Lynx Creek Gold Pan Day Use Area
Free public gold panning on historic Lynx Creek, just outside Prescott
- What you do
- Recreational gold panning in the creek
- What people find
- Fine placer gold
- Season
- Open all year
- Where
- Off Walker Rd, about 1.5 miles south of Highway 69, Prescott
- Fee or permit
- None
- Facilities
- Vault toilets only: no water, tables, fire pits or trash service
- Equipment
- Pan, metal detector and hand tools only
- Bring
- A pan, water, and a bag to pack out your trash
Public area set aside for recreational collecting
Native material: you search the natural ground on site.
Season: Year-round, day use only. Hours change with the season, from about 7 am to 5 pm in winter to 6 am to 8 pm in summer.
Make a weekend of it
165 gold spots on open public land with no claim on record, within 50 miles.
There are more on the map, some of them with a possible mining claim.
About Lynx Creek Gold Pan Day Use Area
The Lynx Creek Gold Pan Day Use Area is a stretch of Lynx Creek, just outside Prescott, that the Prescott National Forest keeps open for recreational gold panning. Lynx Creek is where gold was found in 1863, and it went on to be one of the most productive placer streams in Arizona. The Forest Service still describes it as a withdrawal area, yet the federal orders that kept claims out were 20-year orders and we found no renewal, so watch for claim posts before you dig.
It is one of the easiest places in the state to try panning for the first time. There is no fee and no permit, the site is open all year, and it is only a few minutes from town. The creek carries fine gold, so bring a pan and patience rather than dreams of nuggets.
Facilities are basic: vault toilets and nothing else. There is no drinking water, no picnic tables, no fire pits and no garbage service, so bring water and pack out everything you bring in. Equipment is limited to what you can work by hand: the forest's rules for the area allow gold pans, metal detectors and hand tools such as picks and shovels, and nothing motorized or mechanical.
To get there from Prescott, head east on Highway 69, turn right (south) on Walker Road by the big shopping area, and drive about a mile and a half. The turn-off for the Gold Pan area and the Lynx Creek Ruins is on the left.
The Prescott Gem & Mineral Club and the gold clubs of central Arizona are good company if you want to go further than a pan.
Clubs and places nearby
- Prescott Gem and Mineral ClubClub · 4 mi
- Mingus Gem and Mineral ClubClub · 25 mi
- American Gold Prospecting AdventuresPay-to-dig · 26 mi
- Lost Dutchman's Mining Association - Stanton CampClub · 32 mi
- Gold Mine Experience (Bloo Nelly Mine)Pay-to-dig · 35 mi
- Weaver Mining DistrictClub · 37 mi
Where to buy gear nearby
- A & B Prospecting Supplies (Prescott Valley)Shop · 5 mi
- Dry Mining EquipmentOnline shop · 38 mi
- Copper Canyon Lapidary & JewelryOnline shop · 42 mi
- Nugget Shooter Metal Detector SalesOnline shop · 49 mi
Access
From Prescott, take Highway 69 east, then turn right (south) on Walker Road by Costco. After about 1.5 miles, turn left at the sign for Gold Pan and Lynx Creek Ruins.
Technique
Gold pan, metal detector and hand tools such as picks and shovels only; no motorized or mechanical equipment (no sluices, dredges, highbankers or dry washers). Dig only in the creek bed, below the high-water line. Do not wash yourself or your dishes in the creek or its side streams. Panning with hand tools is also allowed upstream, along Lynx Creek in the Lynx Lake Recreation Area.