Colfax, CA panning. Any advice?

[RandyBraun]

Hi all, I am in my second year of panning and new to TreasureNet. I live in Truckee, on the other side of Donner crest. Has anyone panned gold in Colfax, CA? At Mineral Bar? Any suggestions or tips? I'll be there May 1 for a couple of days if anyone wants to join me.

 

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[russau]

Welcome to the site ! Contact the USGS for info on this location for tips in that area !

 

[N-Lionberger]

Lots of people go to Bear River outside of Colfax.

 

[RandyBraun]

Welcome to the site ! Contact the USGS for info on this location for tips in that area !

Thank you Russau!

 

[RandyBraun]

Lots of people go to Bear River outside of Colfax.

So the area is not claimed?

 

[N-Lionberger]

Outside Colfax there’s a campground/day use area on the Bear river that you can pan at. There are a number of books on public panning locations in California. Pioneer mining in Auburn has a good selection of literature.

 

[southfork]

Outside Colfax there’s a campground/day use area on the Bear river that you can pan at. There are a number of books on public panning locations in California. Pioneer mining in Auburn has a good selection of literature.

I spent a lot of days face down on the Bear camp site #1 county park with a big day use area. Just find a vacant hole and jump in a wet suit will make for a better day.

 

[N-Lionberger]

I spent a lot of days face down on the Bear camp site #1 county park with a big day use area. Just find a vacant hole and jump in a wet suit will make for a better

the place is hammered but if you know where to look!

 

[brianc053]

Found this beauty at that section of Bear Creek near the campground parking lot back in 2016.
Couldn't believe it when it appeared in the 8" sluice!

Good luck!

- Brian

 

[russau]

Very nice display case for your BEAUTY !!

 

[brianc053]

Very nice display case for your BEAUTY !!

Thanks, that nugget sits in a case with little bits of gold from each place that I've visited to prospect. Case is getting dusty - need to clean it!
(Side-note: All of it is "in the wild" gold - no tourist gold, not that there's anything wrong with tourists learning to pan etc. at those pay-to-pan places. I just like to venture out to places like Bear Creek to find it "in the wild"!)

There's a hole waiting for more Alaska gold. (There's a whole story behind that hole, but I've already distracted too much from Randy's original post.)

 

[russau]

I started to do that years back but I needed $$ for the next trips ! BUT I got the memories and friends forever !

 

[southfork]

I started to do that years back but I needed $$ for the next trips ! BUT I got the memories and friends forever !

We save photos!

 

[russau]

Yep , LOTS of photo's !

 

[Lofreco]

Hi all, I am in my second year of panning and new to TreasureNet. I live in Truckee, on the other side of Donner crest. Has anyone panned gold in Colfax, CA? At Mineral Bar? Any suggestions or tips? I'll be there May 1 for a couple of days if anyone wants to join me.

I used to live near Colfax. Yes, good gold at Mineral Bar, East of camping area. Also at Bear River day use area. The South Fork of the American River at Skunk Hollow is also good, just upstream of the bridge.

 

[Sean Au.]

I used to live near Colfax. Yes, good gold at Mineral Bar, East of camping area. Also at Bear River day use area. The South Fork of the American River at Skunk Hollow is also good, just upstream of the bridge.

Found this beauty at that section of Bear Creek near the campground parking lot back in 2016.
Couldn't believe it when it appeared in the 8" sluice!

Good luck!

- Brian
View attachment 2144922

I knew there had to be some bigger gold a BEAR. After all it does carry ancestral YUBA gravel. ! GOOD FIND!

 

[russau]

NO place is completely hammered ............. the next Springs run off should replenish the material ! Unless your talking about the EZ stuff that the old timer's got long ago .

 

[N-Lionberger]

NO place is completely hammered ............. the next Springs run off should replenish the material ! Unless your talking about the EZ stuff that the old timer's got long ago .

There are places below dams where the color doesn’t get replenished. I know of a few places in California like that.

 

[IDAu]

Hi all, I am in my second year of panning and new to TreasureNet. I live in Truckee, on the other side of Donner crest. Has anyone panned gold in Colfax, CA? At Mineral Bar? Any suggestions or tips? I'll be there May 1 for a couple of days if anyone wants to join me.

I miss mineral bar. Always had a good time sniping and sluicing. If you’re willing to do some hiking up or down a few miles there’s still good gold. I found this north of mineral bar sniping.

It is definitely hammered. I don’t bother too much outside of the water for pickers. It’s so hit that even in the water most of the cracks are blown out before long.

But if you’re setting up a sluice and digging out paystreaks it can still be a good haul since it seems to replenish.

Message me if you want some more detailed info.