Hey there everyone. I'm just starting out my addiction to gold panning. I live in the Golden area and am looking for anyone who would want to join in local areas. I'm not looking to invite myself to someone's claim or dig after their "glory holes". I'm just looking for new friends to to go with my new hobby :D I'm currently trying to save up enough money to pay for membership to really saturate myself with like minded individuals! I only know of three local rivers (probably everyone's first rivers). I hope to see you all out there good luck and happy hunting! I'll just be over here ~> lol bye folks!

Hi fenix, welcome to CP and the world of prospecting!
You're in a good location for panning, lots of stuff nearby.
I'm on the other side of the mtn but Clear Creek would be a great starting point for you since you're in Golden. The 'Jeffco Open Space Recreational Area' encompasses much of Clear Creek going up HWY6 before the Blackhawk exit. Jefferson County owns that land but they allow prospecting as a recreational activity and have posted their rules which must be followed since it is their private property and not protected by the Mining Laws of 1872.
If you want to venture into BLM lands or NFS lands (which you OWN by the way) then it's a different ballgame and you have Federal mining rights.... also Federal mining regulations. Land status identification is of utmost importance and it's no coincidence that we teach how to research everything you need to know here at CP!
I think it's not a bad idea to learn your equipment and techniques on Recreational (private) land as long as you learn and follow their rules. I've always gotten Gold from Clear Creek, fairly easy pickins but all flour or micron Gold, it'll test your skills and make you a great panner. Basically a good place to practice.
Last year we did a CP gathering there just before spring runoff and had a great time! I think about 6 of us showed up. I'll try to organize something like that again this spring. Quick and easy 1-day gathering would be really fun again.
Make yourself at home here on the forums and ask away with any questions you might have, we're here for ya and the archives are deep with valuable information.

Hi Swizz! Thank you for your post! I definitely will be getting my pan wet and my ears drier in clear creek! I'll be spending some time off Youngsfield with my laundry list of blm lands I would like to try out. I am very excited to try clear creek especially after the floods and the runoff!!! Thank god for erosion right? If you see a huge pregnant woman panning out there it'll probably be me!

ha! I love your ambition and congratulations on the upcoming little one!

I would love to see another club member outing in this are - perhaps the April/May time frame? Itching to use the trommel there at the first place we met last year. That is, if the flow is good....

Excuse my greenhorn nature, but isn't a trommel a large-ish piece of equipment? I don't know the spot you're speaking of, is there a public area that allows larger equipment? Or is this a private claim? I'm not a full blown member yet. So dont spill the beans on inclusive information for someone like me. I'm working on saving bits and pieces (that my husband doesn't spend on ice fishing equipment) he's such a stinker!

This is a small trommel that amorton built - and I bought it when he moved. On person can move it, in pieces (it breaks down nicely). The whole setup is on wheels, so it
can be maneuvered around once set up. Battery powered motor that will run all day on a 12 lawn tractor battery. I use my dredge pump for water. I can lift the whole
thing (barely!) so it's not that heavy, around 200# or so. The heaviest single piece is the tube (around 70#), then the bottom hopper (about the same). I can carry each
separate piece with one arm (7 total). It's way cool! Look up amorton's posts in the equipment section to see pics. I can (and have) use this at Clear Creek as it is about the
same as a high banker, and my dredge pump is 1 1/4". Unless the rules have changed, you can still use gas powered pumps there.

That is AWESOME!!!!!

To be honest, the only ones I've seen are massive pieces of equipment! The kind that requires generators and all that. I can see how it can be downsized and made fully functional.

I've been reading up on so many different regulations lately I couldn't even begin to quote what goes where. Once I get into the field I'll be able to though. (That's how green I really am!)

Hello fenixsmom, welcome to CP and the great world of prospecting & gold panning. My daughter, myself and Betsy, who is 87yrs old, go down to CC a few times a year panning, we would love to have you join us, they call it their girls day out, I bet Betsy is down there today some where. This site is a great source of info and the people here are great and very helpful.

Scott, we will have to see about putting together something this April/May for sure, I didn't relize you were the one that bought the trommel, thats great.

fenix, there is really only one place that has regs for running gas powered equipment and that is Jefferson Co, all the areas in Adams Co. don't want anyone using powered equipment, even though they don't have it posted, I have seen them run people out at times that were using this type of equipment, but non powered equipment is OK to use, and you will see LOTS of people in the creek on certain days. If you get the chance PM me and I'll let you know when we plan on being down at CC again. Best of luck and once again welcome to CP!

Hi Traddoerr! Thank you for such a warm welcome and great information! I will definitely take you up on your offer! I'm a really shy person in person but when I warm up I'm a little chatterbox! Social anxiety is funny sometimes like that. On the net I'm open and talkative, but in person I'm reserved and love to listen. I figured my new hobby can be therapitic as well as fun. Lol! Don't misunderstand please. I'm not some crazy gold panning broad! But I just want to explain my behavior beforehand, so it's not as off putting later on. However, if you or your family don't want to deal with a shy person I completely understand. I'll explain further in dm though. I know my explanation really helping my cause, but I will happily explain everything privately.

fenixsmom, LOL, most of us that are into prospecting are usally reserved unless we know each other, thats when it gets crazy fun! No problem at all, always love to help out and I'm sure the girls will laove to have you at creek side doing what we all love to do, put the gold in the pan! Till we meet at the creek best of luck and enjoy all the great info this site has to offer.

Traddoer, something in late April would be best - going out of town with Karen in May. Tymkovitch's is good for the trommel (private property - just have to ask permission
and not make a mess (doing a little clean-up helps our cause) - it has fine but consistent gold - plus I have found petrified wood there too. Since I am in Westcliffe - I have
to make arrangements so the horses are fed. I can also run the trommel at Gold Strike Park on the west side of the Adams County border. I can also run the power sluice
(battery pump) or the Gold Cube (which is better as a clean-up device) in most places - except Adams. Let me know - Fridays are best - followed by Monday.

Take Care!

Hey cave man, had to laugh at your comment on feeding the horses; you sound just like me and my hubby; have to feed the horses before we do anything else. We have 20 mouths to feed!

Caveman, that sounds good, Tim's is good place for the trommel, I also know of a couple other places I have permission to go onto as well, I know what you mean about the petrified wood, my kid has a little butter tub full of it, and some really nice looking peices. When we get closer to April lets see what we can make happen. Best, Dennis

I'm with Chief Mel, I thought of my 11 dogs when Caveman said that. The things we do for the animals we love!

4 Horses, 6 Dogs, 3 Parrots, and one hell of a lot of wild critters (feeding on chicken scratch!).

Yes, traddoer - there are lots of small pieces there, too - but the piece I gave away weighed about six pounds! I like Tym's because the gold is consistent, and access is
reasonable, both of which make the place a great test bed. It gets stagnant during low water, but it's hard to beat for a quick trip.

Sounds like we will just have to go there. six pounds, thats a good chunk, biggest we have so far is the size of a baseball. I don't know if you have been down to CC lately but the flood changed a bunch of the course of the creek, even some new deeper cuts that it flows through now, I may try to get down to the creek this Sat. time permitting, hope to run into you there sometime. Best, Dennis

If you go by Tym's send some pics - I haven't been there since last May. Moved to the cabin in June.

Do you guys have any pictures of the petrified wood on the site? If not, can you post some? That would be fun to keep and eye out for....

Caveman, will do. It's amazing who much water can change things in a big way, an area where we use to cross through a small trickle to get to a rock/sand bar is now a 3' deep cut that flows fast all the time now, poor Betsy can't get to her favorite spot any more, so the last time there with her I filled about 3 buckets for her, but she said it just isn't the same for her.

Set up a crossing point for her up or down stream, if you can..... it will take time, but it is legal as long as you do not interfere with the flow. I have done this using what I
have classified out, but only in short stretches. It is amazing what a few well placed large rocks will do for you - you do not have to even fill the entire 3 feet. the flow will
cut a channel between those rocks, or multiples there of. It takes time, and you can reach across large stretches over a few weeks. Especially if you use 2x6's.

We started on one but shes 87yrs old and very small so it doesn't take much to knock her off her feet, and as mentioned it is now 3' deep and swift so its taking some really big rocks to get it so she can keep good footing, and everyone keeps moving the rocks,

That really sucks. How wide is the span you are trying to cross? Is there point on the right side where you can access her spot? Or get permission to do so? Maybe you can
set up a relay with a small inflatable..... as long as she has a life jacket and is tethered? If it's who I think it is - she's one tough lady!

the spot that is 3' deep is about 8'/10' wide and then about 2' deep for another 12', can't access from any other way, but we may try to get her to get hip boots. It probably is who think it is, shes got to be the only person down there that is over 75, and she's quite the firecracker!

A group of two older guys and 2 older ladies showed up at Tymkovich's a while back - and yes, the oldest lady was a pistol! I picked up the petrified wood while I was
classifying for my power sluice, and handed it to her, not really knowing what it was, and when she lit up and said what it was, I told her to keep it. It was a nice piece,
although it wascovered with muck, and I have no regrets - I was going to toss it. Now I know better, but if the same thing happened again, I would not do it any differently.
It would have collected dust in the garage, and she was able to use it. Had a good day with gold, too - for the little bit that I ran. They are good people (the group of the 4
of them), and were very pleasant to be around. Had a great couple of hours with them, and I hope they did well on gold that day. They did have the system - pan down to
concentrate quickly and take that home for final clean-up. They were fast, too!

Its amazing how fast some can pan. I'm tryingto load the photos I took when the creek was flowing good, this was after the flood, but I can only find the one from the broadway bridge of the bike path. This weather is giving me some bad cabin fever!

Its amazing how fast some can pan. I'm tryingto load the photos I took when the creek was flowing good, this was after the flood, but I can only find the one from the broadway bridge of the bike path. This weather is giving me some bad cabin fever!