Prospecting & Claims

Rules for mineral prospecting and placer miningThe Gold and Fish pamphlet serves as your permit for most freshwater and ocean beach mineral prospecting and mining activities. You must obtain an individual HPA for activities outside those allowed in the pamphlet, including suction dredging.

"Staking a Claim Federal law specifies that claim boundaries must be distinctly and clearly marked to be readily identifiable. Most states have statutes and regulations concerning the actual staking and recording of mining claims so claimants should refer to the appropriate state agency for additional requirements before locating a claim."

Programs:Energy and Minerals: Mining and Minerals: Locatable Minerals: Mining Claims: Staking a Claim | Bureau of Land Management

What You Need to Know About Claim Staking - Burgex Mining ConsultantsFor small miners out there, claim staking is vital. There are a couple of key steps you must take to ensure your mining claim will be valid.

Washington Mining ClaimsFilter 10,000 mining claims by commodity, decade, disposition, and type in Washington.

To ensure a successful rockhounding trip, it's important to be well-prepared with the right tools, equipment, and supplies. Here's a comprehensive list of items you'll need:

Tools & Equipment:

Rock hammer or geologist's hammer: For breaking and chipping rocks.
Chisels: For splitting rocks and working in tight spaces.
Pry bar: For moving large rocks and dislodging specimens.
Shovel or trowel: For digging in dirt, gravel, or sand.
Sifting screens: For filtering out smaller stones and sediment.
Safety goggles: To protect your eyes from flying debris while breaking rocks.
Gloves: For hand protection and better grip on tools.
Sturdy backpack or collecting bag: For carrying your finds and tools.
Buckets or plastic containers: For storing rocks and washing them.
Newspaper or bubble wrap: For wrapping delicate specimens to prevent damage.
Magnifying glass or hand lens: For examining small details on rocks and minerals.
Field guide or identification book: To help identify rocks, minerals, and fossils.
GPS device or smartphone with GPS: For navigation and marking collecting sites.
Notebook and pen: For recording locations, observations, and other notes.
Camera: For documenting your finds and the surrounding area.

Vehicles:

A four-wheel-drive vehicle or a vehicle with good ground clearance is recommended, as many rockhounding locations are in remote areas with rough terrain.

Clothing & Personal Items:

Sturdy, comfortable shoes or hiking boots with ankle support.
Weather-appropriate clothing: Layers, rain gear, hat, and extra socks.
Sunscreen and insect repellent.
Personal first-aid kit.
Medications and any necessary personal items.

Supplies:

Food: Bring plenty of snacks and meals for your trip.
Water: Carry ample drinking water and extra for washing rocks.
Map and compass: In case of GPS failure or lack of cell service.
Headlamp or flashlight with extra batteries.
Multi-tool or pocket knife.
Camping gear (if planning an overnight trip): Tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, cooking equipment, etc.
Portable folding chair or cushion for sitting while working.

Before heading out, make sure your vehicle is in good condition and you have a full tank of gas. Always inform someone of your planned route and expected return time, and check the weather forecast and any relevant regulations or permits required for your chosen rockhounding locations. Stay safe and enjoy your rockhounding adventure!

Congratulations, Prospector! You found a piece of land worth claiming. But do you know how to properly stake a mining claim?

When claim staking a federal mining claim on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or Forest Service lands, there are a couple of key steps you must take to ensure your claim will be valid.

The Claim Staking Process

Here are 8 simplified steps of the mining claim staking process:

Prospect and find an area of interest.
Conduct land status searches to ensure land is open for mineral entry with no competing claims.
Write notice of location(s).
Place corner markers and location monument(s) on the ground according to state statutes
File Notice of Location(s) with appropriate county and pay recording fees
File Notice of Location(s) with appropriate BLM State Office and pay recording fees
Pay your annual dues/maintenance fees – Due Sept. 1st of every year
Work mining claim only using hand tools.

Please note that the above steps exclude the process for Alaska.

1. Prospect and find an area of interest.

There are many ways to prospect for minerals; the most common are desktop studies through historical records and reports then prospecting on the ground taking soil or rock chip samples. Pending on the commodity, a desktop study is started to determine the deposit location, followed by a soil or chip sampling program to determine grades and values.

2. Conduct land status searches to ensure land is open for mineral entry with no competing claims.

Conduct a land status search to ensure the area of interest is open for mineral entry and does not have any active competing claims. This is the most important step – if the land is not open for mineral entry, then no claims can be staked/pegged. However, if the land is open for mineral entry, but the surface land is owned privately, a mining claim can be claimed but there are additional paperwork and regulations that must be followed. This falls under the Stock Raising Homestead Act.

The land research can be tricky to navigate as not all records are available online and the BLM only lists active claims by the quarter section. Before Burgex writes an estimate for claim staking, we do a land record search, so we know if your area of interest is locatable.

3. Write notice of location(s).

Before a Notice of Location is written, you first must determine what type of mineral deposit are you claiming. Lode or Placer? Or are you in need of a Mill or Tunnel (although rare) site? It is critical that the correct type of paperwork is written and filed with the county and BLM or your claim may not be valid. This is the most important aspect of your mining claim – it tells the county, BLM and fellow prospectors where your mining claim is located, described by either aliquot part or metes and bounds.

Every state has their own specific requirements when it comes to Notice of Location paperwork. Some require specific information to be on the paperwork, others require maps of a specific scale to be included. Fortunately, Burgex has navigated these murky waters many times before and we know what to do. We also stay up to date on changing statues to ensure paperwork is filed appropriately at any given time. Another important aspect to consider when writing the paperwork is, who will hold the mineral rights? It MUST be a US citizen older than 18 or a USA based corporation.

4. Place corner markers and location monument(s) on the ground according to state statutes.

Place corner markers and location monuments on the ground. This is another critical and state-dependent step of the mining claim process. Before a mining claim can be filed with the appropriate county, it must first be staked on the ground according to that state’s statues. And yes, each Western State has different staking/pegging regulations! Wyoming requires endlines of the long axis as well as corners, while Nevada only requires one corner marker for placers. Idaho requires 4”x4” claim monuments, while Utah accepts 2”x2”. Yes, even the claim post size matters in each of these Western States. Burgex has staked claims in Arizona, Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. You could say we’ve been everywhere, man.

5. File Notice of Location(s) with appropriate county and pay recording fees.

File your correctly written Notice of Location (or Certificate of Location) in the county which your claim is located in. It should also be filed along with a check for the appropriate fees. Each state has a different filing timeline requirement and it’s up to you to know what they are. For example, a claim staked in Utah must be filed with the County Recorder within 30 days of location. This is the day the location monument is placed on the ground, but in Oregon, you have 60 days. Recorders also have requirements on font size, paper size, where the return address can be placed, and more.

6. File Notice of Location(s) with appropriate BLM State Office and pay recording fees.

File county recorded Notice of Location/Certificate of Location with the appropriate Bureau of Land Management (BLM) State agency, along with a map of the claims. The BLM is a lot more flexible with the paperwork and map requirements than the counties, but it is still important to submit the correct information. If a mistake is made, the BLM will send an Amendment Notice for you to correct and re-file (and re-pay) with the county and BLM within 30 days. If this timeframe is missed, then the claim in question is considered invalid and will have to be re-staked and filed if you wish to hold the mineral rights once again. Burgex understands the importance of keeping your claims active – if a mistake is made and an amendment needs to be done, we will make that a top priority to get that paperwork re-filed ASAP!

7. Pay your annual dues/maintenance fees – Due Sept. 1st of every year.

Pay the annual dues. These fees are due with the BLM on September 1st of every year, no matter when the claim was located. If a claim was staked in August, the new claim fee AND renewal fee are due at the same time. If a single locator holds less than 10 mining claims throughout the country, then they are eligible to file the “Small Miners Exemption”. This waives all BLM annual maintenance fees.

8. Work mining claim only using hand tools.

Congratulations you now have an active mining claim! There are a few important things to know about what you can and cannot do with a claim. If you wish to conduct a drilling program, a permit will have to be filed and a bond is posted. If you only wish to conduct a sampling program using hand tools, then you are good to go.

Casual Use means activities ordinarily resulting in no or negligible disturbance of the public lands or resources. Casual Use does not include the use of mechanized earth-moving equipment; truck-mounted drilling equipment or motorized vehicles in areas closed to “off-road vehicles,” explosives, chemicals, or use and occupancy as defined by 43 CFR §3715. Operators conducting operations at the Casual Use level are not required to post a financial guarantee for their operations. Casual use operations involve simple prospecting with hand tools such as picks, shovels, metal detectors, and camping for less than 14 days in a 90-day period.

If you wish to conduct a more serious sampling program, such as trenching or drilling, a Plan of Operations will have to be submitted through the local BLM or Forest Service agency as well as the State with bonds posted. Burgex has completed several successful permitting programs and can help guide your program through the many state and federal regulations. We can also handle the claim staking process from start to finish on your behalf.

The Washington State Gold Rush began in 1873, when gold was discovered at Swauk Creek. This discovery came after more than a decade of unsuccessful mining in the region. Gold was discovered in every Washington county at the height of the Gold Rush. Panning continues throughout Washington State today and some places in the state produce good results.

Gold Panning Rules and Regulations in Washington State

If you're visiting Washington State and would like to try your hand at prospecting, then you should first familiarize yourself with the state's gold panning laws.

Suction dredging is now starting to become regulated throughout Washington State. For a while, there was no regulation here unlike some neighboring states. But this will no longer be the case because lawmakers are putting forth new bills that will regulate suction dredging.

The mining claims in Washington State are all controlled by The Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Of the 57,157 recorded Washington State mining claims, the BLM lists 2,312 as active. Panning on an active claim without the owner's permission is considered trespassing, even when done in ignorance. The locations of active mining claims can be found on the Bureau of Land Management's official website.

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Gold Rush Counties

During the late 1800s, gold was discovered in all counties of Washington State. Most of what was found was placer gold, but lode gold was discovered by a number of lucky panners. The mape below shows counties that were particularly productive and are still popular today with recreational prospectors.

Kittitas County

Kittitas County is the heart of gold panning in Washington State. It was here, at Swauk Creek, that gold was first discovered back in 1873. Gold mining camps were established all over Kittitas County after the first find. Among these mining camps was the unincorporated community of Liberty, which went on to become one of the most productive sites in the area.

Despite early success, Kittitas County prospectors were regularly disappointed. The area's gold production proved lower than that of other counties in Washington State. However, when gold was found there, it tended to be in the form of large nuggets. This made it more valuable than the placer gold of neighboring regions. Nuggets are still recovered from Kittitas County rivers on occasion, so determined prospectors can expect to be rewarded for their patience.

Chelan County

Chelan County is home to the Golden King Mine, one of America's richest sources of lode gold. Because of this mine, Chelan County is the largest producer of gold in all of Washington State. In the late 1800s, additional lode mines sprung up throughout the county. This included one in Blewett, which is accessible today despite the town having long ago been abandoned.

Even a novice prospector has a pretty good chance of finding placer gold in the rivers of Chelan County. The Wenatchee River in particular is a popular spot for panning. The Chelan County stretch of the Columbia River is also worth checking out.

Skagit County

Skagit County's primary producer of gold is the river with which it shares its name. Although nuggets are extremely uncommon in this part of Washington State, small deposits of gold have been found throughout the Skagit River. Day Creek is also frequently panned by prospectors in Skagit County. The Lynam portion of Day Creek is especially rich and it's a regular source of placer gold.

Whatcom County

Whatcom County also has access to the Skagit River. In addition it's home to Ruby Creek, a tributary of the Skagit River, which runs through Whatcom County for all of its 3.39 miles. This creek is one of the largest producers of gold in the Cascade Mountains. The gold found in the Cascade Mountains is generally fine, but Ruby Creek gold is the exception to the rule. Ruby Creek prospectors have reportedly discovered large nuggets of gold in the area.

Conclusion

Washington State can be good for gold panning. However there are better states out there. So if panning will be the sole purpose of your trip, then there are several nearby states more deserving of your attention such as Oregon or Idaho. But if you're visiting Washington State on business or with your family, then panning its rivers is certainly a fun way to spend some free time. You can also go metal detecting in Washington which can be quite rewarding.

What are the Best Places to Find Gold in Washington State?

Washington state has a rich history of gold mining dating back to the late 1800s. Today, gold prospecting is still a popular activity for locals and tourists. With its diverse landscapes, from the rugged mountains to the rolling hills. Below are the six best places to find gold in Washington state.

Liberty

Liberty is a small unincorporated community in Kittitas County, Washington. It is located in the heart of the Cascade Mountains.

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The area is known for its rugged terrain, scenic beauty, and abundant wildlife. It has a rich history of gold mining, with prospectors first discovering gold in the nearby Swauk Creek in 1867.

The area is also home to many creeks, and rivers are known to contain gold deposits, including Williams Creek, Quartz Creek, and Silver Creek.

The gold in Liberty is typically found in tiny flakes and nuggets, with some nuggets weighing up to several ounces. The gold is found in deposits along the creek beds and the surrounding hills and mountains.

Wenatchee River

The Wenatchee River is located in the Cascade Mountains of Washington state and is another popular destination for gold prospecting. The river is approximately 90 miles long and flows from the eastern slopes of the Cascades to the Columbia River.

The area surrounding the river is known for its scenic beauty and is popular with outdoor enthusiasts for fishing, camping, hiking, and of course, gold prospecting.

The gold in the Wenatchee River is typically coarse and chunky, with nuggets weighing up to several ounces. The gold is found in deposits along the riverbed and surrounding hills and mountains.

One of the most popular areas for gold prospecting in the Wenatchee River is near Peshastin. The area is open to prospecting and has produced impressive gold finds. There are also several campgrounds and recreational areas near Peshastin where prospectors can stay while they search for gold.

Okanogan River

The Okanogan River is located in northern Washington state and is a popular destination for gold prospectors. The river is approximately 115 miles long and flows from the Okanogan Highlands in British Columbia, Canada, to the Columbia River.

The area surrounding the river is known for its scenic beauty and is popular with outdoor enthusiasts for fishing, camping, hiking, and gold prospecting.

One of the Okanogan River’s most popular areas for gold prospecting is near the town of Oroville. The area is open to prospecting and has produced impressive gold finds. There are also several campgrounds and recreational areas near Oroville where prospectors can stay while they search for gold.

Skagit River

The Skagit River is located in the northwestern part of Washington state and is a popular destination for gold prospectors. The river is approximately 150 miles long and flows from the Cascade Mountains to Puget Sound.

The area surrounding the river is known for its scenic beauty and is popular with outdoor enthusiasts for fishing, camping, hiking, and gold prospecting. The gold in the Skagit River is typically fine and flaky, with small flakes and nuggets scattered throughout the riverbed.

The gold is found in deposits along the riverbed and surrounding hills and mountains. One of the most popular areas for gold prospecting in the Skagit River is near Marblemount. The area is open to prospecting and has produced impressive gold finds.

Swauk Creek

Swauk Creek is a tributary of the Yakima River, located in Kittitas County, Washington state. It is a popular destination for gold prospectors due to its history of producing sizable gold deposits.

Swauk Creek was initially discovered in 1873 during the gold rush in Washington state, and since then, it has been a hotspot for prospectors looking to strike it rich. The gold in Swauk Creek is typically found in tiny flakes and nuggets scattered throughout the riverbed.

The gold is found in deposits along the riverbed and surrounding hills and mountains. The area is open to prospecting and has produced impressive gold finds.

Entiat River

The Entiat River is located in central Washington state and is a popular destination for gold prospectors. The river is approximately 70 miles long and flows from the Cascade Mountains to the Columbia River.

The area surrounding the river is known for its scenic beauty and is popular with outdoor enthusiasts for fishing, camping, hiking, and gold prospecting.

The gold in the Entiat River is typically fine and flaky, with small flakes and nuggets scattered throughout the riverbed.

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