Fee For Gold Panning in NC

[Tracker IV]

Has anyone been to any of the locations in NC that allow panning for gold
in NC and what did you think of them? Anyone finding good nuggets there?

 

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[bucketofguts]

i would like to know too! b

 

[Kev NC]

The best pay to play place I know of in NC is The Cotton Patch in New London. I'm not sure if they are open this time of year.
Nuggets are rare in NC but there have been nuggets found there and some nice pickers also.

Kev NC

 

[ATPRoDon]

The best pay to play place I know of in NC is The Cotton Patch in New London. I'm not sure if they are open this time of year.
Nuggets are rare in NC but there have been nuggets found there and some nice pickers also.

Kev NC

There is no fee that I am aware of. I have gotten gold from a GPAA place called Gold Vein Mountain west of RDU. There is also the Heather Gold mine and you can stay in a cabin and pay about $40 bucks for a load of dirt and a sluice.

XTerraDon

 

[nc-joe]

Since most gold, especially at Cotton Patch, is placer gold, now is not the time. The drought is so bad, all the creeks are nearly dried up and there is no gold being washed from the viens.

 

[ModernMiner]

Here's a great place to go to pan, and it will only cost you about $5 for the whole day:
http://www.huntforgold.com/thermalcity2.htm
My family and I had a blast there. It closed for the season though.
Good luck,
MM

 

[Kev NC]

There is no fee that I am aware of. I have gotten gold from a GPAA place called Gold Vein Mountain west of RDU. There is also the Heather Gold mine and you can stay in a cabin and pay about $40 bucks for a load of dirt and a sluice.

The Cotton Patch is a fee place. It is $9 for Five 2 gallon buckets that you fill where he washes the dirt. Vein Mountain is a LDMA property and you have to be with a member or be a member to go there. I do like Heather Grove Gold Mine I have dredged there and found a couple nuggets. Mike and Brook the owners are great!

Since most gold, especially at Cotton Patch, is placer gold, now is not the time. The drought is so bad, all the creeks are nearly dried up and there is no gold being washed from the veins.

The Cotton Patch digs their gold bearing dirt and clay out of a pit on the property then brings it up to a big mixer he has mixes it with rocks and sand to breakup the clay. They dump the mixer and you fill your buckets up there. They have panning troughs to pan in so the lack of rain has no effect on panning, but there is not enough water in the creek to sluice in right now.

Kev NC

 

[TammyNC123]

Where is heather Grove located?

 

[Charles Oak Island NC]

There is also Mt. Creek mine just down the road from cotton patch. He charges $10.00 a day for all the dirt you can do.

 

[kuzin_it]

Where is heather Grove located?

About 3/4 of a mile toward Marion past Thermal City....

 

[gixxering]

I just moved here 6 months ago, and did not realize that I was in the "Gem capital of the US". Franklin, North Carolina. I really recommend panning in the Nantahala National forest. Panning and Rock hounding are allowed in the NF per district ranger in all three districts here. I have explored many streams out here that few people ever see. If you want a real experience I suggest the NF, but paying to pan is fun, though.

 

[scooterl]

www,cottonpatchgoldmine.com

hi i live twelve miles from cottonpatch gold mine . there open all year long now . there going to build a playground soon for the kids. sometimes you get a picker in the dirt. and sometimes you dont. most people there use a gold magic machine. thats a lot better than panning itself. if you go to there website that is my fingers on the top of the site holding the GOLD!!! i was there at the right time.

 

[DOCC77]

Hello All!!!
The cotton patch is under new ownership since last Oct.The new owners Jeff & Tina are great people.Im camping there now and there are alot of people panning and finding GOLD!!!
They have improved and remodeled the place,they have new Prospector cabins for rent,RV sites,Tent sites,a new playground for the Kiddies.
the gold panning is 12.00 for 5 buckets of ore and 2.00 per bucket for extra buckets.they are open and they are having an Open Dig on the 19th & 20th of july.Heres a link to their website.I have posted phots and a link on the topic Hard Rock mining in the T net.theres a link there also...

www.cottonpatchgoldmine.com

 

[goldpype]

Has anyone been to any of the locations in NC that allow panning for gold
in NC and what did you think of them? Anyone finding good nuggets there?

Check out (on the Web) Lucky Strike Gold mine ... south of Marion, NC. ( a map is on the site). I have been there 3 times to check out my "Goldpype" separator...and found gold all three times. The last time I went, they claimed no rainfall made their digs barren ... so they got a few truckloads from a near-by mine (the tailings from years old mining operations) and I found small gold in this! Gold which was previously lost from the old stripping operations. I was quite satisfied with this situation. -Goldpyper

 

[DJ_Quinn]

If anybody is interested in checking some of these places out, let me know. I'm in Matthews, NC and have been to Cottonpatch and Reed's. A few flakes is all uyou'll get from these places, but I've prospected in Europe and I'm looking for some more promising locations and some people to go out and prospect with. Let me know if your interested.

 

[jgowans]

I have some links to old USGS reports on gold findings and purchased their mine maps as well.
recently I went to the old Capps Hill mine area just north of Charlotte. Panned the creek a little but did not find anything.
MDed the site but it was full of shotgun shells and barb wire other crap. I did bring home quartz that the MD hits on. It may have imbedded gold or just iron...
I have been to Cottonpatch and Reeds. I want to try the Thermal City and Vien Mt area next.

 

[dennisd567]

My son went to the Reed Mine and he and my grandson had a blast only had a few flakes though..I've checked the creeks around arrowwood in south Charlotte- no luck- Moving to the NC/SC border south of Crowders Mountain next month....Research shows gold and Topaz in that area

 

[rgecy]

My son and I had a great time camping and panning at Thermal City about 7 or 8 years ago. We set up camp and worked the creek for two days. For our first time out we found about 1/2 ounce of placer gold. There were some pretty nice pickers and lots of small flecks.

We were able to camp and pan for less than $40 for the weekend. I think it was $5 each to pan the river per day.

 

[FISHEYE]

Where can i get a permit to pan in state owned rivers in NC?Also do you need a permit to pan on privately owned land?

 

[Curious The George]

Where can i get a permit to pan in state owned rivers in NC?Also do you need a permit to pan on privately owned land?

No permits for panning in NC. Just make sure you have permission on private land and that you are not on some kind of state park, federal park land or a protected historic site.