Where the Gold is!!!

Obviously, the first step in prospecting is to go where the gold is. In the past, this was by trail and error. Lots of time was spent exploring creeks, canyons, mountains, and rivers. Hoping to find some good color. Luckily for the recreational prospector, the continential United States have been throughly mapped. There are also historical records for most mining activity of the past 100 to 150 years. Therefore the first place to start looking for gold is to find where gold has been found before. This can easily be done on-line and at your local library. If you live close to a college that teaches geology, mining engineering or metallurgical engineering, their library probably holds significant amounts of information. Doing your research at home will increase your likelihood of success in the field.

Speaking of research, here are some books that might be of interest:

That said, here is list of states that have placer deposits. Click on the state that most interests you to see which counties have produced gold: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

Recommended Books

If you want more percise information on locations within each county, I highly recommend becoming a member of the GPAA (Gold Prospectors Association of America - a non-profit organization). The author is a member and has been for several years. Upon joining the GPAA, you receive several wonderful gifts including their mining guide. The mining guide has hundreds of maps to mining claims throughout the United States. As a member, you have rights to prospect on all of them. If you want more information click on their logo.

DocCopper's Gold Prospecting Pages

DocCopper's Gold Prospecting
  Where the gold is
  Gold Locations East of the Rockies
  Getting started - Gold Prospecting Basics
  Advanced methods of gold recovery
  Gold from Black Sands
  Leaching of Gold
  Beware the hoaxes
  Beyond Prospecting
  ** Outdoor Cooking
  ** Wilderness Survival
  ** Amateur Astronomy
Gold Prospecting Links
  Gold Prospecting Links
  Australian Gold Links
Gold Prospecting Resources
  Gold Prospecting Books
  Gem and Rockhounding Books
  Fossil Books
  Amateur Geology
  Gold Prospecting Store

Alabama

Chilton, Clay, Cleburn, Coosa, Randolph, Talladega, Tallapoosa

Alaska

Most of the state has area with placers

Arizona

Placer Gold Deposits of Arizona
Placer Gold Deposits of Arizona

Cochise, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, Maricopa, Mohave, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Yavapai, Yuma

Arkansas

Garland, Montgomery

California

Where to Find Gold in Southern California

Where to Find Gold in Southern California

Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Det Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Humboldt, Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Lassen, Los Angeles, Madera, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Mono, Monterey, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Maneo, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Stanislaus, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolunme, Yolo, Yuba

Colorado

Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Chaffee, Clear Creek, Costila, Delta, Denver, Dolores, Douglas, Eagle, Elbert, Freemont, Garfield, Gilpin, Grand, Gunnison, Huerfano, Jackson, Jefferson, La Plata, Lake, Larimer, Las Animas, Mesa, Moffat, Montezuma, Montrose, Ouray, Park, Rio Grande, Routt, Saguarche, Summit, Teller, Washington

Connecticut

Litchfield, New Haven

Georgia

Cherokee, Cobb, Coweta, Dawson, Douglas, Elbert, Forsyth, Fulton, Gilmer, Gwinnett, Hall, Hart, Habersham, Haralson, Henry, Lincoln, Lumpkin, Madison, Meriweather, McDuffie, Newton, Oglethrope, Paulding, Rabun, Towns, Union, Walton, Warren, White

Idaho

Ada, Adams, Bingham, Blaine, Boise, Bonneville, Camas, Clearwater, Custer, Elmore, Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, Nez Perce, Owyhee, Power, Shoshone, Valley

Indiana

Brown, Carroll, Cass, Clark, Clinton, Deerborn, Franklin, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Knox, Montgomery, Morgan, Ohio, Owen, Pike, Warren

Maine

Aroostook, Franklin, Hancock, Kennebeck, Knox, Oxford, Penobscot, Somerset, Washington

Maryland

Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Howard, Harford, Montgomery

Massachusetts

Franklin, Hampden

Michigan

Allegan, Antrim, Cass, Charlevoix, Emmet, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Manistee, Marquette, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Oakland, Ontonagon, Wexford

Minnesota

Filmore, Scott

Missouri

Adair, Livingston, LInn, Macon, Putnam, randolph, Schuyler

Montana

Beaverhead, Broadwater, Carbon, Cascade, Deer Lodge, Fergus, Flathead, Gallatin, Granite, Jefferson, Judith Basin, Lewis and Clark, Lincoln, Madison, Meagher, Mineral, Missoula, Park, Phillips, Powell, Ravalli, Sanders, Silver Bow, Sweet Grass, Toole

Nevada

Where to Find Gold and Gems in Nevada
Where to Find Gold and Gems in Nevada

Churchill, Clark, Douglas, Elko, Esmeralda, Eureka, Humboldt, Lander, Lyon, Mineral, Nye, Pershing, Storey, Washoe, White Pine

New Hampshire

Carroll, Cheshire, Coos, Grafton, Sullivan

New Mexico

Colfax, Grant, Hildalgo, Lincoln, Otero, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, San Miguel, Santa Fe, Sierra, Taos

North Carolina

Avery, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Cherokee, Cleveland, Davidson, Gaston, Guilford, Jackson, Lincoln, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Moore, Randolph, Rowan, Rutherford, Stanley, Translvania, Union

Ohio

Adams, Clermont, Hocking, Licking, Morgan, Richland

Oklahoma

Comanche, Greer, Jackson, Kiowa, Tillman

Oregon

Baker, Coos, Crook, Curry, Douglas, Grant, Harney, Jackson, Josephine, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Malheur, Marion, Union, Wheeler

Pennsylvania

Lancaster, Wyoming, York

South Carolina

Cherokee, Chersterfield, Greenville, Lancaster, Oconee, Pickins, Spartanburg, Union, York

South Dakota

Custer, Lawrence, Pennington

Tennessee

Blount, Monroe, Polk

Texas

Brewster, Hudspeth, Llano, Presidio

Utah

Beaver, Box Elder, Carbon, Daggett, Duchecne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Piute, Salt Lake, San Juan, Summit, Tooele, Utah, Uintah, Washington, Wayne

Vermont

Addison, Bennington, Chittenden, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Washington, Windham, Windsor

Virginia

Buckingham, Carroll, Culpepper, Cumberland, Fairfax, Fauquer, Floyd, Fluvanna, Goochland, Halifax, Louisa, Montgomery, Orange, Patrick, Prince William, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Warren

Washington

Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Clark, Douglas, Ferry, Grant, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, King, Kittitas, Lewis, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pacific, Pend Oreille, Pierce, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish, Stevens, Whatcom, Whitman, Yakima

West Virginia

Tucker

Wisconsin

Pierce

Wyoming

Albany, Carbon, Crook, Fremont, Goshen,Johnson, Laramie, Lincoln, Park, Teton