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.
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.
Alabama
Chilton, Clay, Cleburn, Coosa, Randolph, Talladega, Tallapoosa
Alaska
Most of the state has area with placers
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
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
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