Where To Pan For Gold In Washington State

Fine placer gold can be found in the columbia river and its tributaries as well as numerous creeks and rivers west of the cascades.

Where to pan for gold in washington state.

The law on gold in washington state. The gold is very fine here so careful gold panning is needed to recover the gold. Panning in washington the state s streams that contain placer gold are also important for the plant and animal communities they support. Panning for gold is a great way to find gold or you can step up to a sluice or dredge and move some material.

Gold miner panning on the nooksack river circa 1976. Fine gold can be found all throughout the okanogan river from the british columbia border down to its confluence with the columbia river. The prospecting activity occurs only in certain waters in adams benton clallam grant grays harbor lincoln pacific spokane whitman and yakima counties that are not designated under the federal endangered species act as critical habitat for salmon steelhead or bull trout or have a freshwater designated use of salmonid spawning rearing and migration. Miners eventually made their way to washington state and established some lode mines that produced gold especially around the towns of blewett and liberty shown in the wenatchee gold maps.

Gold mining camps were established all over kittitas county after the first find. In the north cascades gold basin campground lies along the south fork stillaguamish river where. Indulge gold fever for days on end at a variety of campgrounds where you can camp and pan for gold. Eastern washington gold mines the state s largest gold producers.

If it were easy everyone would be doing it. The washington state department of natural resources has strict rules for where and when someone can pan for gold. For more information on gold in washington view the resources listed below. It was here at swauk creek that gold was first discovered back in 1873.

Panning for gold is often an effort in futility as not every pan of sand produces gold flakes. There are lots of gold mining opportunities in washington state. Modern day prospectors still pan and search for gold in the areas around concrete wenatchee okanogan and sandpoint. While the gold and fish pamphlet is required it is still vital that you obtain land owner permission and fulfill all of the requirements under that jurisdiction before you can begin to legally prospect for gold.