New Hampshire Prospecting Sep. 10, 2008
I have been prospecting up in Bath NH for a few years. OK, so now I am obsessed with dirt! If I know of anyone heading up to that area I start foaming at the mouth. So if you are considering some panning or sluicing in NH, head for Bath and the Wild Ammonoosuc River. There is plenty to go around, and if you are lucky enough to find a hole that has been left unfilled, go for it.
This spot on the map is now closed. No trespassing signs were posted in the Fall of 2009 and are still there as of the posting, June 2010.
There is a movement to start a GPAA chapter in NH. Email contact nhgoldprospectors@yahoo.com
looking for folks to be involve in the local organization.
Steve
Rail ghost
Correct, there are fewer places to prospect now up at the Wild AM. But if you get permission by the landowners it’s still a great spot. Inquire at Twin River Campground for more details.
Twin River folks are exceptionally accommodating! Love going up there! We’re celebrating Big Dig II there this year at the end of July, Steve – come join us, even if just for the day on Saturday, July 31st!
Where-abouts in NH are you thinking of starting up a new GPAA? I’m just south of Salem NH.
Hi Jim,
I am the president of a local metal detecting group in North Haven, CT . So I enjoy looking for gold item in the dirt and at the beach. I always thought that prospecting would be a fun adventure. Is there a spot near the Twin Pines Campground which is open for panning? Can you use a sluice there? I found the portable sluice interesting where some folks use a plastic corrogated pipe? Has this worked for you. Some of my members have shown an interest in doing some prospecting. What could one person expect to find in a day of panning up theres? possibly a gram or two ? Just wondering ?
Thanks for your input ..
Andy
Andy;
The area around Twin River campground is an interesting story. But the bottom line is if the land is posted, you need permission to prospect. If you stay at the campground you can dig anywhere on their property. You can also pan anywhere within the White Mountain Nat. Forest along Rte 112, but only panning is allowed…no dredging. I think using a sluice is OK. You can contact the campground and they may give you information on getting landowners permission.
As for a sluice, there are ways to build your own, but buying a new or used Keene sluice is the way to go. Check on Ebay for used sluice boxes.
And how much gold will you take home? Well, that’s in direct proportion to how much time you spend digging times how well your sluice is working times how well you can read a river. I have spend 3 hours diggin and sluicin and found nearly nothing. Other times I just dig up a panful right at the surface and get a few flakes. But a gram or two, not likely. It’s a lot of work. But on a beautiful summer or fall day, being up at the river listening to the water flow and nothing else…you can’t put a value on that!
Don’t hesitate to contact me directly if you plan a trip up to NH. I always need an excuse for an excursion!
Here is another good blog:
http://nhgoldprospecting.blogspot.com/2009/02/gold-nuggets-in-new-hampshire.html
This is a great blog/article that does give advice and tells some of the rules that metal detecting people should be aware of. Thanks for sharing look forward to reading more.
i live 5 min. away and yes you can use a sluece box it is all up and down the stream all yhe way to lincoln on other side of mountain
The only people who probably made out were the land speculators and people putting prospectors up for the night, said Rick Chormann, New Hampshire s state geologist.