need help prospecting in the upper kern river .
- Thread starter Ace 250
- Start date
rodoconnor
Bronze Member
- Mar 4, 2012
- 1,419
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Where about are you going. Some of us might be able to help out . G/L
KevinInColorado
Gold Member
- Jan 9, 2012
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Here's what a search across this site brought up...
The Kern River is still a popular destination for recreational prospectors in California. While it is generally not considered to be as rich as much of the Mother Lode country to the north, it is a great place for prospectors who live a little further south of the more famous gold country to the north. It is easily accessible from Bakersfield, and it is a popular destination for prospectors in southern California as well. The Kern River still gets replenished with fresh deposits of gold every spring because of high waters, and recreational miners can still find some color. One word of warning, the Kern is well-known for its whitewater, and many people have drowned in the Kern. Always respect the river and never get yourself in a dangerous situation.
An excellent place for recreational prospectors to explore is the Keyesville Recreational Mining area. It encompasses an area of 400 acres along the Kern River and has been withdrawn from mining law, meaning that the areas are open to the general public for prospecting. There are limitations to keep in mind. At the present time, there is a suction dredging ban in all of California, so that is no longer allowed. Additionally, there are other regulations that have been put in place, including restrictions on the size of sluice boxes and prohibitions on most types of motorized equipment. If you intend to prospect within the Keyesville Recreational Mining Area, it would be wise to contact the Bakersfield Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management for any updated to the regulations in place.
/
The original gold discovery in this area was found at Greenhorn Creek, near the Kern River. In no time at all, the area was swarming with prospectors, exploring the rivers, creeks, and gulches around the area. The town of Keyesville sprang up where several lode deposits were discovered, and soon several arrastras and stamp mills were operating in the area, extracting gold from the rich ore. It was estimated that there were over a thousand men working the lode mines during the first few years of the discovery, with many others were working their own placer claims.
/
i have found gold in the kern river in bakersfield,ca at a local park (hart park) and in the canyon off of hwy 178 and i've scouted keyesville near lake isabella were the first kern county strike was in 1851. i heard it was tricky there but i do plan of trying someday soon fingers crossed i have never been scunked yet.
/
The best area on the lower Kern i have found is not on the river.
Go to hobo campground (miracle hot springs) and go above the canyon road you will see a small ranger station and overflow camp ground.
Hike back into that canyon there is good gold in that canyon.
There is even a stage station. I used to camp in the building when mining back in the late 1970s.
A little further back there are good rock sheets with some nice cracks that held good gold.
I can no longer hike back in that canyon so i might as well let others in on my secret spot..
You might want to go armed there are pot growers that have used that canyon.
/
the kern river has plenty gold and mining history, I used to dredge up in black gulch as a member of the oc49ers, rich was the man who tought me to use his dredge when I started panning many yrs ago, I mostly detect the rands area in the desertnow, but up at Keysville there are some free areas to public for mining, its well worth the drive and history to be in the old mining days. there are many pilings of rocks stacked by the Chinese workers. you can pretty much dig anywhere around there and pan some speck to small pickers.also a sluice box is idea for running material and getting some color.im from Bakersfield and my grandfather used to mine the kern and hart park area many yrs ago. ive seen a guy named butch from south Fairfax are dredge behind hart park where the swim rope is on the other side, ive seen him show me ounces of flour gold he has gotten there, the closer to the source the bigger the gold. I personally have dredged and panned out some nice pickers id call nuggets.ive seen some nice size pieces come from Keysville area dredged down to bedrock. as for panning, cant say you will easily get a gram, it takes a lot of fine gold to equal that. but with hard work, dedication and some gd digging, its definitely possible. I usually like to dig the dirt around the roots at the edge of the river banks, they tend to trap some decent stuff. gd luck and this will be a haoby to enjoy for a lifetime.
/
I've been spending a lot of time on the kern in the past two years. Its been a roller coaster to say the least. The tactics and strategies up above the canyon and below are two very different worlds. I've found great color in both places but its a tricky art. I've spent the last few days in hart park area with a pan and classifier walking the bank and actually done a half a gram in two hours between my brother and I. The payout above the canyon can be great as well but like I said the methods are worlds apart when locating the gold. If you can find good bedrock holes and crevices in the keysville or black gulch area you can make a few bucks. Just be careful to not be on a claim when you tear into bedrock.
The Kern River is still a popular destination for recreational prospectors in California. While it is generally not considered to be as rich as much of the Mother Lode country to the north, it is a great place for prospectors who live a little further south of the more famous gold country to the north. It is easily accessible from Bakersfield, and it is a popular destination for prospectors in southern California as well. The Kern River still gets replenished with fresh deposits of gold every spring because of high waters, and recreational miners can still find some color. One word of warning, the Kern is well-known for its whitewater, and many people have drowned in the Kern. Always respect the river and never get yourself in a dangerous situation.
An excellent place for recreational prospectors to explore is the Keyesville Recreational Mining area. It encompasses an area of 400 acres along the Kern River and has been withdrawn from mining law, meaning that the areas are open to the general public for prospecting. There are limitations to keep in mind. At the present time, there is a suction dredging ban in all of California, so that is no longer allowed. Additionally, there are other regulations that have been put in place, including restrictions on the size of sluice boxes and prohibitions on most types of motorized equipment. If you intend to prospect within the Keyesville Recreational Mining Area, it would be wise to contact the Bakersfield Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management for any updated to the regulations in place.
/
The original gold discovery in this area was found at Greenhorn Creek, near the Kern River. In no time at all, the area was swarming with prospectors, exploring the rivers, creeks, and gulches around the area. The town of Keyesville sprang up where several lode deposits were discovered, and soon several arrastras and stamp mills were operating in the area, extracting gold from the rich ore. It was estimated that there were over a thousand men working the lode mines during the first few years of the discovery, with many others were working their own placer claims.
/
i have found gold in the kern river in bakersfield,ca at a local park (hart park) and in the canyon off of hwy 178 and i've scouted keyesville near lake isabella were the first kern county strike was in 1851. i heard it was tricky there but i do plan of trying someday soon fingers crossed i have never been scunked yet.
/
The best area on the lower Kern i have found is not on the river.
Go to hobo campground (miracle hot springs) and go above the canyon road you will see a small ranger station and overflow camp ground.
Hike back into that canyon there is good gold in that canyon.
There is even a stage station. I used to camp in the building when mining back in the late 1970s.
A little further back there are good rock sheets with some nice cracks that held good gold.
I can no longer hike back in that canyon so i might as well let others in on my secret spot..
You might want to go armed there are pot growers that have used that canyon.
/
the kern river has plenty gold and mining history, I used to dredge up in black gulch as a member of the oc49ers, rich was the man who tought me to use his dredge when I started panning many yrs ago, I mostly detect the rands area in the desertnow, but up at Keysville there are some free areas to public for mining, its well worth the drive and history to be in the old mining days. there are many pilings of rocks stacked by the Chinese workers. you can pretty much dig anywhere around there and pan some speck to small pickers.also a sluice box is idea for running material and getting some color.im from Bakersfield and my grandfather used to mine the kern and hart park area many yrs ago. ive seen a guy named butch from south Fairfax are dredge behind hart park where the swim rope is on the other side, ive seen him show me ounces of flour gold he has gotten there, the closer to the source the bigger the gold. I personally have dredged and panned out some nice pickers id call nuggets.ive seen some nice size pieces come from Keysville area dredged down to bedrock. as for panning, cant say you will easily get a gram, it takes a lot of fine gold to equal that. but with hard work, dedication and some gd digging, its definitely possible. I usually like to dig the dirt around the roots at the edge of the river banks, they tend to trap some decent stuff. gd luck and this will be a haoby to enjoy for a lifetime.
/
I've been spending a lot of time on the kern in the past two years. Its been a roller coaster to say the least. The tactics and strategies up above the canyon and below are two very different worlds. I've found great color in both places but its a tricky art. I've spent the last few days in hart park area with a pan and classifier walking the bank and actually done a half a gram in two hours between my brother and I. The payout above the canyon can be great as well but like I said the methods are worlds apart when locating the gold. If you can find good bedrock holes and crevices in the keysville or black gulch area you can make a few bucks. Just be careful to not be on a claim when you tear into bedrock.
IDdesertman
Full Member
Here's a link to some more info on the Kern...
Kern River Gold Prospecting - California Gold Mining - Sierra Nevada
Kern River Gold Prospecting - California Gold Mining - Sierra Nevada
golden sluice
Sr. Member
- Dec 16, 2013
- 469
- 226
- Detector(s) used
- Thanks Kellyco, and Garrett:smile:... I love my AT gold metal detector!
- Primary Interest:
- Prospecting
Check the book called
Where to find gold in southern california
By james klein.
This will help you greatly...
Where to find gold in southern california
By james klein.
This will help you greatly...
golden sluice
Sr. Member
- Dec 16, 2013
- 469
- 226
- Detector(s) used
- Thanks Kellyco, and Garrett:smile:... I love my AT gold metal detector!
- Primary Interest:
- Prospecting
Check the book called
Where to find gold in southern california
By james klein.
This will help you greatly...
Where to find gold in southern california
By james klein.
This will help you greatly...
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