There are lots of great places to prospect for gold in Washington. Many creeks and river will produce gold by panning or sluicing. Other areas are better for hard rock mining, and will require crushing ores to recover the gold.
The richest locations are areas where the early miners have mined. To find them, all it takes is a bit of research and a willingness to explore and prospect to locate the richest gold sources. It is out there. Here are 12 of the richer spots in the state that will give you a good idea of where to start your hunt!
1. Liberty
The thing that makes the area around Liberty so noteworthy is not just that it was a rich gold district, but also that the largest gold nuggets found in Washington have been mined here. Individual nuggets weighing up to 70 ounces have been unearthed here! Swauk Creek holds lots of gold, but most of the big nuggets were actually found in ancient river channels up on the surrounding mountains.
2. Monte Cristo Mines
As you climb into the northern Cascades east of Everett is the Monte Cristo mining district. This was a very rich lode mining area in western Washington. The Remonille Mine, Red Cloud Mine, Rainy Mine, Keystone Mine, and Mystery Pride Mine were some of the richest. They produced both gold & silver from the rich ores.
3. Kettle Falls Mining District
In the northeast corner of Washington is the Kettle Falls area. There were several hundred active gold mines in Stevenson County at one time, the richest were in the Kettle Falls area. The Gold Hill Mine, Gold Reef Mine, and Sunday Mine were some of the richest. Gold is also found in nearby waters, and a placer miner can recover gold by panning.
4. Cle Elum River
Near the mining town of Liberty is the Cle Elum River placers. There is very good gold in this river and has always been a popular area for dredgers. Many of the tributaries are also gold bearing such as Silver Creek, Fortune Creek, and Big Salmon Creek.
5. Okanogan County Mines
The mines of Okanogan County are widespread and very rich. There are numerous mining districts here including the Cascade, Oroville, Nighthawk, Myers Creek, and Methow Mining District. A serious miner should research the many profitable mines that operated here during the late 19th century. There is still a lot of precious metal hidden in these mountains.
6. Cape Disappointment
At the mouth of the Columbia River you will find Cape Disappointment. There are rich black sand deposits here with tiny particles of gold in them. The richness can vary considerably depending on the day; a strong storm can bring in lots of black sand, or it might just as easily wash them away. You can use a gold pan and find some gold, but serious miners use a Gold Cube to catch that tiny gold.
7. Pacific Ocean Beaches
Some are surprised to know that a great number of prospectors have worked the beaches of the Pacific Ocean. These sands contain tiny particles of gold. Although they were nowhere near as rich as those in Nome, Alaska or Gold Beach, Oregon, they do still hold some gold hidden in those sands. Even some spots in Puget Sound will produce some color. Even small platinum particles have been found, but you have to put in the work to find the good spots.
8. Republic
There was once a lot of mining activity around the town of Republic. Although primarily a lode mining district, there is also some gold to be found in the areas. The Sanpoil River and many of its tributaries have gold. The Knob Hill Mine and Flag Hill Mine were two of the big producers.
9. Northern Cascades Placers
The placer deposits scattered throughout the northern Cascade Range are worthy of note, particularly because many of them are not associated with any historic mining camps. There is gold all throughout the creeks and rivers of the Cascades, but you have to go out and find them. A person willing to backpack into some remote mountains streams has a good chance of finding some nice gold.
10. East Fork Lewis River
This is one of the more popular locations to prospect for gold in southwest Washington. These placers aren’t particularly rich, but you can find gold here, and its one of the better options for prospectors in this part of the state.
11. Blewett Mines
There isn’t much left of Blewett, but this was a rich mining district at one time. Wenatchee River, Peshastin Creek, Culver Springs Creek, King Creek, and many other waters around this area are worth prospecting. Bring along a sluice box and see what you can find.
12. Columbia River
There is fine gold all throughout the Columbia River. You won’t find gold nuggets, its always small, fine textured gold dust but in some areas there is lots of it. There was a time when thousands of miners worked the gravel bars up and down the Columbia. Now these placers are all but forgotten, but you can still turn up some gold along the banks of the river.
Next: How to Remove Gold from Rich Ores