Plumas-Eureka State Park (Jamison Creek)
Public area set aside for recreational collecting
Native material: you search the natural ground on site.
Historic mining park at the foot of Eureka Peak, around the old town of Johnsville, where the Eureka mine produced gold for decades. A 2025 park order allows recreational gold panning only on the beaches and gravel bars of Jamison Creek; every other water in the park, the lakes included, is closed to panning. The pin is approximate: work the creek along the campground and below the museum.
Make a weekend of it
929 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.
Clubs and places nearby
- Crystal Peak MineFree public dig · 35 mi
- South Yuba River State ParkFree public dig · 42 mi
- Nevada County Gem & Mineral SocietyClub · 44 mi
- Feather River Lapidary & Mineral SocietyClub · 52 mi
- Reno Gem and Mineral SocietyClub · 52 mi
- Comstock Gold ProspectorsClub · 52 mi
Access
From Graeagle, take Johnsville Road (County Road A-14) west about five miles to the park museum and the Jamison Creek campground. High country: the creek is usually workable from late spring to fall, and snow covers the area in winter.
Technique
Gold pan and your hands only: no tools of any other kind. Pan the gravel bars of Jamison Creek, leave rocks in place and keep muddy water from spreading. Up to 15 pounds of material per person per day, for personal use only.