Cache Creek Area - GOLD Detecting Opportunities - Colorado

[BuffaloBob]

Want to metal detect for GOLD in Colorado? At least one gold prospecting club (G.P.O.C.) in Colorado has/had a placer claim in the Cache Creek Area. The gold washes down from the high mountains and is a relatively easy place to try your hand. There are also areas open to panning and detecting. You will need to check with local clubs or BLM for regulations.

I have detected there a few times without success but it is a popular area. Up the mountain, around 10,000 feet or so is an old claim with tailings over the edge. It's also a hunting camp so everywhere you detect you will find solid signals. Mostly lead bullets. A beautiful area. There is an actual working gold mining operation at the top around 11,500 feet or so. Tough going for anyone.

There are some old gold camps near the creek. Probably they are also claims but neat to explore. Notice an open stope (tunnel-hole-in-the-ground) covered with some tin sheeting. Watch where you step!

This is a big game hunting area so in season wear the proper Blaze Orange clothing.

Cache Creek area is north of Buena Vista and the turnoff is at Granite. The GPOC claim runs along the cemetary to the creek bed.

Note: I was swing a White's MXT I think, on slopes which really was bad on my arm tendons. If you have a Swingy-Thingy bring it along. Save your arm.
BB

CO BLM | Royal Gorge Field Office | Minerals | Locatable | Cache Creek

 

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[BuffaloBob]

Here are some pics from some serious Cache Creek Prospectors. Looks like they are doing better than me. Read their story and you will get a good idea about how much work is involved digging dirt, classifying it, carrying it to your panning spot, getting water for panning etc. And would be a nice family outing. Every mountain is slowly dribbling away as the weather and gravity send gold downhill.
Cache Creek, Colorado


Heavy rains also can speed up the process. Almost all the gold around here is placer stuff. Once in a while larger nuggets are found. Sometimes just laying on the ground. Good Hunting...........
BB

 

[shawngrey16]

How do I go
About getting involved

 

[BuffaloBob]

How do I go
About getting involved

Shawn good question. I can recommend Gold Prospectors Of Colorado Gold Prospectors of Colorado | A Non-Profit Organization
Any of you who go many Colorado festivals, mineral shows etc may have seen GPOC with their free gold panning tables and instructions. They will be at the Denver Mineral Show in a few weeks. You can try it out and keep all the gold you pan! Free!!

The GPOC has active mining claims for any member to use. These are the real deal and the biggest one, as I recall, is on Silverheels Mountain above Fairplay in South Park. That site is at altitude but other claims, like Cache Creek or Buena Vista claims are easy to get to and pan.

They have family outings and contests and regular meetings at the Colo Springs location.

Only members can get actual claim maps and directions. Because of the nature of any type mining, all members must sign a legal waiver. There can and will be a variety of mechanical equipment used in any mining including heavy equipment. So proper gear is also needed.

Sitting alongside a stream, gold panning is fun. Kids love it and you will commonly get "color" or gold dust. Placer gold.

In South Park, hwy-285, you will see the ugly huge piles of rocks along the rivers. In the past large barges dredged a river, heaping the rocks along the banks. They were large scale panning operations. Almost all gold around here is small flecks, or flour gold.

The flour gold has washed down Silver Heels mountain. The "Mother Lode" or source of all the South Park flour has never been located. As far as I know. That is why poking around at altitude is worthwhile.

So to get started find out where the nearest GPOC free panning lessons will be held. You will get expert instructions. Meet some real old timers, buy basic panning stuff and give it a try. It is addicting especially when you see that first glint of gold. Good Luck!
BB

 

[BuffaloBob]

Gold Prospecting Cache Creek, Colorado -- Digging In The Dry Gulch

Here is a short YouTube video of digging in the dry gulch. Really good. Bring good digging tools, good kneepads, shoes, drinking water as it gets hot working like this.
BB

 

[cafficgold]

Hi BuffaloBob - I love watching your youtube videos of prospecting in the Colorado high country! I am heading up to Cache Creek this weekend and was reading your post when I noticed that you mention the area from the cemetery to the creek is a GPOC claim? I was not aware of that and was thinking of trying that area until I read your post. Is this still the case? I am not currently a member of the GPOC, but maybe I should consider joining? Although, I don't think joining will help me with access this weekend - bummer. Any other areas around that would fun to swing a detector or get a sluice wet? I would love to meet you one of these days during my travels up to the high country from Denver.

I hope all is well with you and yours!

 

[BuffaloBob]

Hi BuffaloBob - I love watching your youtube videos of prospecting in the Colorado high country! I am heading up to Cache Creek this weekend and was reading your post when I noticed that you mention the area from the cemetery to the creek is a GPOC claim? I was not aware of that and was thinking of trying that area until I read your post. Is this still the case? I am not currently a member of the GPOC, but maybe I should consider joining? Although, I don't think joining will help me with access this weekend - bummer. Any other areas around that would fun to swing a detector or get a sluice wet? I would love to meet you one of these days during my travels up to the high country from Denver.

I hope all is well with you and yours!

Sorry to be late replying. IT's been a while since I was at Cache Creek. Possibly Bill at Gold-N-Detectors in Golden could update you. But any area with water runoff will probably have some flour gold. Maybe more. You can check in Leadville or the Rangers in Buena Vista as regulations may have changed.

Here is a link to BLM info on Cache Creek (plus all mining etc)
cache creek - Bureau of Land Management - Colorado Search Results
Good Luck...
BB

 

[RGINN]

Cool. I drove down there and checked that out a couple of weeks ago, before I read your post. As far as I could tell, the main area is not claimed but open to the public. Any active claims will be properly marked. It looked like a lot of work. There was no water flowin so you would need to bring that, but you could pick up a couple 5 gallon buckets before you go. You can camp there, but I believe any fires need to be in a fire pan. I pretty much thought you'll find mostly flour gold, but I searched it up on the internet and found where some folks had done a little better. The road up the mountain was in good shape so we drove aaaaallllll the way up above the tree line. That's probably where the better gold is and it's all claimed with some active work goin on, so I wouldn't even want to appear to be prospectin up there. Still, I intend to go back and maybe try my hand. (The only reason I was down there was I read a treasure story about Lost Canyon, so I wanted to check it out) From what I understand, they close the place down 1st of November, but that may be incorrect. You can find gold there, as I know a guy at work who did. He hasn't quit his day job yet though!