High Desert California gold prospecting

[Bananahands]

Hello all

I am new to this area and need advice on where to start looking for the yellow stuff. I live on the dry part of the Mohave River and have heard there is gold a little ways away where it flows and also up in the Angeles National Forrest.

Any tips for the new guy?

Mike

 

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[Klondikeike]

Klondike here...

I am very familiar wit the high desert gold areas...

Between Barstow and Lucuern Valley.... take the highway out to Barstow from LV.... there is a reasonable sharp curve to the right maybe 15 miles out.. and the a couple of miles later... the road lazily winds through some hills... comes out and a rather long straight away with a ranch off to the right and a long ways a head of you... just as you come out the hills .. there is a dirt road that goes to the right and comes out in Barstow...(It's the old stage coach road from LV to Barstow...) the larger black table top mountain off in the distance, and slightly to the right, but yet in front of you as well.... is Ord Mountain... the gold gets better as you get closer to the mountain....

This is an all dry washing areas... there is no water except for when it rains really hard... IF YOU CAN GET ACCESS.. this area MAY be protected today by a wilderness area... but I am not sure..

It is very easy to get stuck out there.. make sure you have a good 4x4 and a winch wouldn't hurt either...

There is very good gold in this area.. and once in a while a nice nugget will show up... Ord Mountain is know for it one time commercial silver mines... many tunnel..I do not recommend you go into any of them....

Be careful of the Mojave Green Rattle Snake.. this is native habitat for them.. Their venom is the nastiest of all rattlers.... and for many years there was no anti-venom..... Just be careful they blend in well with the native shrubs in the area...


ALSO a interesting area...that saw a minor gold rush in at Holcum Valley up near Big Bear..... I only MD up there for nuggets, but I know others who dry washed and did some sluicing during the spring run off....other wise it's pretty dry up otherwise....

ALSO.. Out around Ransburg ..... there is also some good gold.. minor golds rush and still some folks living in the old mining ghost towns out there...There may even be some claims for sale there as well...

ALSO deep creek will give up some gold as well.. but not much at the lower end.. better to go up stream a few miles...

ALSO.. the narrows in the Cajon Canyon by the Mormon Rocks....where the blue to green bed rock is.. you can easily see it from the freeway...and I have found gold, not much, but have found gold in some of the other side canyon as well...

This will give you a good start and keep you busy for a while checking these places out...

Good luck...


Klondike...

 

[Bananahands]

Thanks for the reply Klondike! There is a lo of information there and I really appreciate it.

Is Ord Mountain almost due south of Calico Mountain?

Other than that, all the other places seem to be in or very close to the San Bernardino Mountains so I would imagine that they are slightly more accessible than Ord Mtn. Would be. Or at least a campsite within hiking distance would be easy to get to.

Would the BLM be able to tell me where I could pan without getting in too much trouble?

Mike