nugget shooting in colorado, anyone feelin' nice enough to give a few hints? Options

[golden_journey]

so ive been told there are some smaller nuggets here in colorado and im itching to find one(or two or three).
got the little DD coil for the mxt and been around some mine dumps but no gold. not that i was really expecting to find any but hey ya never know right?
found coins and lots o junk but i want to dig nuggets.
i know people generally wont give away their locations and i kinda chuckle when people on here ask where to go but here i am asking.
where can i find nuggets in colorado?
walking along the gold bearing rivers would seem a no brainer. but where to start? ive heard idaho springs area is good.
what about dry gulches? the ones that were worked back in the day. though most are private property now.
anyone point me in one of the right directions?
in the meantime i'll try to find more info online.
thanks!

[colo_heff]

Here is my two cents on where to find nuggets...

Paleoglacial deposits (moraines, outwash stream channels, whirlpool holes, etc) that cut through the Colorado Mineral Belt and it's metal bearing intrusives. I believe the last glacial ages were the Bull Lake (~160-40 Ka) and Pinedale (30-10 Ka) and extended from Leadville to Rocky Mtn. National park, including the Gore Range. Cache Creek is one area where they mined paleoglacial and stream deposits using hydro-mining and nuggets are still found. You can still prospect there but lots of regulations...

Areas like Tin Cup (Taylor Park) where gold and silver bearing veins of volcanic intrusives ( Laramide and younger) are strewn throughout an older limestone/dolomite formation. Weathering of the veins has formed placer deposits in the creeks emptying into Taylor Park. You will need to check the regs concerning prospecting here, it's becoming harder to find areas thanks to our beloved Dept. of the Interior...

Probably not the answers you were looking for... Colorado is more of a lode gold/gold dust bearing state, there are nuggets but finding one around the Idaho Sprgs/Central City/Black Hawk area would be pretty unique these days... the mine tailings you've been hitting are a good idea for float gold and I've even heard of stories of people finding old cartridge casings that where crimped at the top that are filled with gold dust... good luck on your hunt...

[golden_journey]

Here is my two cents on where to find nuggets...

Paleoglacial deposits (moraines, outwash stream channels, whirlpool holes, etc) that cut through the Colorado Mineral Belt and it's metal bearing intrusives. I believe the last glacial ages were the Bull Lake (~160-40 Ka) and Pinedale (30-10 Ka) and extended from Leadville to Rocky Mtn. National park, including the Gore Range. Cache Creek is one area where they mined paleoglacial and stream deposits using hydro-mining and nuggets are still found. You can still prospect there but lots of regulations...

Areas like Tin Cup (Taylor Park) where gold and silver bearing veins of volcanic intrusives ( Laramide and younger) are strewn throughout an older limestone/dolomite formation. Weathering of the veins has formed placer deposits in the creeks emptying into Taylor Park. You will need to check the regs concerning prospecting here, it's becoming harder to find areas thanks to our beloved Dept. of the Interior...

Probably not the answers you were looking for... Colorado is more of a lode gold/gold dust bearing state, there are nuggets but finding one around the Idaho Sprgs/Central City/Black Hawk area would be pretty unique these days... the mine tailings you've been hitting are a good idea for float gold and I've even heard of stories of people finding old cartridge casings that where crimped at the top that are filled with gold dust... good luck on your hunt...

thanks for the info.
i had been hearing different things regarding nuggets in colorado. in fact bill chapman from gold n detectors in golden claims he found an ounce of small nuggets in the idaho springs area before he stopped just to prove a point i guess. whether this is true or just a sales pitch im not sure. he has the nuggets on display in his store. i tend to trust him but who knows.
any tips on what ore types to look for when metal detecting for gold at mine dumps????
that would be helpful since around here(boulder county) it seems to be mostly oxidized ore(i think?). tan/white/brown.
still brand new at detecting but have read a ton on it and have logged maybe close to 30 hours on my whites mxt.
care to explain what float gold is? i mean i have my guesses but...
im also starting to think that most of the dumps have been gone over time and time again since the invention of the metal detector.
while i love 4x4'ing my way to remote mine dumps with the dog...it'd be nice to actually find something someday
happy new year folks!