Since the days of the California Gold Rush in 1849, persons intent on mining, prospecting and panning have flocked to California to hunt for gold. They use gold pans, sluice boxes, metal detectors, dredges and dry washers in their prospecting efforts. Rockhounding is done in the gold producing areas.

A simple gold pan is effective in detecting and recovering gold from a streambed. Recreational gold panning is a popular hobby in California and is enjoyed by California natives and visitors, alike. If you want to find some gold and have fun doing it, gold panning will suffice and will provide many happy hours of outdoor activity for you and your family.

Inexpensive light weight sluice boxes are often used in flowing streams to increase the amount of material being washed for gold. Metal detecting is done to detect nuggets in streambeds, dry washes and arid areas.  Dry washers are also used to recover gold in arid areas. 

The great California Gold Rush in 1849 was of such importance, and has received so much publicity, that many people are not aware that the California Gold Rush was preceded by gold rushes in the Southeastern States. Nor are they aware that much gold mining was done to the south in what is now Southern California long before the discovery at Sutter's mill that set off the 1849 gold rush.

The first documented discovery of gold in the United States was in North Carolina in 1799 and gold mining started there in 1803. A major gold rush took place in Georgia in 1828 and a lesser rush occurred in Alabama in the 1830's. Most of the gold mining districts in the West were located by pioneers, many of whom were experienced gold miners from Alabama and Georgia. 

Gold mining, prospecting and panning locations in California extend from the Mexican border to the Oregon state line and eastward to the Arizona and Nevada state lines. Both Northern and Southern California provide ample prospecting and panning locations where you may find gold.

Knowledge of places where gold has been found in the past is useful in searching for more gold. Big Ten's six California Gold Prospecting and Panning Maps show those locations.

Prior work by geologists of the U.S. Bureau of Mines, the U.S. Geological Survey and the California Division of Mines and Geology is acknowledged. Of special mention is the prior work of William B. Clark and Ralph Loyd of the California Division of Mines and Geology and that of Waldemar P. Lindgren of the U.S. Geological Survey. The excellent California Division of Mines and Geology Bulletin 193, by William B. Clark, was drawn upon for details of specific gold districts throughout the state and for text regarding the Klamath Mountains region of Northern California.  Lindgren's work published in the year 1911 as regards the ancient Tertiary Rivers is considered a classic.

Note: The above paragraphs are common to each of the six (6) California gold regions. If you should read about gold mining, prospecting and panning in the other California gold regions, just scroll down to the point in the text where the particular region is discussed and continue on from there. The numbers of the California Gold Prospecting and Panning Maps correspond to the numbers of the California gold regions.

WHERE TO LOOK FOR AND FIND GOLD IN CALIFORNIA GOLD REGION 4

Big Ten's California Gold Prospecting and Panning Map 4 shows places where to look to find gold near 

Argus, Bakersfield, Badger, Bartlett, Caliente, Cedar Grove, China Lake, Clovis, Darwin, Democrat Springs, Dunlap, Fresno, Goldstone, Humphreys Station, Independence, Isabella, Johannesburg, Keener, Lone Pine, Loraine, Mineral King, Mohave, Panamint Springs, Porterville, Randsburg, Ridgecrest, Saltdale, Sanger, Sequoia National Park, Tehachapi, Trona, Visalia, Wafford Heights, Warren, White River and Woody.

It shows seven hundred seventy (770) gold mines and gold prospecting and panning locations from official geological records of the State of California and the federal government. Locations for finding gold are shown within 15 miles of each of the above listed places. These gold deposit locations, which show where gold has been found in the past, are clearly marked. Christmas gift.

The map is done in color. The margin of the map has text that tells where to look for gold in a streambed, how to tell "fools gold" from real gold and gives step-by-step gold panning instructions. You can quickly learn to pan by following the instructions on the map.

GOLD MINES, PROSPECTING AND PANNING IN CALIFORNIA GOLD REGION 4

Gold mines and prospecting locations extend across California Gold Region 4 to Death Valley National Monument.

National Forests in California Gold Region 4 include Sequoia, Sierra and Inyo. Some of the mountain ranges there are: Sierra Nevada, Tehachapi, Greenhorn, Panamint, El Paso, Piute, Granite, Argus, Slate and Owls Head. 

Other features of interest are: Sequoia National Park Giant Forest (the really big trees), Kings Canyon National Park, Mohave Desert, Owens Valley, Panamint Valley, Indian reservations and the U. S. Naval Weapons Center. 

 Specific gold locations are shown in these counties: 

Fresno      Inyo      Kern      San Bernardino     Tulare

California Gold Region 4 in Southern California is host to important gold deposits; a few of which follow: 

There are one hundred seventy (170) gold mines and prospecting sites within 40 miles of Bakersfield and fifty (50) sites within 40 miles of Fresno.

There is a concentration of gold mining sites five miles south of Mohave and another group of gold mines west of Fort Irwin. Heavy concentrations of gold mines and prospecting and panning areas occur along the Kern River and at Isabella Lake east of the Greenhorn Mountains. California state road 178 parallels the Kern River. Additional gold locations exist in Sequoia National Forest.

The numerous gold deposits and prospecting locations in the area surrounding Randsburg and Johannesburg and in the El Paso mountains northwest of Randsburg have been of considerable interest to prospectors and miners since the 1880's. Dry placer gold has been found in Red Rock Canyon, Mesquite Canyon, Goler Gulch and Red Bluffs. Gold-bearing sands and gravel occur in benches and in the hillsides above the canyons and on bedrock in the washes and canyons themselves. The gold particles are round and appear to have suffered considerable abrasion. The gold is mostly fine, although nuggets up to several ounces have been found. There are some narrow gold-quartz veins present.

The Rademacher Gold District, which has 25 gold mines and prospecting locations shown on the California Gold Prospecting and Panning Map 4, is about 15 miles north of Randsburg and about 5 miles south of Ridgecrest. Faults and quartz veins exist in this district.

Many gold sites are shown in and between the Argus Mountain Range west of Trona and the Slate Mountain Range east of Trona. This area bridges the Inyo County/ San Bernardino County line east of the U.S. Naval Weapons Center. There are trails leading to some of the gold mines and dry washes shown here.

North and northeast of Fresno, gold mining and prospecting sites are located near the Millerton Lake State Recreation Area and Pine Flat Lake. There are sites in Sierra National Forest and Sequoia National Forest north and south of the Kings River in Fresno County.

Many gold deposits are shown in and around the Owens Valley, north of Lone Pine, and in the vicinity of Darwin, south of state highway 190.

In this region you will be prospecting for California gold in an interesting part of the United States, which boasts the giant redwood trees. The many existing gold mining locations in California Gold Region 4 testify to the great interest in gold prospecting here in the past. Use a gold pan in the streams and a metal detector or dry washer in arid locations.

Gold mines and prospecting and panning sites continue on adjoining California Gold Prospecting and Panning Maps 3, and 5.

The economical and popular set of Southern California Gold Prospecting and Panning Maps includes Maps 1, 2, 3 and 4. (The Northern California set is comprised of Maps 5 and 6.)

To request gold prospecting and panning maps, please go to "REQUESTING GOLD MAPS", below.