Detecting old trails or footpaths

[Newfiehunter]

How do you find detecting old trails or footpaths? Sometimes they can be hit or miss. Any thoughts.

 

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[G.A.P.metal]

Hi Newfiehunter
Yes some trails are better that others, But i look for a big field with one big older tree in it, the farmer would eat he lunch there under the tree and family would sit there and lose all kinds of stuff.
Thanks Gary G.A.P.metal

 

[JOHUNT]

That's a great bit of info there. Thanks G.A.P.metal

 

[G.A.P.metal]

Hey Johunt
Where r u in the southern tier, if close maybe we could do some MDing togeather

 

[deepskyal]

Hit or miss I think accurately describes it. They are some of my more favorite places to detect because they are usually unhunted.

It's real hard to figure out how some coins end up where they do but I've found IH's on footpaths that people used like my parents to get from point A to point B as a shortcut. As a matter of fact, it was one my mother had told me about that I found the IH's.

I know as a kid back in the early 60's, the paths we took to get to the park were steep and we'd slip and fall, roll or slide in grassy areas just for fun, etc. One retention wall that overlooked a road was a nice spot to find coins as kids would sit there to take a break from their hikes to the local pool that wasn't so local to them.

A lot of these paths around here are still visable if you know what your looking for and understand how people thought back in the day.

One common overlooked path, and I think you'll understand what I'm trying to say here without me being too graphic, is those paths around some local parks where men have a tendancy to walk down with other men...and once clothing is dropped...well...sometimes the pockets empty or maybe that hidden wedding band one stuck in his pocket drops out....you get the picture. The only harassment you get from those types are pretty much what you'd get from any curious onlooker. Never been propositioned myself in a situation like that. I think a lot of the bigger parks have places like that.

The hunt is only limited by the imagination. Look over some of the older topos and figure how you'd have gotten from one place to another without a car in the shortest amount of time and with some ease. Really old foot paths followed animal trails and to this day may only be used by animals, but the past may still be in the ground.

Al

 

[Frankn]

I look where old roads stop and you can see on the other side where they once continued. There is an old church down the road from me and I could see where the road once went to the church. It was about 100yds long. Well I got an old indian head out of it. Frank

 

[ahaulil]

I have had luck where paths cross water, people mill around before crossing.

Look at bottom of hills on trails, I have found items collected there from rain and snow melt.
Darn near paid for my first detector many years ago doing that. The school was on a hill, kids could not smoke on school grounds so they hung out everyday until the bell. Hands in and out of pockets, rain and snow, town sanding roads then spring time and a huge pile of sand filled with the winter's lost lunch money!

 

[Michigan Badger]

Trails today often have lots of modern coins and tons of pulltabs. This is due of course to the various RV users. I worked a stretch away from anything good and dug a bunch of mems and some clad (also a pocket full of tabs).

The best trails are those through steep hills with plenty of places to wipe-out. On one steep slope I dug a silver Rosie dime and several sets of car keys near a mud hole.

For old stuff look for trails or paths near or through old towns. Especially those that run near streams with lots of places to trip and fall. Watch for high banks and foot paths near old train depots. While waiting for trains people would lean against or sit on those banks and rest, chat, eat, etc. Streams/rivers running through old towns are potential gold mines. People would picnic by them and wade the shallows where there was a natural flat place near the river. Many fell and guess what's still there in 1 to 3 foot of water during the low water level months?

Don't overlook old "fire lanes" in small towns. Back before modern firefighting equipment most cities had fire lanes. These were so the fire fighters could reach the backs of houses, etc. These old lanes were early play grounds for children. Adults also rode their bikes on them and often took a bad fall on them.

Good thinking on your part. Most people never even think about the old paths. I made my best finds in them and also in ditches.

Best,
Badger

 

[Monty]

Try to make the Chisholm Trail hunt with Burdie and the gang each year. It's always a great hunt. Not volume but quality of finds is great. Monty

 

[Westfront]

We have trails here used for hundreds, sometimes a thousand years and show not a single good signal. Wasted time in my opinion. Look where these trails meet, where they go over the top of a hill and so on. You have to find the spots where people have met, had there lunch, a passage over a river, steep areas where people could fall and loose something out their pockets.... It's all about research even in this case.