can vary suddenly due to releases of water from the dam. Stay safe and keep an eye on your gear too.
  • Site B-15, CO-170/Kneale Rd is generally secured with a closed gate making access almost impossible.
  • Site E-07A, should say “Dig the WEST side of the river, to the center” not the EAST side. That was my typo!
  • Site E-07B, for parking, pull off of Heeney Rd at 39.8397, -106.2335 into the USFS parking lot. Do not attempt to drive into the field as described in the book. That access is blocked off in favor of the parking lot.
  • Site H-07C the park is at 38.2612, -104.7018 …not sure how I got that one wrong lol!

For books printed before March 9, 2026:

    • at Site E-05, The paragraph which starts “My Experience is that downstream of the gas station…” should start with the label ‘E-05C’
  • at Site E-06 there is a stray ‘6’ in the upper boundary latitude number, just delete it
  • at Site S-04, there is no public access below the dam from 6/01-8/31
  • at Site S-03, the upstream access limit for Denver Creek is to the east at -106.0770

For books printed before Mid-May 2026:

    • at Site F-09, This site is private property and is not open to public prospecting. A clerical omission on the County Assessor’s online map makes this look like county land but that is not the case.

It is always my goal to help you keep your book up to date, so you never need to buy an “updated” copy of the book. Check back here every winter for any additional updates.

Jax · Jul 16, 2023

I just stumbled across your site while searching for rockhounding sites to take my 8 year old. I’m so glad I did! I’m hesitant to explore too much because of the private land horror stories. I’ll pick up both of your books and some basic gear so we can pan for gold while we search for crystals and fossils (depending on the area).

Thanks for sharing your knowledge! I’m still exploring so it’ll be a while before we go out (preferably when it’s no longer 80+ degrees).

Tommy Walden · Jul 11, 2023

Just ordered book 2 and am anxiously awaiting its delivery this weekend.

Steven lewis · Jul 11, 2023

Great book.. lots of good new spots

Michael Rockwell · Jun 17, 2023

I have had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Singel. If ever there was someone to learn from on gold prospecting, Kevin is the true expert. Nice person as well.

Anthony orsak · Feb 4, 2025

I purchased Finding Golden, Colorado prospectors edition Kevin, a single volume one I can’t figure out how to read the mountains on the same page that halfway through the book it’s the end gives references and coordinates but and I was in the military man and I’m old school so I know how to read a map trust me and I don’t know if there are some nice stores inside here.

KevinInColorado · Feb 5, 2025

Hi Anthony, I’m struggling to figure out what you mean here but I’m happy to try to help. Some people struggle to get the gps coordinates right when entering them in the search bar of Google maps. As I mention in the Introduction of the books, it’s important to have a comma then a blank space, and then a negative sign, between the latitude and the longitude in Google maps. I hope this helps. If not either post your question in the Finding Gold In Colorado Facebook group or email me at findingGOLDinColorado at gmail dot com and I’ll help you from there. Heavy pans!

Sarah Patti · Aug 1, 2024

If you purchase the ebook are all the mistakes and updates already fixed on those? Also does the second book include all the sites from your first one or just the new ones?

KevinInColorado · Aug 1, 2024

Each winter I update all versions of the book. I also share all “important” updates in the comments here below the article.

Each book is completely unique! There is no duplication of dig sites so if you get both books, you’ll have over 450 dig sites!!

Robbi Neufeldt · May 3, 2025

I’m new to gold panning and slucing, I retired so it my play time