What do you need to know about gold panning in Oregon? This writing will provide you everything you need to know about gold panning and the top 10 places for gold panning in Oregon.
If you are looking to do gold panning in Oregon, the first thing you should do is look into the Oregon Department of Forestry website to find out about any regulations for panning in the state. Then, you should join an organization such as the: Association of Gold Prospectors and Miners, Oregon United Panners, or the Oregon Panning Association.
Other good points are to make sure that your tools are in good working order and that you have all the proper safety equipment for yourself. You should also have some knowledge about how to pan gold before you head out into the woods. There are some useful books on gold panning in Oregon such as ‘Gold Guide’ by Frank G. Boxley Jr.
Always be aware of your surroundings and make sure that you have a way of communicating with other people in the area, as well as a way of contacting emergency services if you need to. If you take children or pets with you while gold panning in Oregon, make sure that they are also wearing proper safety equipment such as a helmet or kneepads.
Table of Contents
What do you know about gold?
Gold is one of the rarest chemical elements globally, providing sustainable value making humans drawn physically and emotionally to it. Now the question turns to which countries are producing the most massive volume of gold.
According to the World Gold Council data as of June 24, 2021, the U.S. is known to be the 4th country of global gold production in China, Australia, and Russia. Accordingly, the country has produced 200.2 tonnes in 2019 and is the net exporter of gold.
This writing will provide you everything you need to know about gold panning and the top 10 places for gold panning in Oregon and be prepared for the exciting trip ahead.
What do you know about gold panning in Oregon?
Oregon’s first gold rush began in 1851 when the first gold discovery was made along the South Fork of the American River. In the year 1852, there were 600 people living along this river. There was one store, two butcher shops, three hotels and several saloons and brothels. The town had a jail with six prisoners in it. By 1853 there were twelve stores, seven restaurants, four hotels and 100 houses. However, as quickly as it came into existence it vanished when miners started to move further upstream to richer rock formations.
A Gold Prospecting Site in Oregon
More gold discoveries were made in Southern Oregon and Northern California during the 1850s and 1860s. However, it was not until 1869 that a group of six men found the ‘Lost Blue Bucket Mine’ in Jackson County. This gold rush saw the arrival of many people from San Francisco seeking their fortune. This gold rush echoed the previous one in that it was short-lived and, by 1871, only two stores remained open.
Then, during the 1870s and 1880s, placer mines were developed along stream beds in Southern Oregon. The best-known placer mine at this time was called La Grande Placer Mine which is situated on the North Fork of Mill Creek near Wolf Creek Pass.
Later, it can be found in Josephine Creek on the rivers of Applegate, Illinois, and Rouges, including the adjacent area of Gold Beach on the Coast. Until now, this ancient kind of treasure hunting still excites people of all ages.
Nowadays, most public lands are managed by the U.S. The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) remain open for people to conduct recreational gold mining.
These places include Tunnel Ridge, Little Applegate, Gold Nugget, Rogue river, and Cow Creek areas of southern Oregon and the rivers of Powder and Burnt of northeast Oregon. Quartzville Creek in central Oregon also attracts recreational gold miners.
You don’t need any gold panning permit for recreational gold panning from the BLM or specific equipment; just bring a gold pan, gold container, and big enthusiasm for such a kind of treasure hunting activity.
Thus, gold panning is not only a fun and adventurous expedition for your family and a trip with friends back in the old-time, but the feeling of having luck enough to find gold in your pan should also be more exciting. Whether you can find at a recreational gold panning or other fee digging site, the best part of the gold search is so rewarding that you can keep all the gold you find.
However, if miners happen to use suction dredge, they will have to ask for two states’ permits. Besides, it cannot use high bankers, shovels, sluices, or rockers on the gold mining sites. Therefore make sure you check the most updated information with the relevant management agency about the places and standard equipment for recreation gold panning.
Top 10 Places to go Gold Panning in Oregon
There are few places on public lands in Oregon that are open to the public for recreational use, including gold panning. Most sites allow people to go panning use hand and pan, while others allow people to use more mining tools like shovel, sluices, and suction dredges with required specific permits.
Still, days for gold panning may be long gone; this doesn’t mean you don’t have any luck finding it. In this writing, we would positively like to introduce several sites and areas that are open to the public for recreational gold panning in Oregon. Plus, you are highly recommended to contact the relevant management agency to get the most updated information and rules related to the place that you intend to visit.
In this writing, we would like to provide you with the top 10 places to go gold panning in Oregon, hopefully, useful for your next exciting adventure of gold mining.
Little Applegate
Location Map of Recreational Mining Areas in Medford district of the Bureau of Land Management
https://www.blm.gov/or/districts/medford/files/goldbrochure.pdf
Little Applegate is situated in the Medford District of the Bureau of Land Management in Southwest Oregon. This site is open to the public for recreational gold mining on public lands.
Panning is allowed without a permit by the Bureau of Land Management. Suction dredges of equal to or less than four inches is allowed here. However, you need to obtain two permits from the State to use this suction dredge:
- a 700-PM Permit issued by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)
- an Authorization of Oregon on Removal-Fill issued by Division of State Lands (DSL).
Suction dredges can operate at the Little Applegate from July 1- September 15.
Please contact the Bureau of Land Management at 97504 541-618-2200 or 97526 (541) 471-6500.
More details can be found on
https://www.blm.gov/or/districts/medford/files/goldbrochure.pdf
Tunnel Ridge
Another site, namely Tunnel Ridge, is situated in the Medford District of the Bureau of Land Management in Southwest Oregon.
Panning is allowed without a permit by the Bureau of Land Management. Suction dredges of equal to or less than four inches is allowed here. However, you need to obtain two permits from the State to use this suction dredge:
- a 700-PM Permit issued by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)
- an Authorization of Oregon on Removal-Fill issued by Division of State Lands (DSL).
Suction dredges can operate at the Tunnel Ridge typically from July 1- September 15.
Please contact the Bureau of Land Management at 97504 541-618-2200 or 97526 (541) 471-6500.
More details can be found on
https://www.blm.gov/or/districts/medford/files/goldbrochure.pdf
Gold Nugget
Located in the same Medford district of the Bureau of Land Management in Southwest Oregon, Gold Nugget is open for recreational gold mining on public lands.
Panning is allowed without a permit by the Bureau of Land Management. Suction dredges of equal to or less than four inches is allowed here. However, you need to obtain two permits from the State to use this suction dredge:
- a 700-PM Permit issued by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)
- an Authorization of Oregon on Removal-Fill issued by Division of State Lands (DSL).
Suction dredges can operate typically during June 15 August 31 at Gold Nugget Site.
Please contact the Bureau of Land Management at 97504 541-618-2200 or 97526 (541) 471-6500.
More details can be found on
https://www.blm.gov/or/districts/medford/files/goldbrochure.pdf
Hellgate Recreation Area of the Rogue River
Map of Hellgate Recreation Area
https://www.blm.gov/or/districts/medford/files/goldbrochure.pdf
The Hellgate Recreation Area varies in size from 0.5 to 40 acres and is located in the Rogue River Valley. This recreational area offers panning for gold and other minerals, as well as a campground.
This site also has varied terrain including an old-growth Douglas fir and mixed conifer forest with plenty of places to walk, bike, or horseback ride.
Finally, the Hellgate Recreation Area of the Rogue River is the fourth site located in the same Medford district of the Bureau of Land Management in Southwest Oregon. This site is considered one of the best places to prospect gold along the Rogue River. Rouge River is known to be one of the rivers with the wealthiest gold in Southern Oregon, especially the area between Gold Hill and Grants Pass.
Location: Hellgate Recreation Area covers a 27-mile stretch of the river between the entrance of the Applegate River and the entrance of Graves Creek and includes tributaries within ¼ mile of the Rogue River itself.
Panning is allowed without a permit by the Bureau of Land Management. However, some restrictions are applied to the type of equipment you can use to go panning. For example, suction dredges are not allowed at this site. Thus, make sure you can check with the Medford District’s BLM about which equipment is legal to prospect before going.
The Bureau of Land Management manages these four above recreational gold mining sites.
Thus, if you have any information regarding these sites, please contact the Bureau of Land Management at 97504 541-618-2200 or 97526 (541) 471-6500.
More details can be found on
https://www.blm.gov/or/districts/medford/files/goldbrochure.pdf
Quartzville Recreational Mining Corridor
Map of Quartzville Recreational Mining Corridor
Quartzville Recreational Mining Corridor is a recreational outdoor area in the Quartzville-Illini State Forest and is located west of Mount Carroll, Illinois. This mining site operates on the stretch of road east of Interstate 74 to US 45 that provides an experience for both novice and experienced prospectors to explore. This site has a nationally recognized trail system, which includes two different locations for stream water sampling (flow), rock tumbling and creekside panning sites with plenty of shaded areas for breaking up large slabs or gold panners.
Contact: The Salem District Office
Address: 1717 Fabry Road SE, Salem, Oregon 97306
Phone (503) 399-5646.
Applegate Ranger District
Map of Apple Ranger District
Apple Ranger District is located in southwestern side of Oregon in the Rogue River National Forest. There are four fee panning sites that you have to get charge for a dollar per day for panning in the areas next to campgrounds.
Address: 6941 Upper Applegate Road, Jacksonville, Oregon 97530
Phone (503) 899-1812.
Wallowa-Whitman National Forest
Map of Wallowa-Whitman National Forest
Areas set aside for recreational gold mining as a free site in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest in northeastern Oregon are listed below:
- Eagle Forks Campground is located nine mile in the northwestern side of Richland in the Pine Ranger District in Halfway in Oregon.
Contact: (503) 742-7511.
- McCully Forks Campground is located on McCully Forks Creek, just western side of Sumpter in Baker Ranger, in the Baker City in Oregon.
- Deer Creek Campground is located on Deer Creek in the northern side of Phillips Lake in Baker Ranger in Baker City in Oregon.
- The Recreational Area of the Powder River is located just below the Mason Dam, Baker Ranger, in Baker City in Oregon.
Contact: (503) 523-4476.
- Antlers Guard Station is located on the Burnt River in Unity Ranger District, Unity of Oregon.
Contact: (503) 446-3351.
It is advised not to conduct mining on the campsites themselves and that the campgrounds and roads are away from the mineral entry to avoid people from destroying them. There are no separate areas set aside for mining; thus, you can check with the local Forest Service office to get started.
Also, gold panning is permitted on nearly all rivers and streams running through campgrounds on USDA Forest Service (USPS) land and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Oregon. You can check maps for campground locations in relevant local USPS and BLM offices, or USPS Recreation Information Office.
Butte Falls Recreational Area
Map of Butte Falls Recreational Area
Another site managed by Medford District, Bureau of Land Management, is Butte Falls Recreational Area is the free site located in southwestern Oregon.
Contact: The Medford District Office
Address: 3040 Biddle Road, Medford, Oregon 97504
Phone: (503) 770-2200.
Sixes River Recreation Site
Sixes River
https://www.blm.gov/visit/sixes-river
Sixes River Recreation Site is located 10 miles east of Sixes in Curry County in Oregon. This site is the prime location for gold panning and managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
This site has attracted many gold miners dating back in the mid-1850s, but now it is open to the public for recreational mining, including gold prospecting. Here gold searcher can do panning, suction dredging, and sluicing. You are not required to obtain a permit for recreational gold panning at public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management; however, if you conduct suction dredges, sluicing, rocker boxes, you need to apply for two permits from the State, which are:
- a 700-PM Permit issued by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)
- an Authorization of Oregon on Removal-Fill issued by Division of State Lands (DSL).
Other than that, if you want to use motorized equipment, bear in mind that motorized operations are only allowed by the Department of Fish and Wildlife of Oregon on the Sixes River from July 15 through September 30 as the in-water work period.
You can also go fishing, go camping, or relax in the campsites if you want to make a getaway here.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 541-756-0100
Address: Coos Bay District, 1300 Airport Lane, North Bend, Oregon 97459
Website: https://www.blm.gov/visit/sixes-river
Sharps Creek Recreation Site is lying under the foothill of the Cascade Mountains in Lane County. This site is located about 18 miles southeast of Cottage Grove and is a prime location for gold panning.
Direction: To get to the Sharps Creek Recreation area, you need to take Cottage Grove exit 174 from the Interstate I-5 at the northbound and southbound. Then turn left from the exit and follow the signs to the Lake of Dorena. Keep going on Row River Road for about 4 miles, then continue to go straight on Shoreview Drive for 6.6 miles until meeting Row River Road. You will continue traveling for 4.2 miles to Sharps Creek Road. Later, you will turn right onto Sharps Creek Road and keep going for 3.1 miles. You will find the campground located on the right; the area overlooking Sharps Creek for day-use is situated on the left.
Map to Sharps Creek Recreation Site
https://www.blm.gov/or/resources/recreation/files/brochures/Sharps_Creek.pdf
It was in 1858 that Sharps Creek was the wealthiest gold found in the Cascade Mountains. Recreational gold panning with hand and pan is permitted during the period from June 1 to September 15. Here you can do suction dredging and sluicing with hoses with a diameter of less than or equal to 4 inches from July 1 through September 1, provided that such mining activity will not affect other recreational activities. However, to do suction dredging, you have to obtain a permit from the Department of Environmental Quality of Oregon, located in Salem in Oregon.
You also have to bear in mind not to operate mining equipment upstream immediately when people are using the swimming area. Also, remember to stay within the recreation site areas to prevent trespassing on the nearby private lands.
Here you can find a small campground as well as a daily use area along Sharps Creek. Besides, visitors can enjoy hiking, wildlife viewing, camping, swimming, picnicking, and panning for gold. Please also bear in mind that the site is open only from May 15 to September 30.
More information about this site can be found on https://www.blm.gov/or/resources/recreation/files/brochures/Sharps_Creek.pdf.
Eugene District Office Bureau of Land Management
Address: 2890 Chad Drive P.O. Box 10226 Eugene, Oregon 97440
Phone: (888) 442-3062 or (541) 683-6600
Oregon State Laws Regarding Panning for Gold
Oregon State laws concern gold panning. It is against the law to pan for gold on private property without written permission. It is also illegal to pan for gold in streams. In some areas of Oregon, it is possible to own land and dig for gold on it without restrictions as long as you do not remove the ore yourself. There are also laws regarding how you can use a placer miner’s license and placer miner’s stamp when working in Oregon.
Contact information:
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
100 SW 6th Avenue, Suite 300
Corvallis, OR 97333-4200
website: http://www.dfw.state.or.us/
phone number: 541-766-2600
Oregon Land Ownership Laws & Mineral Rights
Mineral rights in Oregon are different from other western states. In most other western states the ownership of minerals is determined by the federal government. In Oregon, mineral rights are granted to individuals or entities by the State of Oregon. Therefore, it is necessary to examine existing property deeds for descriptions of mineral rights.
Oregon offers two basic kinds of mineral rights: surface and underground. Surface rights are those used for extracting minerals from beneath land surfaces. Underground mineral rights are used for extracting minerals from underground subsurface formations.
Underground Mineral Rights are subject to an “exploration test” before a mineral owner can begin extracting minerals legally.
John P. Kleiss
Associate Professor of Law
Oregon State University College of Law
Eugene, OR 97403-5200
(541) 737-8333; fax (541) 737-8486
Resource Management & Restoration Program
resources information:
http://law.oregonstate.edu/law-lib/42/053.html
Mining Law website:
http://www.law.oregonstate.edu/jkleiss
Gold Panning Equipment and Supplies
The gold pan is a dish, typically made from light metal, for washing sand and gravel to extract heavy, valuable minerals such as gold. The dish is placed face down in a stream or creek. An armored person then proceeds to sweep the bottom of the pan with a riffle stick.
To extract gold from the water, it helps to have a raincoat. This keeps your clothes dry and protects you from hot sand. You might also want to invest in some gloves or a personal cooling device, such as an icepack.
You might also invest in some water-resistant boots in order to keep your feet dry and toes warm. This is especially important if you are walking over wet rocks while panning.
In order to keep comfortable during the winter, it is important to invest in some warm clothing and vice versa for the summer. In addition, you might also want to take the time out of your day for a long walk outdoors. This allows you to enjoy the fresh air and burn off some extra calories as well.
An example of a gold panning equipment is a gold wash tub or sluice box. This is a makeshift device that can be made out of old 5 gallon buckets and rock. You can also buy these at the store for about one hundred dollars. This type of box enables people to get to their precious metals quicker than with the traditional hand pan, however, it does not extract as much heavy minerals, such as gold or silver.
Gold rockers are also a type of gold panning equipment. These are made from heavy-duty steel and can be easily transported. The rocker is put on its side and rocks back and forth like a rocking chair, which enables you to get to the gold more quickly. This type of equipment is good for people who want to extract more heavy minerals such as gold or silver than with other types of pans. Rockers can be found in stores that sell this type of equipment for about two hundred dollars.”
Dredges and suction machines are series of pipes with a vacuum pump. This type of equipment is used by people who want to extract gold from the bottom of rivers or streams. These can be found in stores for around thirty thousand dollars.
While the gold pan is a dish, typically made from light metal, for washing sand and gravel to extract heavy minerals such as gold, a knife is also an option for extracting precious minerals. A knife can be used in the hand to scrape away at mud and rocks looking for traces of precious material that might have washed downstream or been buried in stream banks. It is important to use a good quality knife while using this method because serrated blades do not work well on materials like rock or clay.
There are two scales for gold, one is the gallon and the other is the gram. The gallon scale requires that you weigh gold in liquid or in a troy ounce. One troy ounce is equivalent to 28 grams and weighs around 1/20th of an ounce. This scale can be used with virtually no efficiency on any sort of equipment as it requires direct contact with gold.
The gram scale can be used to weigh any number of items that have not been weighed before but contains some kind of metal content that will give off a detectable amount of weight when struck by a hammer or mallet (such as silver).
Final Thoughts
After you have found some gold, you will need to process it if you want to keep any of it for yourself. This process involves washing the gold using a chemical such as sodium carbonate to remove the dirt and rocks that are attached to it. You can then crush and separate the gold from the rest of the rocks using a mill.
There is no best way of panning for gold in Oregon, you just need to find a location that interests you, and use your own method of panning. There are other ways to pan gold in the state, such as:-
Gold Shaking: This is when two different-sized pans are used for breaking up larger pieces of rock so that they can be separated into smaller nuggets. This process is very fast and easy due to its low intensity.
Rock Tumbling: This is another method of separating rocks for gold. You first place a slurry of sodium carbonate into the pan, then add a portable tumbler with a variety of different water content and then shake the contents around for around fifteen minutes before separating out the gold from the rocks.
Creekside Pans: This is an old fashioned method for panning gold which uses a hand-held pan and two pans which are placed at each end. The pans are filled with water, heated and put in place to allow them to heat up, and then you place three pinches of crushed rock in the bottom pan.
The truth is, there are so many places that gold has not been discovered across the State in Oregon. A skillful gold miner can be found with his incredible determination and masterful experience and also depends on luck. Still, many places may be left behind this writing. Hopefully, it has made for your list of choices.
In a nutshell, gold panning is not only a fun and adventurous expedition for your family to experience a part of local history, the feeling of having luck enough to find gold in your pan should be more exciting. Whether you can find at a recreational gold panning or other fee digging site, the best part of the gold find is so rewarding that you can keep all the gold you find. The only tools you need are a gold pan, gold container, and adventurous sense; why not give it a try!
Frequently asked questions
Question: Where is the most massive gold production in the U.S.?
Most gold is found in Nevada’s large open-pit mining state in the U.S., making it the largest gold producing State in the country.
Question: Where to find gold in Oregon?
In Oregon, gold mines can be found spreading much across the State, mostly in the Southwest, Northeast, and the Western Cascades of Oregon.
Question: Where to pan for gold for free in Oregon?
Most public lands managed by the U.S. The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) remain open for people to conduct recreational gold mining for free.
Question: Is it legal to pan for gold in Oregon?
Yes, it is legal to pan for gold in Oregon. It is allowed on most public lands like creeks and rivers managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
Question: Where is the most gold found in Oregon?
According to the Department of Geology and Mineral Industries of Oregon, Blue Mountain is the most crucial gold mining field in Oregon. The site, of which production comprised three-fourth total gold output of the State, is located in the northeastern part of Oregon.
Question: When is the ideal time to pan for gold in Oregon?
You can go panning for gold any time of the year, except for the time of spawning salmon or steelhead, red (fish eggs) are present. You can check the information on these species’ spawning time on the website of the Department of Fish and Wildlife of Oregon.
Question: Do I need to bring special equipment to pan for gold?
You don’t need any permit for recreational gold panning from the BLM or specific equipment. Just bring a gold pan, gold container, and big enthusiasm for such a treasure hunting activity. However, if miners happen to use suction dredge, they will have to ask for two states’ permits.
Question: What are permits I need to obtain to do suction dredge if applicable?
You are not required to obtain a permit for recreational gold panning at public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management; however, if you conduct suction dredges, you need to apply for two permits from the State, which are:
- a 700-PM Permit issued by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)
- an Authorization of Oregon on Removal-Fill issued by Division of State Lands (DSL).
Question: What else do I need to pay attention to when panning for gold in public sites managed by the Bureau of Land Management?
You have to make sure not to obstruct the passage of fish underwater, divert a waterway, obstruct boating, disturb trees, rooted woody plants, excavate the stream’s bank, leave piles, pits or potholes after gold panning. You can find more restrictions on the website of the Bureau of Land Management.
Question: Are there any other places that you would recommend to conduct gold panning in Oregon apart from the ten sites?
Apart from the 10 places listed in this writing, the Burnt River is one of the longest gold-bearing rivers in Eastern Oregon. The gold wealthiest location runs through the Burnt River Canyon to Durkee’s western side, then all the way downstream to Brownlee Reservoir.
It is believed that there is more gold in the current river, but the gold wealthiest areas are actually in the deposits of ancient rivers.