Gold panning and mining have been popular
activities in Plumas County since the 1800s.
Although most of the camps that sprang up during
the gold rush are now gone, there are some spots
where visitors can relive history and even find
a few remaining flakes of gold.
 Experienced
gold panners with equipment
are welcome to seek gold anywhere on public
national forest land that has not been staked
(usually where posted).
However, since most of the land is staked, you'll need to do some research
during the week at the County Recorder's office,
which keeps mining claim locations on file.
A few areas exist where claims are not allowed and recreational gold panning
is permitted. Contact the Plumas, Lassen and
Tahoe National Forest offices for more details
on gold panning regulations.
If you're interested in learning how to pan
for gold on your own, the Plumas County
Museum, located behind the courthouse in Quincy,
has a good reference book for sale. The
books explains how and where to pan, what
equipment is needed, safety tips, and includes
diagrams, drawings and photos. Equipment
for gold panning can be purchased at area
sporting goods and department stores.
The Plumas-Eureka State Park offers a
supervised gold panning program during the
summer. Call (530) 836-2380
for more information.
The Golden Caribou Mining Association
offers gold panning lessons and equipment
usage for first time gold panners. It
operates out of Caribou Crossroads
Campground and Cafe, located on Caribou Road
just off Highway 70, 27 miles west of
Quincy. The club has more than 1,800
acres of gold mining claims in the Plumas
National Forest, and offers memberships for
vacationers, as well as one-year trial and
lifetime memberships.
The club provides access to the claims and training in panning, prospecting,
metal detecting and dredging. Call
(530) 283-5141 for more information or email
GCMA2009@aol.com.
The
Advanced Geologic Gold Prospector's Club
based in Chester offers members access to
claims throughout the county, along with
equipment usage. Call (530) 258-4228
for more information. |
