Gold Panning
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Gold panning and mining have been popular activities in Plumas County since the 1800s. Although most of the camps that sprang up during the gold rush are now gone, there are some spots where visitors can relive history and even find a few remaining flakes of gold.
The Plumas Eureka State Park offers a supervised gold panning program during the summer on Jamison Creek. Call (530) 836-2380 for more information.
Gold can still be found in Plumas County
The Golden Caribou Mining Club offers free gold panning lessons and equipment usage for first-time gold panners. It operates out of the Caribou Corner Cafe and Caribou Crossroads Campground, located on Caribou Road just off Highway 70, 27 miles west of Quincy. The club has some 1,500 acres of gold mining claims in the canyon and offers memberships for vacationers, as well as one-year trial and lifetime memberships.
Training includes panning, sluicing, dredging and sniping. Rental of high bankers is also featured. The club holds weekend common operations where members mine together and split the proceeds. Call (530) 283-5141 for more information.
Experienced gold panners with equipment are welcome to seek gold anywhere on public national forest land that has not been staked (usually where posted). However, since most of the land is staked, you'll need to do some research during the week at the County Recorder's office, which keeps mining claim locations on file.
A few areas exist where claims are not allowed and recreational gold panning is permitted. Contact the Plumas, Lassen and Tahoe National Forest offices for more details on gold panning regulations.
If you're interested in learning how to pan for gold on your own, the Plumas County Museum, located behind the courthouse in Quincy, has a good reference book for sale. The book explains how and where to pan, what equipment is needed, safety tips, and includes diagrams, drawings and photos. Equipment for gold panning can be purchased at area sporting goods and department stores.
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