Colorado gold.

[Dallasb84]

Thinking of heading over to Colorado to do some panning and sluicing. Noticed it's pretty restricted when it comes to sluicing. From what I can tell BLM has different rules for different districts.

I sent an email asking for permit info in Little Snake River district. Will grand junction issue a sluice permit if you don't know where you plan to go? Looks like the form wants cords and a plan.

Also what are the rules if you have a self contained setup? Is that considered casual use if you aren't making a big mess? I can see leaving behind big holes and destroying stuff being a problem. What are your guys experiences in Colorado?

I'm looking at Taylor creek, west of Craig, little snake River, yampa River and gunnison areas. More than likely going to try NFS too.

Any suggestions? Don't think I'll make it as far as denver.

 

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[russau]

I sluiced Taylor Creek just above Taylor Creek Resivour probly 20-25 years ago and didn't get anything! This was in Gunnison County Co. If this was the same creek your referring to.

 

[Dallasb84]

Well that's a bummer. Not much to find online out west. How is it cache creek way? I stumbled upon randy on YouTube and really like the cache creek spot!

 

[Dallasb84]

How is gunnison as a whole?

 

[49er4ever44]

I'm out here in Grand Junction and there is not much for gold in the area. I'm about to make a trip up to cache creek myself to run my highbanker and would recommend that area over the western slopes. There is a pay to dig site north of Granite there (Dennis O'Neils property) and that's where I'm headed.

 

[Jason in Enid]

I'm out here in Grand Junction and there is not much for gold in the area. I'm about to make a trip up to cache creek myself to run my highbanker and would recommend that area over the western slopes. There is a pay to dig site north of Granite there (Dennis O'Neils property) and that's where I'm headed.

Check the rules first! cache creek public area went sluice and pan only IIRC.

 

[Dallasb84]

I read that too. On Blm there is some advertisement about some environmental study and new rules. I read on here in another thread it was just smoke. But it said you can run electric recirculators. Sure would be cool to only haul a couple buckets of water up than 15 buckets down!!! Might require a permit or whatever. But seems reasonable.

 

[49er4ever44]

Well if someone is running a pay to dig site on public land I want in on that business lol. I'm talking about the private claim/property of Dennis O'Neil and he has zones for panning/sluicing, highbanking and dredging. It's really cheap too. I've never been but heard a lot about it and drove by once. I believe the blm land in that area has been pan/sluice only for quite a while (was 2013 last time I was there and it was restricted then). I should be up there around the 1st.

 

[Jason in Enid]

didnt know about that, thought you were talking about the public spot. Good luck! I think I know where that is at. I'm a GPOC member but havent been to all the claims. Pretty sure this one is down the road from my dredge site.

 

[49er4ever44]

That was my bad. Lake Creek is the one with the private claim. That's where I'm headed.

 

[KevinInColorado]

That was my bad. Lake Creek is the one with the private claim. That's where I'm headed.

To be clear, it's not a "private claim", Dennis owns his land outright just as you own your own backyard. That's why he can charge to spend the night there...although he only chArges 3-5$$!

 

[KevinInColorado]

Thinking of heading over to Colorado to do some panning and sluicing. Noticed it's pretty restricted when it comes to sluicing. From what I can tell BLM has different rules for different districts.

I sent an email asking for permit info in Little Snake River district. Will grand junction issue a sluice permit if you don't know where you plan to go? Looks like the form wants cords and a plan.

Also what are the rules if you have a self contained setup? Is that considered casual use if you aren't making a big mess? I can see leaving behind big holes and destroying stuff being a problem. What are your guys experiences in Colorado?

I'm looking at Taylor creek, west of Craig, little snake River, yampa River and gunnison areas. More than likely going to try NFS too.

Any suggestions? Don't think I'll make it as far as denver.

Where are you running into restrictions on sluicing in Colorado? Pretty wide open to shovels and sluices here from all I've seen.

 

[Dallasb84]

Well on the BLM regional office pages each district seems to have different permit rules

 

[KevinInColorado]

Well on the BLM regional office pages each district seems to have different permit rules

Sure (gotta love those regulators, always writing regulations) but a sluice and shovel is always casual use. Not regulated anywhere on open BLM land in CO as far as I know. Even ok to use in Wilderness Areas (although there doesn't tend to be gold there, that's why they are unused enough to become Wilderness Areas lol).

 

[russau]

Everybody wants to write their own "rules"!

 

[Dallasb84]

Sounds good thinking it's gonna be a good weekend! Been doing a lot of researching usgs for the area. I grew up in Littleton / highlands ranch area and never thought there was much gold in Colorado. Make me wish I was into it as a kid!

I'm thinking cache or Leadville are may be the destination!

 

[KevinInColorado]

Your plans sound solid.

The funny part is - there's good gold in the creeks right where you grew up!

 

[Dallasb84]

Well, gonna see what cache is all about today. Wonder if I'll see any members?

 

[Dallasb84]

Any spots u can recommend? Pm if you like. Hate to get skunked driving 8 hours.

 

[49er4ever44]

I've only been there 1 time but we found a gram of gold. If your parking at the cemetery and walking down you can go to your left down the hill and get into some easy digging. Sample sample sample of course. We mostly worked down that way but at the beginning we were hiking up the dry creek bed (if you walk straight down the hill from the cemetery you go straight up the other side) there is a trail running on the top. We were hiking up, digging around some trees in the middle of the dry bed and packing the dirt back to the creek to run. We were getting good sized flakes up there and really really fine stuff in cache creek. Good luck man! Pm me if ya need and I can try to help more.