From my experiences, I would say that you should be ok searching for gold in areas with historic digging. So the ambiguity of what constitutes a “historical site” will definitely vary. Obviously, these are the same places where a modern prospector is also going to look for gold. These might include old hydraulic pits, ground sluicing areas, or hard rock mines that were once active. The most basic example for our writing is a historic site where early day miners dug for gold. One area this starts to get tricky is when it comes to areas that are deemed to be “archeologically significant.” This in itself can be a bit ambiguous, and places that would not be considered historic to most might be very important to an archaeologist on staff at the BLM office. There are mining laws that have protected this practice since the days of the Gold Rush, and those same laws are still in place today. So as a general rule, it is perfectly legal for the casual prospector to venture out onto public lands and dig for gold. “Using a metal detector to locate gold or other mineral deposits is an allowed activity under the General Mining Laws…” This low impact, casual activity usually does not require any authorization.” Generally, most of the National Forests are open to recreational mineral and rock collecting, gold panning and prospecting using a metal detector. “It is Forest Service policy that the recreational use of metal detectors and the collection of rocks and mineral samples are allowed on the National Forests. Many of the most mineral rich states like Nevada, Idaho, and Arizona have lots of open ground that you can prospect on. The vast majority of public lands in the West are managed by the BLM and USFS. General Rules about Prospecting on Public Lands Even though most lands are open, some of the best areas are actually off limits due to a variety of reasons. However, there are several exceptions which we are going to cover below. This includes panning, sluicing, digging with basic hand tools and metal detecting. This means that you can go out and collect gold, gems and minerals. The vast majority of federal lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service (USFS) are open to mineral exploration.
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