Nevada is the leading state for precious metal production. Both gold and silver continue to be mined here at a scale far beyond anywhere else in our country.
Most of that mining is taking place in Northern Nevada. The southern part of the state has produced considerably less metals. Yet there are still several places worth exploring if you want to go out and try to find some for yourself.
This list includes 10 gold mining areas within 2 hours of Las Vegas. These encompass historic mining districts in both Southern Nevada as well as Northern Arizona.
Just keep in mind that land status should be checked before you do any mining at any of these sites. Many of these locations were once flourishing mining camps, but now sit on private lands or public lands that now have restrictions on mining.
1. Nelson
The Techatticup Mine was the largest gold producer in Nelson. This was a hard rock mining that followed veins of quartz underground, then milled them to extract both gold and silver. There are other mines in the surrounding hills, long abandoned. There is now a tour available for visitors to the Nelson Ghost Town.
2. El Dorado Canyon
Placer gold was also mined at El Dorado Canyon. Actually, there was placer gold in many of the canyons that drain into the Colorado River, and the river itself was mined in many locations spanning hundreds of miles. Unfortunately for miners today, the various land designations have made it all but impossible to legally mine along the Colorado River today.
3. Gold Butte
The old Gold Butte Mining District now sits within the Gold Butte National Monument. For a short time there was a lively gold rush here from 1905 to 1906. While enough gold was present to cause some excitement, after a year it was obvious that the deposits were not rich enough to warrant any significant investment. Now the site is abandoned.
4. Johnnie
The Johnnie Mine was found by a group of prospectors in search of the the Lost Breyfogle Mine. These men discovered several mineralized outcrops in the Spring Mountains. The Johnnie Mine had rich ores and operated for several decades despite its isolated location and harsh conditions.
5. Searchlight
Searchlight was one of Southern Nevada’s most exciting gold strikes around the turn of the 20th century. By 1907 there were as many as 5000 men in Searchlight working at the various mines in the surrounding desert hills. Nearly all of the production here comes from underground mining operations.
6. Gold Basin
Gold Basin is one of the more popular areas for today’s small-scale prospector. This is a large area east of Highway 93 traveling from Las Vegas to Kingman. Coarse placer gold occurs in many of the dry washes and gulches over an expansive area. There is a lot of public land here that is open to prospecting and a popular site to metal detect due to the presence of large gold nuggets.
7. Oatman
Oatman was one of Arizona’s most impressive gold strikes. Situated in the Black Mountains of Mohave County, the ores here were exceedingly rich and resulted in one of the states largest mining settlements. Oatman has not faded away. In fact this old mining camp still sees a half-million visitors each year. The feral burros wandering the downtown street are one of the biggest draws.
8. Cerbat Mountains
The town of Chloride was a booming mining camp on the western flanks of the Cerbat Mountains. A few hundred people live here today, but few of them are doing any mining. Gold can also be found in this general area.
9. Meadview
Meadview, AZ is situated at the border of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, which does not allow any mining today. However, just south of the border is the site of the King Tut Mine, part of the Lost Basin Mining District. Outside of the rec area is a patchwork of private and public BLM lands. There are opportunities for prospectors in this region, but be caution of mining claims just as you would anywhere else.
10. Hualapai Mountains
Just outside of Kingman were some small gold deposits that were worked on a small scale. These weren’t particularly well document and not very rich, but still provide an opportunity for prospectors willing to search new areas.
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