Question about NH prospecting...

penster

penster

Jr. Member
Sep 3, 2012
42
4
CT
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
I'Ve read all the posts on NH, re: public access/ and state-natl forest rules. If you access at a public area, can you walk up and down stream, in the stream, and still be considered public land? Or is it trespassing? I would like to take a weekend in the next month and drive up for a day. Most interested in bringing home a couple 5-gal buckets to work. Oh yeah....about rubber boots. Should I be getting waders? How deep is the water generally at the area discussed on tunnel rook road? I sure won't be wearing shorts and water shoes in NH. Thx.
 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Treasure of Victoria Peak - Grab it through Amazon!
Upvote 0
Waders definitely,plus heavy socks. With shorts and water shoes,sneakers, you wont last 2 minutes.Even in the summer some of the mountain streams can get damn cold.Dont dig the banking,if seen by rangers,trouble.
 

Any comments on the public access and walking up or down stream in the creek/river bed if private property adjoins? Also would anyone be interested in meeting up in a couple of weeks? I would hate to go alone and slip and whack my head and become bear chow!
 

That's some great info vtgoldprospector. I especially like the map with "$" only minutes from my house. Interesting. Very interesting.
 

My reading of the law and talking to Rangers etc, is that the water belongs to the State of NH but the river bed and banks belong to the landowner.

In the National Forest or on state lands you can walk up and down but as soon as you cross out of the state/federal land you are trespassing, however if you are floating along and not touching the bottom, canoe for example you are not trespassing but if you touch down or dig you are.

Get permission on private land, enjoy the state/federal land, remember in the National Forest 3 foot sluice length, not dredges or power tools only hand tools.

I was up there last week on the Wild AM and found some small fine gold, my first in 3 trips.
 

Nice web page vt prospector. Thanks
Interesting info, too, about not touching the river bed. In my mind I would think if you could float on it, you could stand in it. Hence, me asking for the info help.
Congrats on your first gold Ben, I've been following your posts and know you've been working hard at it.
In CT I found a post on a different forum that says 'no disturbance of soil minerals, etc allowed" in CT, but that is in regard to mining. I could find no specifics for panning. Very frustrating. So my plan is to visit NH soon, before it gets too cold.
 

Ben Cartwright SASS said:
My reading of the law and talking to Rangers etc, is that the water belongs to the State of NH but the river bed and banks belong to the landowner.
Click to expand...

That may explain what I saw at the Wild AM on Twin Rivers property. Someone with a pry bar was rolling huge boulders from the top of the bank, letting them roll down, and then digging large holes where the boulders were once sitting. I thought the paper handed out by Twin Rivers said no digging on the bank, but this guy was in plain view of the road and didn't seem to care. Maybe the campground owner gave him permission. Not sure.

Congrats on the gold!
 

Thank you roadtrip, now if I can just find enough to pay for the gas up and back!

I doubt the campground gave him permission, he is not supposed to work on the bank, that can ruin it for everyone!
 

The $ is just a teaser. You should see the whole package!

Here is a preview of what the library has...


FYI - what's in the library..
There are over 60 "$" gold locations
70 river segments with alluvial gold recorded
30 mines related to gold in the state
70 stream monitoring stations (real-time, more if just history)
184 major river basins (100% of the state)
61 river basin segments and growing (key areas)
60 popular swimming locations
225 waterfalls
over 1000 dams
tectonic map
major rivers map
bedrock overburden maps
metallic resource map
early generalized bedrock map (1970)
several recent bedrock maps and vectors (2006 & 2011)
suggested prospecting locations
information on visited rivers
a growing library of photos of rivers, streams and access

*all maps are state wide.

I also threw in real time earthquakes and weather radar just for giggles.

Gold Map Maker -- Create your own gold map!
IMG_0522.jpg
 

Ben Cartwright SASS said:
How much are the memberships going to be?
Click to expand...

I was considering around $35-$45 annually with the ability for people to contribute to earn free membership extensions. There are too many locations for me to profile myself so I will require help to cover the state (actually only the 3,400 sq miles, see image). I was also thinking about coupon codes for free 5 day access.

Gold Map Maker -- Create your own gold map!
geomod_demo.jpg
 

Sounds good. I like the $35 better LOL

I will have to try VT, are there any gold streams about 3 1/2 to 4 hours from Boston?
 

Well, from the heart of Boston (Cambridge St) to the nearest location in southern VT (near Marlboro) it is 135 miles, just around 3 hours travel time.

As for the membership cost, with just a little contribution here and there after the initial buy-in you can maintain it for free, given your material meets minimum requirements. Do you own an iPhone? So far they are the best and easiest way to profile locations. As of right now all I require for a completed profile are photos with GPS stamp and some details like parking, access, observations, and what was found if any. Yes, even if you don't find gold and it is within the geographic area I marked out I still want it. So no trip to the river is a waste.

Gold Map Maker -- Create your own gold map!
gmm5.jpg
 

Last edited:
Ben, do you live near Columbus Square? I think it may also go by the name of Harriet Tubman Square. It's near the intersection of W Newton St and Columbus Ave.
 

I live near Foxboro Stadium and Bass Pro, drive by Bass Pro several times a week without stopping in.

I don't have an I phone, I used Mil Spec phones that are water proof so if I fall in they don't get ruined. I do have a waterproof camera and a Garmin that gives GPS Coordinates.

3 HOURS, that is not bad, the Kanc takes me 3 to 3 1/2 hours or 4 hours with traffic. I have started to realize that going for an overnight is easier, driving 3-4 hours working for 5 hours and driving back 3-4 hours is tough.
 

A really cool trick I found working on a lobster boat was to use a sandwich sized zip lock bag and put any phone in it.

fyi- this is what I use it and I love it.

iPhone 4s 16 GB

The iPhone touchscreen works right through the plastic bag. It's easy to take out or just use the speakerphone. A good case is always suggested. Every photo gets stamped with loads of camera info including gps location automatically. The Photos app can also list your photos by location on a map to make lookup easier. The photos can be imported to Picasa where a kml file can be made that brings all the photos and geographical data into Google Earth. Videos come out well (easily youtube'able) and the panoramic feature does justice on wide angle shots. Most Google earth data can be imported into the mobile Google Earth app (simply by a Google Maps account) and areas can be pre-cached so you don't have to rely so heavily on cellular data, of which often there is none. The maps app covers street navigation including easily finding gas stations and stores. For safety and/or low water alerts for particular areas, the waterwatch alert system can be used to send a text when your specified high or low is reached. Maybe you are downstream from a dam and you need to cross the river before it goes way up very quickly.

Please don't think I am trying to sell a phone. I am simply sharing what I found works impressively well for many tasks specific to this site. Its one bad *** piece of hardware. I can't wait to get the 5!

Compressed for web post
photo.JPG
On my way back from my Oct trip. :-)
New London CT, Cross Sound Ferry

Compressed for web post
photo2.JPG
Notice the focus for different distances.
ps, that's dear ol' mom in the background.
 

I often do weekends. Travel up thrs-fri drive back sun-mon. I often get 2 full days in the river and can visit with family while i'm there. Any less than 2 isn't worth the distance for me. I have been to many places within 3000 miles and of them the VT rivers have something special over the rest.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Panning at one of my secret spots for Chunky gold

⬅️ Previous Thread

Newbie in MD

Next Thread ➡️

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)

Latest Discussions

Back
Top