New Utah Prospector

[Utduder]

Hey fellas my name is Colby I'm from northern Utah. Just got in to panning an built me a sluice but don't know what general areas in my area to look . I have tried the weber river but all I seem to turn up is small quartz an lead shavings. Maybe I'm not digging deep enough? Not getting large amount of black sand just a bit. Anyways you guys seem like a great wealth of knowledge so any help y'all give is just awesome ..... Thanks fellas

 

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[jmoller99]

This sounds close to you:

Panning for Gold in Prospecting Forum

Good reference material:

Utah's Gold Placers - Utah Geological Survey

 

[wally62us]

I live in northern utah as well. We have done very well up in American fork canyon. Down in sevier county. We have only found lots of flour. The gold in utah is very fine. You are more than welcome to come with us when we go with use when we go. Might hit american fork next weekend. We just bought a keene backpack dredge. Going to try and get it in to some streams that the big dredges cant get to.

 

[Utduder]

Great in info Jmoller thanks for taking the time to find that, it should help me out alot. Ya wally I did hear AF canyon is pretty good. I would love to tag along I just haven't got down where to dig am how deep. I think the areas I dig are good areas just don't know how deep to dig before I start panning material. I built a sluice box an have tested it with small lead shavings thrown in a bucket of material to see how much of the pieces I could catch , surprising I caught all of them in my sluice .

 

[B H Prospector]

Hi Utduder and welcome to the forum.
You need to dig on the inside bend on a creek where gravel bars form. Start at the upper end of the bar. How deep you dig before panning depends on how deep it is to bedrock. If it is rather shallow or exposed in places pan or sluice right away. If it is deep then sample pan as you dig down until you start to see signs of paydirt,(gold). Generally you want to see color before you spend any time sluiceing unless you know there is color there. Look for high benches (gravel deposits left high and dry after floods. Around and under boulders. When possible always dig for bedrock. Sometimes it is just too deep. By all means take those fellas up on their offer to tag along. There is no better way to learn than by doing.

Good Luck!!


BH Prospector

 

[wally62us]

The river up there is a mess. At least in Mary Ellens gulch. That is where we go. They say the higher you go the chunkier the gold. But the road to the top is so bad, a 4 wheeler can barely make it up there. So we have just started at the bottom of Mary Ellens Gulch, and work our way up. There is no set path for the river when its is high. We have found flour gold almost everywhere we dig and sluice. There is no set rule to finding gold in that canyon. You will see what I mean if you go there. Bed rock is only about 1 foot away. And sometimes exposed. So you don't have to dig very far in some spots. And there is so much pyrite up there. It will drive you crazy. We were thinking about going next weekend. If I get my keene backpack dredge put together. The directions for assembly are a joke. Keene sure didnt put any time in directions. I am sure your sluice will work great. But me and my wife are rookies. So beware. We go a lot, and read all we can on gold prospecting. Wish I new as much as some of the people on this forum.

 

[Utduder]

Sounds like a challenging little canyon. I've lived here my whole life an never been up there, kind of a shame. This website is the reason I decided to give prospecting a try. Just thread after thread of knowledge an kind people. Can't wait to share my trips an pics with u all. Gonna go out a bit later again on the weber ... I know there has to be some color in that canyon.

 

[Lanny in AB]

Go visit Roger at the Prospector's Supply in Orem--he's a wealth of knowledge and he has a good selection of equipment too. I've stopped in to see him many times--he's a straight shooter.

All the best,

Lanny

I found this little video on him and it's very informative.

 

[Utduder]

Ya I saw that video about a week ago. I'm bout an hour an a half drive away but I really wanna go there a check out his shop and bs.

 

[Rutnbuck]

Tomarrow eve Wensday at 7:00 P.M Nupa Northern Utah Prospectors will meet at the Elks Lodge on 975 No. Wall in Ogden. Come on over and sit in on the meeting! A lot of intersting folks and info.
Kelly

 

[spoofman]

the only problem about going up there this weekend is the american fork area is only open during a certian time for prospecting. July 1st through October 15th you will find this out on the permit for recreational prospecting.

 

[Brandx]

Hello gents,
I am new to this as well. I have been reading the post and sounds like a lot of great and help full people on here. I live in Brigham City and would be interested in tagin along and helping on a dig. I have done a little diggin up Willard and out by Snowville no luck yet. I made a hand dredge and have some pans. Working on getting a sluice. I am also working on getting a new metal detector. I have an old bounty hunter. I lave going out.

Brandon

 

[Lanny in AB]

Hello gents,
I am new to this as well. I have been reading the post and sounds like a lot of great and help full people on here. I live in Brigham City and would be interested in tagin along and helping on a dig. I have done a little diggin up Willard and out by Snowville no luck yet. I made a hand dredge and have some pans. Working on getting a sluice. I am also working on getting a new metal detector. I have an old bounty hunter. I lave going out.

Brandon

I hope someone gets back to you. Get out in those hills and have some fun. There's gold there for sure--I've got some of it.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Lanny in AB]

Ya I saw that video about a week ago. I'm bout an hour an a half drive away but I really wanna go there a check out his shop and bs.

Take the time to go have a chat with him--he knows a lot, and if you make sure you've got the time to listen, you'll also learn a lot.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Utduder]

Hello gents,
I am new to this as well. I have been reading the post and sounds like a lot of great and help full people on here. I live in Brigham City and would be interested in tagin along and helping on a dig. I have done a little diggin up Willard and out by Snowville no luck yet. I made a hand dredge and have some pans. Working on getting a sluice. I am also working on getting a new metal detector. I have an old bounty hunter. I lave going out.

Brandon

Well I think I'm gonna go up to Willard Canyon tomorrow and try my luck. How much have you poked around up there? I'm just gonna sample sample sample till I get color. I don't have much just a home made sluice an a pan. Is there enough water in the river for a sluice? I have never been up there. Your welcome to join me but I'm probably a bigger noob than you lol.

 

[Brandx]

Thanks for getting back Utduder. Sorry I didn't get back to you had a full weekend with the family. If you went Willard I'm sure you seen there is no water. Unless there was some from this last storm. I have pulled a couple of buckets out and just taken them home and panned out some found black sand but no color. I would like to try the Weber River in Ogden. It looked low enough to put a sluice on. I haven't check into any rules for the river yet. I have read there is some color in there. Have you ever checked into it?

 

[Utduder]

I am Sure it is ok a ranger stopped an asked I'd I had found Anything on the weber one day. I was just messing around an ended up with 1 super small fleck. Willer canyon had water if in fact I was in willard canyon. Is it by a quarry ? I went there an dug some small holes in the dry part of the creek an panned a little color very little . Like 5 tiny tiny flecks. I wish I had my digging tools an pry bar to move the big boulders that were in my way . Oh well. I might go up tomorrow if my wife is up for it after the kids go to a school.

 

[Brandx]

That is good it had water. That is great you found some color. Did you turn by the water fall on the old highway just before Willard. I would like to go up and check it out with you. I wouldn't be able to go until Saturday after noon. I work late this week. If you would like to go dig let me know. Were you able to run your sluice box? If so how did it work?

 

[Utduder]

I didn't see any water fall. I just put in willard canyon on my app map. I went up the road before the cemetery I think. Hope I was ok to be there ... I ran into some hunters.

 

[Brandx]

Did you go up by staker & parsons gravel pit. The water fall is rite by the old hwy on the west side just coming in to Willard from Brigham.