South Yuba River State Park
Public area set aside for recreational collecting
Native material: you search the natural ground on site.
Twenty miles of the South Yuba River canyon, from Malakoff Diggins down to the Bridgeport covered bridge, inside a state park that officially allows recreational gold panning. A park order allows hands and gold pans only, on the beaches and gravel bars that flood every year. On some summer days park volunteers teach gold panning at the Bridgeport visitor center, a good first step for beginners and kids. Mercury from the old hydraulic mines is still in the river, especially around the Humbug Creek confluence at the upper end of the park: wear gloves, wash your hands and never touch silver mercury beads in your pan.
Make a weekend of it
975 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
- Nevada County Gem & Mineral SocietyClub · 10 mi
- Feather River Lapidary & Mineral SocietyClub · 26 mi
- Auburn State Recreation Area (American River)Free public dig · 27 mi
- South Fork American River at Greenwood Creek (BLM)Free public dig · 35 mi
- Roseville Rock RollersClub · 37 mi
- Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic ParkFree public dig · 38 mi
Access
Park headquarters and visitor center at Bridgeport, 17660 Pleasant Valley Road, Penn Valley, reached from Highway 20 west of Grass Valley or from Highway 49 north of Nevada City. Other river access at Edwards Crossing, Purdon Crossing and the Highway 49 bridge. Day use only, sunrise to sunset; a vehicle day-use fee applies at Bridgeport.
Technique
Gold pan and your hands only: no shovels, trowels, sluices or classifiers. Work the gravel at the water's edge, leave big rocks in place and keep muddy water from spreading more than 20 feet downstream. Up to 15 pounds of material per person per day, for personal use only: never sell what you find.