Where can you legally mine gold in California?

10 Free Gold Panning Areas in California

• Auburn State Recreation Area.
• Butte Recreation Area.
• Columbia State Historic Park.
• Keyesville Recreational Mining Area.
• Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park.
• Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park.
• Merced River.
• South Yuba River State Park.

Where can you pan for gold without a claim?

Gold Prospecting on Public Lands (BLM & Forest Service) There are millions of acres of public lands, managed by the federal government, that are open to prospecting without a mining claim. Most of this land is managed by either the U.S. Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management.

Can I use a sluice box in California?

Suction dredge mining uses machines to vacuum up gravel and sand from streams and river bottoms in search of gold. California law currently prohibits “any vacuum or suction dredge equipment” from being used in the state’s waterways, but because narrow rules previously defined a suction dredge as a “hose, motor and …

Where has gold been found in California?

Sierra Nevada Region. California’s Sierra Nevada Mountain Range is by far the top gold region in the state. With well over 10,000 gold mines and thousands of active placer claims, this region has the state’s largest historical gold production totals and the most active modern placer mining districts.

How do I stake a gold claim in California?

How to stake a mining claim.

1. Locate it: Find an area of public land that is not currently claimed.
2. Prospect it: Visit the area of land, dig up some material, pan it and find at least one piece of gold.
3. Stake it: Place a monument in each corner of the claim, labeling the name of the claim.

Is dredging for gold legal in California?

The use of vacuum or suction dredge equipment, otherwise known as suction dredging, is currently prohibited and unlawful throughout California.