Prime Spots For Backpacking Detectors

Jonsered

Jr. Member
Oct 12, 2009
50
49
New Mexico
Detector(s) used
White's Spectrum XLT
Thought I'd start a thread on this, and I'll just add to it as I get time.

Almost all my detecting takes place in the middle of nowhere. Essentially, if you can get to it with a vehicle, I'm not interested. Over my 30 years of traipsing around NM's boonies, I've come across some interesting sites, and I'll be sharing them here.

1) Mineral Creek - This is on the North edge of the Gila Wilderness, East and just a shade North of Mogollon. This Creek runs East / West for 10 miles or so. About 4 miles down the creekbed from the easternmost point of the creek, there are the remains of a sawmill. Big boiler, lots of bricks and some wooden debris. Continue West down the creek for another 2 miles, and you will run into a good sized mine on the North wall of the creekbed. Wooden remains including ore bins and chutes run 80 yards across the hillside. The mine is big, and as of March 2007, was still open. This area is definitely worth checking out. Mineral Creek is gorgeous, and the creek bed itself is so colorful it looks like there was a candy store explosion.

2) Florida Mountains - South and slightly East of Deming. This entire mountain chain is pocked with mines. Many are accessible by vehicle, but many more are not. Most of the best run in a North / South line down the East face of the mountains. Lots of above ground remains, including ore bins and chutes. Dozens of open shafts and adits. Good detecting country.

3) Hermosa / Palomas Camp - 25 or 30 miles South of Chloride on the East side of the Black Range. There is a road, but in my jacked up 4x4 Suburban, it is a bad ride. Probably not passable in 2 wheel drive except in the best of conditions. About 10 buildings standing at Hermosa proper, which is property of Ted Turner. Another 10 or so running down the Canyon heading East from Hermosa, which is the Palomas Camp area. Mines literally everywhere you look. Many large pieces of mining equipment. I have taken some dust and nuggets out of here on several occasions.

Thats a start. I'll add more as I get time.
 

Goose-0

Hero Member
Dec 25, 2006
968
278
Central Minnnesota
Detector(s) used
White's DFX & VX3
It seems that you really get around. I'm from Minnesota and have made 2 week detecting trips to N M for ghost town hunting every yr now for 6 yrs.....except this yr when my partner, my brother died. We covered a lot of area from I H 40 southward. Two yrs ago, we discovered small adobe/field rock homes (around 12) in an area SW of St Rosa. We met 2 nice cowboys herding cattle and they said that they didn't know those now delapidated buildings were there. I'm contemplating another trip in the spring and I have a mess of N M items on ghost towns...old original maps (oldest 1920), books on ghost towns, books on mining, some history books, and a few common maps in the 1960s and newer.

One yr we compared a 1960 map to a present day map.....your present day maps DON'T show old towns or some now existing roads. The same yr I marked 14 towns that showed on the 1960 map.....we found 3 of the now non-existing towns....didn't find the other 11. Yes, we found a few good items, and a saloon token from Lake Valley....a big buck token.

A great help is the 'DeLORME ATLAS' for New Mexico. It's a large atlas and shows everything....creeks, gravel roads, trails, etc. It also shows some (existing) towns that are not on the modern N M maps. Also, check www.ghosttowns.com.
 

OP
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Jonsered

Jr. Member
Oct 12, 2009
50
49
New Mexico
Detector(s) used
White's Spectrum XLT
You are absolutely right about the old maps. My family has lived in NM since 1883, and they were all hoarders! I have quite a few maps dating back to the 20's, plus a bunch of hand drawn stuff people have given me over the years.

Anyway, a couple more spots.

1) White Mountain Wilderness - near Ruidoso The White Mountain didn't have the quantity of mines that some other places do, but there are some beauties nonetheless. Several are on private property, but many are available to backpackers. There are four or five running along the West face of the mountains, starting just North of the Three Rivers campground. I have detected two, and come up with 5 turn of the century coins. These are fairly remote, and I saw no sign that anyone has worked them at any point. There are several more, including the Helen Rae and the All American on the East side, closer to Nogal. The Helen Rae is well known, and beautiful! Working out from the Helen Rae, there are two good locations just South, and two more just North.

2) Apache Kid Wilderness - This is one of my favorites in a way. Rugged as can be, but it keeps folks out and keeps the area pristine! Not a ton of mines here, but surprisingly there are quite a few locations. The remains of a sawmill are located at the East end of Indian Canyon, along with a car frame and some misc items. I can't come up with the name of the canyon at the moment, but it runs North / South and Indian Canyon tees into it, and there are the remains of several structures spaced along the canyon bottom.

I'll keep adding.
 

stude

Jr. Member
Nov 8, 2009
42
30
las cruces nm
All good places, but I would add caution about Florida Mtns. Lots of Border Patrol, D.E.A. and Homeland Security in that area. Be careful and be straight. Also, check out Cook's Pk in same area.
 

johnnycat

Bronze Member
Aug 19, 2007
1,508
306
Mechanicsville, VA
Detector(s) used
Legend
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Have started to check out the Floridas. As noted above, be careful in that area. If possible take a buddy along even if its your pet dog. By all means I would strongly advice to carry a sidearm, ALWAYS.
 

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Jonsered

Jr. Member
Oct 12, 2009
50
49
New Mexico
Detector(s) used
White's Spectrum XLT
I'm sick of harrassment from the Feds in this area. Actually had a shouting match with a Border Patrol agent. I'm finding a lot of trash that would indicate illegal alien or dope smuggler traffic. Still, its a great area, especially now that I've got some new gold propspecting equipment. I will not be denied.
 

snakeyes

Sr. Member
Jan 4, 2007
493
114
Northen New Mexico
Detector(s) used
don't laugh viper trident/ E.Trac
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Kool posts, I do most of my detecting N of I40, lots of relitives and friends with ranches around Las Vegas ,to Ribera and Villa Neuva. A friend has invited me his ranch , it's between Encino and Vaughn and I have a cousin with an old homestead between Portales and Roswell. Another cousin wants to take me to the E side of the Sandias where he was raised, its all old spanish land grants, but I think I need to try and get a little info on that before I take my detector in there, there are several abanded houses that have either fallen or burned down and a couple of abanded orchards.
 

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Jonsered

Jr. Member
Oct 12, 2009
50
49
New Mexico
Detector(s) used
White's Spectrum XLT
Any good spots around san Juan county?
Off the top of my head, I don't know. I may have something for you, and I'll get back on that.

More spots:

Marcia: Old logging town in the Sacramento Mountains. A good number of buildings standing until just a few years ago. Everything burned in a forest fire, and now its a good detecting area.

Carthage/Tokay: Coal mining area east of San Antonio, NM. Most structures are gone due to US government desert restoration project, but you can still see where it all was
 

desertscour

Tenderfoot
Jan 18, 2013
9
1
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
any one know if the public can pan for gold or sluice near or around ruidoso NM
 

Rawhide

Silver Member
Nov 17, 2010
3,590
2,185
SouthWestern USA
Detector(s) used
Nox 800, Etrac, F75, AT Pro. Last two for sale.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I walk the Dona Ana's mostly, looking for old camps. Lots of trash, but the occasional old casing can be found. Nice post.
 

hvacker

Bronze Member
Aug 18, 2012
2,357
1,904
New Mexico USA
Detector(s) used
My Head
Primary Interest:
Other
Kind of a bummer about the Florida Mts. because I just spent a weekend there and the temps were to high to do much except seek shelter. The volcanic cones are like huge temptations as there has to be something there. The border patrol did have a road block and I had to pull over. Actually I chose to pull over as I guess I could have run the blockade.
 

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Jonsered

Jr. Member
Oct 12, 2009
50
49
New Mexico
Detector(s) used
White's Spectrum XLT
any one know if the public can pan for gold or sluice near or around ruidoso NM

Absolutely. There is a mining company near Nogal (20 miles or so) that has a placer claim, and has opened a backhoe cut down to bedrock. For a nominal fee you can dig away. Its actual placer dirt, not a tourist mine, and its about 400 yards South of the Helen Rae / All American mine complex. I can't remember the name of the outfit, but I can find out. I have also heard solid rumors that people have been getting a little color out of the creek feeding Bonito Lake.
 

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