Finding Gold in Colorado Historic Sites & Modern Prospecting Honey Holes

Where to start if you want to gold pan in Colorado

imageHere’s a quick list of some places you will be welcome to prospect across our beautiful state of Colorado. No need to join a club (although clubs definitely have their place!), just play by the rules of your hosts. This list is just a start, there are dozens of additional spots described in other articles on this website! (To see them all, go here.) Even better there are 186 public dig sites across Colorado, all carefully documented, in my book, here.

Arapahoe Bar Info, Clear Creek, western metro Denver- city info here and my article here.

Grant Frontier Park Info, South Platte River, south central Denver- 2300 South Platte Drive https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant-Frontier_Park and my article: https://findinggoldincolorado.com/grant-frontier-park-prospecting-tips/

Clear Creek Canyon Open Space Park, west of Golden- You can see their map and the delightfully simple gold prospecting rules here: https://www.jeffco.us/1196/Clear-Creek-Canyon-Park

Steele Street Openspace Park “Big Bend”, South Platte River, Adams County, just north of Denver-

https://www.google.com/maps/place/7800+Steele+St,+Denver,+CO+80229/@39.8384194,-104.9499106,17z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x876c774f4d50a2bb:0xaacdfca09eea0551

Town of Fairplay – middle fork of the South Platte in Park County. The town rules are in Article 3 of this doc: http://www.fairplayco.us/municode/CHAPTER%2011%20Streets,%20Sidewalks%20and%20Public%20Property.pdf

As I share in my article about the Fairplay Town Park, you can just buy your pass online, at High Alpine Sports or the Town Hall…all mentioned in Fairplay forms including the gold panning permit

Cache Creek Placer Area – south of Leadville, turn west off the highway at Granite- https://findinggoldincolorado.com/cache-creek-prospecting-site/ and from the BLM, this meeting presentation from a few years ago: http://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/uploads/Get%20Involved-RAC-Colorado-FR-8.8.12-Cache%20Creek%20Presentation.pdf

Point Barr (or Point Bar), Arkansas River, near Salida, south central mountains- https://findinggoldincolorado.com/point-barr-prospecting-site/  (dead BLM link deleted, let me know if you find a new one) and for those using power equipment at Point Barr or elsewhere on the Arkansas River, here’s the permit – https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/uploads/CO_MINING_04272017_DOC_2017%20Notification%20for%20Placer%20Ops.pdf

Gunnison River, Rattlesnake Gulch, western slope- from Delta, head out highway 50 to Rattlesnake Gulch Road 730, near mile marker 61. Panning and in-stream sluices only, dig in water only, National Conservation Area. See my article on this area: https://findinggoldincolorado.com/rattlesnake-gulch/ (dead BLM link deleted…let me know if you find a new one)

Piñon Bridge and Norwood Bridge Recreational Placer Mining Areas, ‘western slope’ on the San Miguel River…south of Grand Junction, northwest of Telluride.

https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/uploads/CO_MINING_05042017_DOC_Rec%20Placer%20Mining%20Notification%20Form-fillable.pdf

Of course, you should confirm the current rules via the relevant websites above and maybe a phone call if anything seems unclear.

If you can’t find the rules for an area, here’s what they usually boil down to:
-no gas-powered gear
– respect private property and posted restrictions (for example a designated fishing area)
– don’t disturb any “improvements” such as bridges, rock work for erosion, etc.
– no digging in banks, only riverbed

…that’s about it.

I’d add, be a good representative of all prospectors by being friendly to other public land users. Think about how what you are doing “looks” to non-prospectors…quaint or destructive?

Please remember these are not mining claims. You don’t have a “right” to dig here, it’s a privilege. Be a good guest by following the rules, filling your holes and picking up any trash you come across along the way. Thanks in advance and please enjoy!

There are longer articles on all of these areas on this website (go here to see all the detail). This list is just meant to be a quick summary with links, so you don’t have to wade through all the articles to find a link.

Photo note: Selfie of me at Arapahoe Bar with a whole class of school kids, teaching them to pan and just having fun in the water.

Keep reading after this ad! This site costs money to keep up. The only way it pays for itself is shopping referrals. If you appreciate the info here, please click thru one of my Amazon ads the next time you want to shop online. It won’t cost you anything extra and it keeps the site going. Gold Prospecting on AMAZON

Interested in more sites? Check out the dozens described on this website by going here or take it up to the next level with the 186 sites carefully described in my book.

Interested in prospecting in Utah? Try this awesome book by Alan Chenworth (here).

Interested in rockhounding beyond gold? Learn more here https://southwestrockhounding.com/sw-travel-list/ by Thomas Farley

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