10Best: Places to pan for California gold
Not many vacations turn a profit, but you just might strike it rich if you go looking for gold. British author Steve Boggan spent months doing just that, panning, sluicing and exploring his way through California. “If you know what you’re doing, you pretty much will always find a little bit of gold,” he says. He recounts his adventures in a new book Gold Fever: One Man's Adventures on the Trail of the Gold Rush (Oneworld, $24.95). And while he won’t say how much he earned during his adventure, he does say he found enough of the precious metal to make jewelry for his new wife. He shares places to prospect in the Golden State with Larry Bleiberg for Paste BN.
Happy Camp, Siskiyou Wilderness
This tiny town near the Oregon boundary offers a great base for panning the Klamath, Trinity and Salmon rivers. “It’s wild and a bit weird, but it’s full of people who have the time and patience and kindness to teach you how to prospect,” Boggan says. The New 49’ers Prospecting Association has 100 miles of claims and will provide free day passes to visitors who want to try their hand at panning. 530-493-2012; goldgold.com
Downieville
This town at the northern tip of the Sierra Nevada Mountains was founded by a Scottish miner in 1849. Early prospectors would unearth pounds of gold using nothing more than a Bowie knife and a cup. “It was so rich that within a few months 1,500 to 2,000 miners found their way up there,” Boggan says. There is public panning in town and to the east at Union Flat. 800-200-4949; sierracounty.org
Grass Valley and Nevada City
These twin cities offer a terrific place to set up a base for a gold-seeking adventure, Boggan says. “The towns themselves are quite gentrified. If you like to do your prospecting in the lap of luxury, this is the place to stay.” Top places for panning are along the South Yuba River at Bridgeport, and the Middle Yuba at Oregon Creek. Or you can just soak up gold fever at Empire Mine Historic State Park. 530-273-8522; parks.ca.gov/?page_id=499
Oroville
Last year a prospector unearthed a 5-pound nugget worth several hundred-thousand dollars near this Butte County town. Boggan says good public panning areas lie along French Creek, Brush Creek and the Feather River above the Upper Thermalito Bridge. Head to the Lake Oroville Visitor Center for gold panning demonstrations. 530-538-2219; parks.ca.gov/?page_id=462
Auburn
Boggan had his best prospecting success near this Placer County town, northeast of Sacramento. First he got gear and solid advice from Pioneer Mining Supply, which led him to Bear Valley County Park, where he took lessons from a miner named Bear River Gary. “I found more gold with him than anywhere else,” he says. 616-516-4976
Colma
Any gold traveler eventually makes it to Colma, where carpenter James Marshall sparked the Gold Rush when he discovered shiny flakes in the American River in 1848. The state historic park there now allows prospecting with hands and pans. “This is a must,” Boggan says. 530-622-3470; parks.ca.gov/?page_id=484
Angels Camp
Mark Twain made this pretty town famous with his Gold Rush-era short story The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. Each May, the town holds a Jumping Frog Jubilee in honor of the tale about a far-fetched bet. For those who would rather try their luck panning, Gold Rush Originals leads area tours. 209-736-0232; goldrushoriginals.com
Columbia
Boggan calls this settlement the nearest thing to a perfectly-preserved old gold town. “The whole town is like a museum. You could get rid of the tourists, and put John Wayne there, and shout ‘Action!’,” he says. Gold seekers can head to public panning areas on the Stanislaus and Tuolumne Rivers, or get lessons in nearby Jamestown at California Gold Panning. 209-916-5166; gold-panning-california.com
Roaring Camp Mining Co., Pine Grove
At this privately owned site southeast of Sacramento, guided tours visit the stunning Mokelumne Canyon and show how gold is panned. Or sign up for a class and learn to do it yourself. “You can take a vacation and learn in an intensive course,” Boggan says. The company even has a Dirt of the Month Club, shipping out unprocessed gravel guaranteed to contain gold. 209-296-4100; roaringcampgold.com
Randsburg
Head to the Mojave Desert for a completely different treasure-hunting experience. “It’s stark and I’d argue it’s harder, but some people prefer deserts to the mountains,” Boggan says. “I was prospecting in 130 degrees.” In order to dig on claims at nearby Duisenberg mine, you must join the Gold Prospectors Association of America, with family memberships starting at $84.50. 800-551-9707; goldprospectors.org