Tourist wants to visit america to do some gold prospecting - what area?

[oliver]

Hi there people across the pond. I'm a British 17 year old male, and hopefully, when i'm 19 i want to visit America for 2 months, to do some gold prospecting. I'm wondering which areas are the best? I'd ideally need an area with good public transport, and ideally people who aren't xenophobic. What's the laws in America regarding prospecting? I presume i'd need permission? Does wildlife pose a threat to gold prospectors e.g. Snakes - (The most dangerous animal in Britain is probably a bull) Where would i be able to get a sluice box + relevant supplies, would i be able to order them, and pick them up at a postal office? And finally, would it be dangerous for a 19 year old, to go gold prospecting on his own? - I've not got preconceived ideas, however, i know most Americans have guns and believe is protecting their property.

Would be great if you could answer some questions for me!

Thanks,

 

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[H-2 CHARLIE]

wow : well Ca. and Az. would be great unlessyou are set on alaska . I joined a club 6 mos ago and they go out almost every mo. for a club outing / camping in the desert finding gold on our club claims which are proven rich placer areas .... BY the way how do you prospect with ?

 

[Clay Diggins]

Hi Oliver, welcome to the forum.

There is no permission needed for prospecting but you must be an American Citizen or have stated your intent to become one before you can enter our public lands to find valuable minerals.

Should you choose to keep your British Citizenship you could enjoy one of the several "pay to play" private properties found in some of our gold fields. Alternatively you could act as a registered agent for an American Citizen. Your finds would belong to them but you could enjoy prospecting the public lands for their benefit.

I hope you enjoy your visit.

Heavy Pans

 

[oliver]

Hi Oliver, welcome to the forum.

There is no permission needed for prospecting but you must be an American Citizen or have stated your intent to become one before you can enter our public lands to find valuable minerals.

Should you choose to keep your British Citizenship you could enjoy one of the several "pay to play" private properties found in some of our gold fields. Alternatively you could act as a registered agent for an American Citizen. Your finds would belong to them but you could enjoy prospecting the public lands for their benefit.

I hope you enjoy your visit.

Heavy Pans

Thanks for the replies so far. In the Uk, most if not all gold prospecting is done in rivers and streams, using gravel pumps.

Would it be possible to make an agreement with a land owner, to prospect his river / stream and recover gold with the use of a sluice? In the UK, there's so many regulations on pollution of streams by disturbing the gravel - is this the same in America?

 

[BrassEagle]

Oliver Welcome to T net. The answer to your first ? Public transportation. You will not find bus service to most of the mining areas in the U.S. it is very big! I believe that England will fit into Texas so when you come first get a license to drive. Don't relay on public transportation. Second ? there are a lot of areas to explore up north has gold, back east has gold, down south has gold, but the best is out west. If you only have 2 month pick one north,south,east,west. Read every thing you can about that area of the U.S. Third ? Law's you need to read the post here on TN for updates on the law's. Forth ? Permission- I Bill here by give you permission to come to the U.S. Fifth ? Dangerous animals We have a lot of them, two legged, 4 legged some that craw, again read all you can about the area you pick. Sixth ? Do not go any were alone! and YES we do have Guns and know how to use them, you may want to learn now to shoot one for protection from the dangerous animals. Good luck on your Journey be safe Bill

 

[Clay Diggins]

Thanks for the replies so far. In the Uk, most if not all gold prospecting is done in rivers and streams, using gravel pumps.

Would it be possible to make an agreement with a land owner, to prospect his river / stream and recover gold with the use of a sluice? In the UK, there's so many regulations on pollution of streams by disturbing the gravel - is this the same in America?

Yes you could prospect private property with permission from the owner. This method is often overlooked by prospectors here because there are such large areas of public land to explore.

Do your research on areas that might be productive for prospecting and contact landowners in that area. If you plan in advance and are respectful of the landowners wishes you have a very good chance of finding a private property to prospect.

A few things you will want to pay attention to:
Make sure the person granting you permission to prospect actually owns the mineral rights to the property.
Get your prospecting agreement in writing and signed by the owner.

Good luck!

 

[oliver]

If i don't have the correct paperwork and get caught, what's the potential consequences? Here in the UK, you'd probably just get a slap on the wrist by the land owner, is it the same in America?

 

[Clay Diggins]

If i don't have the correct paperwork and get caught, what's the potential consequences? Here in the UK, you'd probably just get a slap on the wrist by the land owner, is it the same in America?

In the United States we take private property rights very seriously. A man's private land is not open to travelers, hunters or passersby as it is in your country. There are no public rights to private lands. We have a very different system of land ownership here.

The most probable consequences would be an arrest for trespassing (no cautions or warnings in our legal system). If you had collected minerals or gold at the time you were caught you could be charged with theft. A conviction on either one of those charges would lead to your visa being revoked and expulsion from the country.

Better to get permission first.

 

[ALewis]

If i don't have the correct paperwork and get caught, what's the potential consequences? Here in the UK, you'd probably just get a slap on the wrist by the land owner, is it the same in America?

Please don't come looking for me if your situation differs,....But, I prospect around a rec area in Northern Cali, only paperwork I've EVER had to show was a Day use / parking pass $10.00 at the entrance. Again, your results may vary

 

[oliver]

I'll probaly find an area i'd like to prospect, then i'd contact the owner of the land. If i was to find gold, would i do a deal with the land owner? Would i also be aloud to remove the minerals from the country? I suppose Canada's a completely different ball game?

 

[Clay Diggins]

Brass Eagle is right that you won't find any public transportation to prospecting areas. If you were to get a driver's permit in Britain you could use that to drive a rented or borrowed vehicle here while you visit. Rental cars are not so very expensive but a rental vehicle designed to go on the rougher roads that lead to most gold fields tend to be much more expensive to rent.

Xenophobia is not a very big issue here for British Citizens. I think you will find most people are friendly and curious and usually very helpful to visitors. There are always exceptions of course, just as there are in your native country.

Wildlife is not a big problem despite the drama you sometimes find on these forums. Biting bugs like mosquito's, chiggers and noseeums can be a problem seasonally in some areas. Bees and spiders do bite and sting here, as I'm sure they do in Britian. Skunks can be a problem in some areas. Rattlesnakes, water moccasins and cottonmouth snakes are poisionous and should be avoided.

The most dangerous large mammal you will encounter is man, second would be wild moose (limited to the very Northern areas of the States). The fear of bears is generally overblown. If you are careful not to get between them and their young or their food supply you really have nothing to fear. Mountain lions, puma, and cougars (different names for the same animal) are not a real threat at all. They are curious but don't prey on humans. All this is for the lower 48 States only - there are very real dangers from some of these animals in Alaska.

You are much more likely to be injured driving or dealing with humans on the way to the gold fields than you are to be injured by a large animal. When you get to the gold fields you will find that most injuries are from falling or encounters with poison oak or dehydration.

You can find prospecting supply stores near any major gold field. Most prospectors are friendly and eager to help new prospectors. Many of the prospecting stores will help you with technique and tools. There are quite a few prospecting clubs that have regular "outings" where a new prospector can try out various tools and methods of gold recovery.

There are many many gold producing areas in the United States. The most productive and easily accessed areas are in California, Oregon, Arizona and Colorado. The Western States, as a rule, are the best areas with a chance of good gold. Georgia in the Southeastern United States is an exception to that rule.

Prospecting alone is more dangerous at any age, perhaps less so for a 19 year old. Physical injuries while prospecting alone can be trouble. Usually the gold fields, and remote areas of the West, do not have cell phone service. If you don't have a partner to help you or to go for medical help something as simple as a broken leg can put your life in real danger. Prospecting involves moving rocks and digging holes and injuries are not uncommon.

I hope that helps you get a clearer picture of what you may encounter Oliver. Once you settle on a general area you wish to explore we can give you more specific ideas of what may work for you.

 

[Clay Diggins]

I'll probaly find an area i'd like to prospect, then i'd contact the owner of the land. If i was to find gold, would i do a deal with the land owner? Would i also be aloud to remove the minerals from the country? I suppose Canada's a completely different ball game?

The normal procedure when prospecting private land is to reach an agreement before beginning as to a "split" of the gold found. Get this agreement in writing.

You may leave the United States with any amount of raw gold. No exit taxes on this side of the pond but you may have some on reentering Britain.

 

[oliver]

Thanks Clay, I've just looked at hire cars and it's going to be $4000+ and that's for a really basic car. I think i'll have to forget about a car.

The normal procedure when prospecting private land is to reach an agreement before beginning as to a "split" of the gold found. Get this agreement in writing.

You may leave the United States with any amount of raw gold. No exit taxes on this side of the pond but you may have some on reentering Britain.

 

[goldenIrishman]

First and foremost.... Welcome Oliver! You came to the right place to get good information.

I would strongly suggest that you try to find someone here that is in an area you'd like to check out. A local contact can do several things for you during your visit. First they know the area and where to go to get the gold. Second they know what equipment works in that area and what is going to be a waste of your time to try using. Third they can teach you about the local nasty critters and how to avoid/handle them. As stated before. different areas have different critters ya have to watch out for. Here it's mainly rattle snakes (built in warning system) scorpions and illegal aliens. For the most part if you leave them alone they'll return the favor.

I've got an idea here that maybe Clay could shed some light on.

If Oliver was to visit a friend here in the states that happens to already have a claim on federal land, would that still be considered as prospecting? I would think that the "prospecting" part would have been done by the person with the claim and Oliver would just be a friend hanging out and helping during his visit. And if his friend happened to share some of the gold they found during his visit..... Get my drift?

 

[stefen]

Let's look at your travel route...first you will probably arrive in New York or along the east coast...then you get a plane to either Las Vegas Nevada, Phoenix Arizona, Palm Springs, Los Angeles, San Francisco or Sacramento California...then you get a 4 wheeler and get into the gold producing fields...

Then get a camping outfit, shovel, pans, etc...

Being a non-citizen, yur chances of buying a gun is slim to none...so forget this idea...

And so far you've spent around 6 grand on a dream and don't even have a sniff of gold...




Your best chance is to actually work a popular tourist beach and look for rings and coin spills. This you can do in the UK or mainland Europe.

If you want to visit the United States, come as a tourist and enjoy the sights.

 

[Clay Diggins]

I've got an idea here that maybe Clay could shed some light on.

If Oliver was to visit a friend here in the states that happens to already have a claim on federal land, would that still be considered as prospecting? I would think that the "prospecting" part would have been done by the person with the claim and Oliver would just be a friend hanging out and helping during his visit. And if his friend happened to share some of the gold they found during his visit..... Get my drift?

As I already wrote he would need to make an agreement with someone who has private property.

Mining claims are private property in the U.S.

Also as a registered prospecting Agent of an American Citizen there is nothing to say that the Citizen couldn't make a gift of any gold he found while prospecting.

There is more than one way to skin and eat a Badger.

 

[loco oro]

i believe a club would be your best bet,they have claims or leases,and you could schedule your trip with there next outing, and probablely catch a ride with,and learn the ropes from them.comunication is key!there are many,many clubs.

 

[oliver]

I know it's expensive, and i very much doubt i'd break even or make a profit. The logistics of getting to America from Britain, cost about £1500 - as i'd be going in peak time. I've probably got about £6500 to spend - roughly 10,000 usd . I really want to visit the "land of the free" and i'd prefer if i didn't go to the tourist hotspots. I'd like to absorb the American culture and have a go at finding some gold. Would it be safe to travel around America with public transport and then rely on hitching a lift or walking? I wouldn't have a gun for protection, but are rural Americans really that dangerous? Is it a good idea to contact a gold panning club, and find a member or two who wouldn't mind putting me up and showing me around?

Let's look at your travel route...first you will probably arrive in New York or along the east coast...then you get a plane to either Las Vegas Nevada, Phoenix Arizona, Palm Springs, Los Angeles, San Francisco or Sacramento California...then you get a 4 wheeler and get into the gold producing fields...

Then get a camping outfit, shovel, pans, etc...

Being a non-citizen, yur chances of buying a gun is slim to none...so forget this idea...

And so far you've spent around 6 grand on a dream and don't even have a sniff of gold...




Your best chance is to actually work a popular tourist beach and look for rings and coin spills. This you can do in the UK or mainland Europe.

If you want to visit the United States, come as a tourist and enjoy the sights.

 

[AzViper]

Who says he has to drop in out west. Most likely Oliver would be landing in New York. Head south to North Carolina if expenses are of concern.

 

[KevinInColorado]

I know it's expensive, and i very much doubt i'd break even or make a profit. The logistics of getting to America from Britain, cost about £1500 - as i'd be going in peak time. I've probably got about £6500 to spend - roughly 10,000 usd . I really want to visit the "land of the free" and i'd prefer if i didn't go to the tourist hotspots. I'd like to absorb the American culture and have a go at finding some gold.
---good plan!

Would it be safe to travel around America with public transport and then rely on hitching a lift or walking?
---Public transport is fine, hitching is generally illegal and can be dangerous. My rule is you are almost always safe asking someone for help but don't trust those who approach you, they may have dastardly intentions. True in the US just as elsewhere (I've lived in Belgium and Germany...and visited the UK about a dozen times)

I wouldn't have a gun for protection, but are rural Americans really that dangerous?
---no, of course not...just like folks in rural England but with guns in most houses. I have NEVER had anyone pull out a gun, ever.

Is it a good idea to contact a gold panning club, and find a member or two who wouldn't mind putting me up and showing me around?
---yes!

---Also, there's lots of prospecting spots in metro Denver which you CAN get to by public bus so you really could fly into Denver International Airport (direct on BA in fact!), take a bus into town, to a prospecting store and to some prospecting spots. If you reached out to prospecting clubs well in advance, I am sure you could get some special prospecting adventures planned too. Gold Prospectors Of The Rockies is the biggest club in town and a good one to reach out to. They do a thing with a group of Japanese exchange students every summer for example.

---Oh and you can prospect freely as a visitor all over metro Denver, not federal land but rather city, county and metro district so do your non-motorized thing all day, clean up after yourself and keep ALL the gold :-)
Full disclosure: you'll find very small gold flakes/specks adding up to well less than a gram per day but you WILL find gold.