Ok so im still undecided on where im going tommorow, I want to go to grass valley but I cant find where the brunswick and purdon area meets, also will I have a problem bringing a detector to the grass valley area or auburn area specifically the drivers flat road or purdon bridge in grass valley? Wow just seen the fire news wasnt aware of that, anyone know how bad the smoke is in grass valley?
I realize you are probably new to all this. You need to consider that other people usually own, or have rights to, the gold and other minerals found on their private property - including mining claims.
There are areas of the South and Middle Forks of the American River that are open to public prospecting. The same is not true of most areas in California.
The Grass Valley area is very rich in gold. It's some of the richest gold ground found in the United States. It is also
all private property. As in NO you can not prospect anywhere near Grass Valley without the written permission of the private landowner.
There are some public lands to the north of Grass Valley that can be claimed. Those areas are almost completely claimed. Those claims are for all intents and purposes the same as the private land in Grass Valley. Written permission is required by law before you can prospect on those mining claims.
Just plunking yourself down on any good looking stream can and will get you arrested for trespass. That makes for a bad weekend and a sucky way to learn to prospect.
I see you are eager to get started learning your prospecting skills and, of course, getting some good gold. That's a good thing. You might want to consider joining one of the excellent prospecting clubs in the area. Joining a club like the Auburn Goldhounds will allow you to learn, get gold on known gold properties and avoid the embarrassment and hassle of creating a criminal record while trying to enjoy your weekend.
Once you have learned the skills involved in gold prospecting, including determining which lands are open to prospecting, you can move on to exploring for gold deposits on unclaimed public lands open to entry.
Heavy Pans
I pan and snipe up there, but I'm wanting to go to colfax next weekend to try a different spot. No clue where it is though hahaa
