Places to pan

madmantrapper

madmantrapper

Full Member
Sep 1, 2018
164
163
Carroll County, Maryland
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Go easy on me, I know nothing about this topic but I am very interested. This is my first post other then the intro.

Are there places where you can just pull up, get out and pan without any kind of permit, license, kissing someone's butt or anything. I looking to just be freelance and on the fly. Next spring I want to just load the truck with what I think I need and go. I am retired so time means nothing. I am planning on being gone for a month or more if I am having fun. If it turns out I don't like it, I'll return home and try something different. I'm not planning on making a killing just having fun. I live in Maryland but don't mind traveling to wherever. I did a little searching around the web and found about the only place in MD to find gold is along the Potomac River near Washington DC and above, I don't like this area one bit and will not go there.

Being able to primitive camp in the areas is a plus for me.
 

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best to join a local club.
good luck brad
 

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I've been doing a lot of poking around the web since yesterday and came up with several places in VA to pan. The already mentioned Contrary Creek, plus Tongue Quarter Creek which feeds the Willis River and into the Potomac. Thee several mines along here. Then there is the Quantico Creek which also feeds the Potomac. My question is, has anyone here panned any of these areas? Does anyone know the VA laws about gold panning? I am going to research the rules on here and maybe make some calls tomorrow.
 

madmantrapper said:
I've been doing a lot of poking around the web since yesterday and came up with several places in VA to pan. The already mentioned Contrary Creek, plus Tongue Quarter Creek which feeds the Willis River and into the Potomac. Thee several mines along here. Then there is the Quantico Creek which also feeds the Potomac. My question is, has anyone here panned any of these areas? Does anyone know the VA laws about gold panning? I am going to research the rules on here and maybe make some calls tomorrow.
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Far as I know in VA. If you access a creek by a public road (bridge) and stay w/in the "high water" mark,your legal.
 

gpaa

madmantrapper said:
Go easy on me, I know nothing about this topic but I am very interested. This is my first post other then the intro.

Are there places where you can just pull up, get out and pan without any kind of permit, license, kissing someone's butt or anything. I looking to just be freelance and on the fly. Next spring I want to just load the truck with what I think I need and go. I am retired so time means nothing. I am planning on being gone for a month or more if I am having fun. If it turns out I don't like it, I'll return home and try something different. I'm not planning on making a killing just having fun. I live in Maryland but don't mind traveling to wherever. I did a little searching around the web and found about the only place in MD to find gold is along the Potomac River near Washington DC and above, I don't like this area one bit and will not go there.

Being able to primitive camp in the areas is a plus for me.
Click to expand...

Home
They meet in Haymarket and have many outings in the area. As for VA panning, be careful not to trespass. Everything is privately or commercially owned. use county websites and find owners and ask permission.
 

Surprisingly, in the East a great place to pan is in New Hampshire. I realize it is a bit north of you, but you said a month long trip would be probable, so do not beat me up about the suggestion! (LOL)

My father in law has panned up there all his life, and there is not one river where gold has not been found in it. With the National Forest there is a lot of places with access, and of course Northern New Hampshire is where I recommend people to go.
 

Western Maine is also a good place to try. With a lot of public land. And you can also sluice there. You could plan a trip and do both. Maine and New Hampshire if you want to travel a little. If in Maine in Byron stop in At Coos caynon rock and gift shop.And campground. Rosie will point you in the right direction. And you can get permits to some of.The logging company land. A lot of gold streams in Maine. With a better chance of bigger gold.
 

Hi MadMan, and welcome to the forum. There's a lot of great information on Treasurenet - search around!
I've personally panned (and high banked, and dredged) at Contrary Creek, VA. It's the first place I found gold "in the wild" actually.

Here's a couple of threads where I've already posted comments about Contrary Creek; you may want to give them a read:
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/dredging-hi-banking/518776-dredging-nova.html
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/gold-prospecting/569021-virginia-gold.html#post5706116
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/gold-prospecting/494027-gold-panning-creeks.html

Speaking about local activities: there are a couple of clubs that are within a few hours' drive for you. The first is the club I've been most active in, the Delaware Valley GPAA (DVGPAA). You can find them on Facebook. They typically meet up in Pottstown, PA and they have 4 or 5 properties where members can pan and sluice in creeks. They also have monthly meetings and are very willing to help new prospectors. The president Jeff is a fantastic guy.
The other club I'll mention is the Central Virginia Gold Prospectors. They have about 6 properties in Virginia (mostly southern) where you can set up camp and pan/sluice/dredge. I'm not a member yet but I'm considering it for 2019.
Finally, local to you there's a couple of Facebook groups (the Rapidan Dredging Association and Virginia Gold Prospectors) that are active. They're private groups but you could request membership.

Now for some spots within a day's drive:
- Lucky Strike in Marion, NC. They have a campground, you can pan in their river (though I had trouble finding much because it's hit hard) and they will let you use their high bankers. They just bring you material (which may or may not be salted...).
- Twin River Campground in Bath, New Hampshire. I highly recommend it, I go there every year and it has everything: camping, panning, places you can dredge if you're into that (which I am) and the scenery is beautiful. I've posted a dozen times or more about my trips up there. I'll leave you with a panning video from there, but I have more videos (mostly dredging) too:

 

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