There is gold in the South Platte River, and most of the creeks that flow into it also contain gold. This means that just about any waterway running through Denver will turn up a little bit of gold for the diligent prospector.
Access is better than you might expect. While there is certainly a lot of private property that you will need to contend with, much of the lands adjacent to these gold bearing waters are actually public property now. They are managed by the Parks & Recreation department. Casual prospecting is not a concern, as long as you are using basic hand tools you will be fine.
South Platte River
The South Platte is the most obvious place to start digging. Running right through downtown, there is ample access with a good trail system following along the river. Explore the gravel bars and sample different areas to try and locate concentrations of fine placer gold.
Cherry Creek
Cherry Creek was one of the first sites that gold was found in Colorado. The deposits weren’t really enough to garner much interest back in the old days, and miners quickly moved on to richer areas to the west.
Now there are miles of Cherry Creek that you can prospect. Most of it is quite sandy and will likely be unproductive, but there are select areas that will definitely produce gold. Access couldn’t be easier… there is a paved path along the creek for many miles right through the city.
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Arapahoe Bar Gold Panning Park
The most well-known access for prospecting around Denver would have to be Arapahoe Bar. This is a historic mining area that will reliably produce gold. It is located near the confluence of Interstate 70 and Highway 58 in Wheat Ridge.
You can use your GPS to navigate to this site. When you arrive, pay attention to the signage and make sure that you are digging in the right area. There is plenty of access along Clear Creek with no shortage of gold.
Explore up Clear Creek
It’s a bit of a drive, but if you venture west, past Golden toward Idaho Springs you will come to the Clear Creek Canyon Park. There is about 10 miles of public access here along the creek. This is another great area to explore if you want to get out of town, but don’t want to have to travel too far.
Prospecting Tips
Generally speaking, the gold you will find in Denver and the surrounding waters is going to be very fine textured. There is plenty of gold dust, and the occasional flake or “picker.” Overall, you should prospect efficiently so that you can retain all of the finer materials.
If you are just getting started and don’t want to spend too much getting started, a very basic gold panning kit is all you need to get started.
A nice little sluice box will increase your odds of success. You can buy one for about $100 and it will allow you to process 100x more gravel than you could with just a gold pan alone.
Motorized equipment is a bad idea in most areas around Denver. Currently, gold prospectors seem to go “under the radar” and have had few issues from the city or the various agencies. Let’s keep it that way by following the rules and respecting the area. Keep away from manicured areas and fill all of your holes.
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