Union Flat Campground (North Yuba River)
The one stretch of the North Yuba open to recreational panning
- Managed by
- Tahoe National Forest, Yuba River Ranger District
- Where to pan
- The stretch of river just downstream from the campground
- Tools
- Hands and a gold pan, nothing else
- Watch for
- Mining claims all around the area: respect the claim markers
- Getting there
- Highway 49, 6 miles east of Downieville toward Sierra City
- Camping
- Campsites on Recreation.gov; vault toilets, no drinking water
- Season
- Late May to mid-October
Public area set aside for recreational collecting
Native material: you search the natural ground on site.
Season: Late May to mid-October, when the campground is open.
Make a weekend of it
1076 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 Union Flat Campground (North Yuba River)
Union Flat Campground sits on the north bank of the North Yuba River, six miles east of Downieville on Highway 49, and it is the one place on the whole North Yuba where the Tahoe National Forest allows recreational mining. The panning area is the stretch of river just downstream from the campground, and the forest sets a single rule for it: hands and pans only.
That rule comes with a warning. The Forest Service says mining claims surround the area and asks visitors to watch for the markers of existing claims, and on the Eureka map the campground itself falls inside a claim on record. Keep to the recreation stretch below the campsites and leave staked ground alone.
The river here has been worked before. Between the campsites and the water runs a tumbled wall of rocks left by early gold dredging, under a forest of pine, fir, maple and oak. Downstream, Downieville grew out of a mining camp called The Forks, on both banks of the North Yuba and the Downie River. The camp began with the arrival of Major William Downie's party in 1849, held around 5,000 people by 1852, and that same year became the seat of the new Sierra County.
The campground has single sites, one double site and some sites for tents only, each with a picnic table and a campfire ring, plus vault toilets. There is no drinking water, so bring your own. Sites are listed on Recreation.gov, and the season of use runs from May 20 to October 15. In summer the North Yuba also draws swimmers, waders and anglers after rainbow trout, with rafting, tubing and kayaking in season.
Union Flat lies on the Yuba Donner Scenic Byway, close to the old mining towns of Goodyears Bar, Downieville and Sierra City, and the Sardine Lakes are about 14 miles to the east.
Clubs and places nearby
- Plumas-Eureka State Park (Jamison Creek)Free public dig · 13 mi
- South Yuba Recreation Area (BLM, Edwards Crossing)Free public dig · 21 mi
- North Fork American River (BLM Wild River)Free public dig · 27 mi
- Nevada County Gem & Mineral SocietyClub · 31 mi
- South Yuba River State ParkFree public dig · 31 mi
- Crystal Peak MineFree public dig · 36 mi
Where to buy gear nearby
- Harrington & Baldwin Mining Equipment & SupplyShop · 29 mi
- Action Mining SupplyShop · 37 mi
- Adventures in ProspectingShop · 43 mi
- GoldiBoxOnline shop · 47 mi
Access
From Downieville, drive 6 miles east on Highway 49 toward Sierra City; the campground sits on the north bank of the North Yuba River. Campsites can be reserved on Recreation.gov. Vault toilets, no drinking water.
Technique
Hands and gold pan only, as the Forest Service sets for this site. Work the gravel of the river below the campground and watch for claim markers: the claims around the area are held by others.