Help - Taking the Kids to Colorado Options

[SaintsFan]

I have been visiting your board off and on for several months and have really enjoyed it. I decided to join because I am looking for some advice. I am in Louisiana, and I am taking the wife and kids to Colorado the first week in August, a trip my wife and I have been talking about since last summer. My 14 year old son, a miniature geologist and rock hound, has had his heart set on panning for gold on our trip, something he has wanted to do for years. He will consider the whole trip a bust if we dont get to do some gold prospecting. Unfortunatly, we have so many things planned on our trip, that we may only get one, maybe two, days of panning in.

My question is: Can someone on this board recommend a good site for a one or two day trip? We will be staying just west of Golden for a couple of days, then up to Rocky Mountain National Park.
After doing a little research, I have planned on trying Clear Creek along Highways 6 and 119 up to Black Hawk. But, just looking around on the internet, it looks like a pretty busy place, so I wasn't sure of the results. Plus, I didn't want to step on anybody's toes or break any laws. If we had no luck, I was going to go on up to Vic's and spend some time there. I'm obviosly not looking to strike it rich, just looking for a little bit of something in the bottom of my kid's pans for a souvenir, something they can say they did themselves.

Also, any advice on equipment, laws or rules (stated or unstated)?

Thanks for everyone on this board. Just reading a lot of the threads sure has me pumped up. My family and I are sure looking forward to our trip.

[swizz]

Hi, and welcome to CP.
I'm thinking for simplicity reasons and achieving your goals, Vic's may not be a bad idea. All of the necessary equipment (pans, sluices, etc) can be rented there for the day or two and you would be in a legitimate gold-bearing location with high odds of finding some color. Since your time is limited it seems like a good way to go.

[kmontoya911]

I would second Vics. I have not been there myself, but plan on going in te next week or two. I think it would help me be better when I am out on my own. I have a friend who told me he took his family to a place in Brekinridge. It had mine tours and panning. I don't remember the name, but wil try to find out.

The nice thing aout going to a place you can rent equipment is you don't have the added expense of buying your own. Especially if you are not going to get much use out of it at home.

There is always a chance you can hook up with someone from this board to go with. Start talking as you get closer. I can't offer much experience, but I do have a sluice and a couple of pans, and am always willing to get out there. Clear greek isn't too far away.

[SaintsFan]

Thanks Swizz and Kmontoya,

I will definately do Vic's, but have already told my son we would do Clear Creek also. So I will probably hit a couple of places on the way up. We've been looking at Clear Creek on Google Earth, and my son has already seen a sand bar that he wants to try. I'm also looking at the area at tunnel #3. It looks like an area that has a lot of drainage and wash from the surrounding area.

As far as equipment, we already have a couple of pans, so thats not a problem. My son is all into this, so we've bought several bags of dirt over the last several years from a gem and mineral show that comes through town and panned them out. I know it's not the same, but he's excited about it. I was thinking, however of making a make-shift sluice out of materials around the house with little or no cost. I doubt that it's worth the trouble, especially since I don't know what I'm doing, but it's a project that my son and I can work on together.

By the way kmontoya, the mine in Breckenridge is the Country Boy Mine. Here is their website. http://www.countryboymine.com/ I would like to go there too, but I think the time that I have will not allow it. But we'll see. My wife wants to spend a day in Denver. Maybe I can talk her into spending the day west instead.

Thanks guys for the help. I will be reading some of the older threads to see if I can learn anything. I will be checking back here everyday, and I will keep posting here as the time gets closer, just in case someone would like to educate this greenhorn a little. LOL. I'm always willing to learn from experience.

SaintsFan

[au-miner]

Hi just wanted to say, We went out to Clear Creek to prospect a couple of days ago, and the water was still to high for everyone, so we went north to a friends, claim on North Clear Creek, where the water was a lot lower, Actualy Vic's is on North Clear Creek, Hopefuly the water will be down by August.

[SaintsFan]

Thanks AU. I'm hoping the river is down too. This noob will need all the help I can get. I've got to keep It safe for my kids.

I know the water is at different depths, depending where you are, but on average, how deep is it in the summer time? Can you normally walk across it? How cold is the water this time of year?

I hope you guys, and gals, don't mind me asking all these questions. I do appreciate all the help. I'm just trying to find out what I can expect and want to make it worth it for my kids.

I've been reading a lot of threads on this board, and one of the things I've read is that a mining company owns the land from Elk Creek west for one mile. Is Elk Creek itself off limits. Is Clear Creek open from Elk Creek back to tunnel three? After looking at Google Earth, that is one of the areas I wanting to try. Are the off limit areas posted, or is it somthing you just have to know? I really don't want to go to jail in Colorado. LOL.

Thanks again for all the help.
If I'm getting to annoying, just let me know.

Saintsfan.

[kmontoya911]

I just went to Vic's yesterday. Had a great time. I only had about an hour and a half. I was able to run two and a half buckets through my sluice. As I was leaving, I was able to talk to Jesse for a few min. He took a look and made some suggestions on my sluice set up. I am going to go back, probably Friday to spend some more time digging and picking his brain. Plus, I think I need some more work on my panning.

I did find some nice stuff in my pans. I got the typical fine stuff, but also found about ten flakes I was able to pick out with tweezers. I only had time to run three pans, so I am excited to run the rest today.

I would reccomend spending a day there when you come out.

As far as the water goes, I was able to walk across the creek at vics in a pair of shorts and some water shoes. It was still cold, and I will take boots next time. The water usually is warm enough for wet wading by mid august.

[swizz]

Ken, thanks for that great report, glad to hear that Vics is ticking!
I really need to get over that way sometime, I'd like to meet him.
Glad to hear that you found some nice colors too!

[SaintsFan]

Thanks Kmontoya,
My son and I are really getting excited about our trip. It's sounding like Vic's is the place I want to start. I think my son may hold me to a couple of places along Clear Creek though. We'll see. I'm not quite sure what to expect when I get there, but I have about three more weeks to maybe figure it out.

Thanks again for the help,
It is always appreciated.

[kmontoya911]

Let me know when you come out, I may have some time to go with you and let you use my sluice. I have a lot of week days off, which is nice for avoiding crowds.

My wife may allow me another trip to Vics on friday. She actually thought it was cool seeing some color in the pans. It's kind of like hunting, she wasn't too keen on me spending 10 days in elk camp all those years, until I actually broght one home.

[SaintsFan]

Thanks kmontoya,
I'll do that. That's nice of you. My son thought it was a good idea, get someone who knows what they're doing to help. LOL
I'll certanly be in touch when the time gets close.

Thanks again!

[CP]

Hi Saints Fan,
Thank you for the compliments on the site too. You'll definately have a great time visiting Vics.
On main Clear creek in Jefferson county you could stop and check around tunnel 3 as it's just below the private claim begining at elk creek's dump in. There is a hard curve in the creek at the tunnel but pulling off at that spot is really sketchy and then you'll be hiking down into the creek a bit.
Up stream a bit further towards the county line you'll find several spots that may be more accessible as far as traffic pull offs and hiking down to the creek. You'll have a great chance of finding some nice color along that stretch as well as at Vic's. I once panned out a nice nugget at Vic's without a pan......"literally hand panned it" ....... pop there it was on my finger. Ended up giving that one away to a lady panner that was there at the rally in 07, she was pretty happy and her husbands eyes about bulged right out of his head.

You'll all have a great time, good luck on all the prospecting and safe travels along the way.

CP

[SaintsFan]

Thanks CP!
Boy, that sound like what everybody hopes for. Reach down, pick up a hand full of dirt, and there's a gold nugget. Niiiiice!

I think I agree with you about Tunnel three. Been looking at it on Google earth, and I can see what you mean. It does look a little treacherous, especially if the water is a little high like au-miner reported. Gotta keep the kids safe. I may try up at Mayhem Creek if I get a little extra time. It looks a little more tame. But I think from yours and everybody elses recomendtions, it sounds like Vic's is the place to go. So that is where we'll start. I do appreciate everybody's help and recommenations too.

I just thought of something. I am a Boy Scout leader here in Shreveport. If this trip to Colorado works out like I hope it does, I may recommend bringing our troop up there on one of their high-adventure trips for a week of gold prospecting. I bet they would think it would be a blast. Camping, hiking and gold prospecting. What else could a boy want? LOL

Thanks for the well wishes CP. I have a couple more weeks before we leave, so I'm going to do some more reading so hopefully I won't look like a complete numbskull when I get up there. LOL

[SaintsFan]

Good morning CP,
I'm really getting excited about our trip out to your beautiful state. I'm like my son, this is somthing I've wanted to try all my life, and I'm 49 years old. I have been reading A LOT of threads on your forum, and have really enjoyed them. I've been bouncing around to different threads, but have mostly read the Field Work and Rockhounding thread. I think I'm on page 16. Lot's of good and interesting stuff. I'm starting to feel like a little kid getting excited about coming out and gold prospecting. I've been crystall mining several times up at Mount Ida in Arkansas. That's a lot of fun. The kids really enjoy it. I've been to the Crater of Diamonds in Arkansas three times. Doubt I will ever go back. It's a lot of hard work for zero return. There are diamonds found there, almost every day. I saw a man find a 4.8 carot diamond one day while I was there. It was cool.

Any way, do you mind if I bother you with a couple more questions?
I got my hands on a Keene A51 sluice. And I have read many places to classify at least down to 1/2" for higher production and less frustration. I didn't want to spend another $20-30 for a classifyer. I can make that stuff at home for a lot less. So I built a 1/2" classifier. I've attached a picture of it to this post...I think.
My question is: If sluicing, and I have classified down to 1/2", would it be even better and more productive to classify down to 1/4"? I have all the materials to build 1/4" bucket classifier like the one that CP has provided on his Plans and Tips page. (Nice page by the way. Lots of good information.) Would I be wasting my time to build it and use it and just stick with the 1/2", or will classifying down to 1/4" make enough difference to help make the sluicing go a lot smoother?

Also, I think you have been getting the heat up there the last few days that we've been getting down here for a month and a half. My question is, what should I wear if going up to Vic's? Swim suit, t-shirt and water shoes? Blue Jeans? Do I need boots because the water's too cold? I've been to Colorado several times in the summer. So I know what the weather is like. I've just never spent all day standing in a creek. LOL

Kmontoya, I havn't forgot about your offer to join us and show us a few of the ropes. I will be up there on Aug. 2nd and hopefully the 3rd. On the second, I will be driving in from Colorado Springs so I won't be able to get there first thing in the morning. I'm hoping for about 10:00 in the morning, but if I know my family, it will be more like 11:00. I hope that's not too late to start. I will PM you when the time gets closer, or feel free to PM me.

I think this is a pic of my 1/2" classifier that I built this morning. I had most of the materials already, including the black pan. I just spent about $4 on the wood. It took about an hour to build.

[OklaPony]

SF I think classifying to a smaller size is beneficial as long as you're not throwing out any good stuff. :)

Turns out our trips are one week apart, I just arrived in CO yesterday. I'm hoping to do a half day one morning next week at Vic's and if so I'll be sure to give a report. I wouldn't mind a little company myself if anyone wants to meet me over there.