The gold rushes of the 19th century have long since ended, but there are still plenty of places you can hunt for the precious metal using a shovel, pan, metal detector, and more. In fact, recreational gold mining is a pastime for many people these days, and for good reason: the largest nugget ever found in California was discovered by an amateur.
Read on to discover destinations around the world where you can still prospect for gold, but be sure to check any restrictions if you're thinking of indulging in a spot of treasure hunting.
All dollar amounts in US dollars.
In most cases, gold reserves in the UK are classed as 'Mines Royal' and belong to His Majesty. The Crown Estate has stopped issuing licences for recreational gold panning and is reluctant to authorise mining operations due to the environmental damage they may cause.
Amateur gold prospectors in the UK have few options if they don't want to break the law and risk prosecution. The Suisgill Estate in northern Scotland is one of them. Recreational gold panning is permitted, within strict guidelines and with appropriate permissions, in two rivers on the estate.
Dubbed 'God's Treasure House in Scotland', the area around the village of Wanlockhead in the Lowther Hills is prized for its gold reserves, even more so than the Suisgill Estate, and prospectors have been mining and panning there for centuries.
The Lowther and Buccleuch Estates issue gold panning licences for the area. Alternatively, the Wanlockhead Lead Mining Museum offers panning courses for amateurs – a Canadian tourist found a 20-carat nugget worth $12,800 ($17k/£13.5k in today's money) during a course in 2014.
The discovery of the Dolgellau Gold Belt in Snowdonia back in 1843 triggered the Welsh Gold Rush of the 1860s. But gold is no longer mined on a commercial basis in the area. Still, the belt has yielded four tonnes of gold over the years.
Amateur prospectors can pan for gold in the area if they have permission from the relevant landowner and adhere to strict environmental guidelines. An easier option is to visit the ancient Dolaucothi Gold Mines in Carmarthenshire, where you can try your hand at gold panning without the legal worries.
In 1799, Conrad Reed was walking along Little Meadow Creek when he noticed a shiny, gold substance in the water. It turned out to be a 17-pound gold nugget and was the first documented authentic gold claim in the US.
You can still pull gold out of the water to this day with panning sessions available for a small fee per person. Visitors to the area can also learn about other ways of finding gold from the land.
If you're in Alaska and want to look for more than just incredible scenery and wildlife, you might want to try your hand at panning for gold in Crow Creek. The first claims of gold are said to have been made in 1897 near the mouth of the stream and panning has taken place here ever since.
Amateur gold hunters can get private excursions and a practice bag of rocks mixed with gold to make sure they're panning correctly before heading half a mile downstream to test their gold-hunting skills. Panning starts from $25 (£20) per person.
In 1876 the gold rush swept across the Black Hills of South Dakota after gold deposits were found in Deadwood Creek, with people panning for gold ever since. Panning experiences can be booked in advance at Deadwood’s Broken Boot Gold Mine.
Much of the Black Hills are encompassed by public land and panning is available to whoever fancies wading through the waters. You'll need to rent or bring your own panning equipment and the cost depends on where you want to go panning.
The Cosumnes River that flows through California's Eldorado National Forest is also known for its deposits of gold. A great place to prospect, several camping grounds within the forest allow for gold panning.
The most popular gold panning sites include the areas around Cache Rock and the Pi Pi Campground, which is located along the middle fork of the Cosumnes, as well as the area around Capps Crossing.
This swathe of land near near the Majuba Mountains is renowned for its chunky chevron-shaped gold nuggets, which are much sought after by collectors. The gold deposits are situated in soils to the west of the reservoir, so you'll have to dry pan or search with a metal detector here.
In Nevada, as long as you discover gold on federal land – and it hasn't been claimed by someone else – you can stake a mining claim and keep or sell your booty. Similar rules apply in other US states, including California, Colorado and Alaska.
There are many places to mine for gold in California, as it's rich with gold mining history, and Jamestown is no exception. The gold panning tours available here make this a popular choice.
Prices for prospecting here vary and it can be a little steep, but then again, you are going gold mining. Family experiences generally include equipment, instructions and a five-hour time slot.
A gold-hunter's paradise, this river in Colorado is hands-down the best place in the state for recreational prospecting. Panning and sluicing for gold is permitted on the river bed at Arapahoe Bar in west Denver, and digging is allowed on the north side of the river there.
There's also a large stretch of river about 10 miles upstream from Arapahoe Bar at Clear Creek Canyon where gold panning, sluicing and even suction dredging are permitted. You may even have better luck here given the location is up-river.
North Georgia saw an American gold rush in 1928. People have long since been hunting there and the Consolidated Gold Mine is the place to go.
The Consolidated Gold Mine is currently open and offering gold panning experiences with prices starting from $30 (£24).
The discovery of gold near the Chena River in Fairbanks set off the Fairbanks Gold Rush of the early 1900s and the yellow metal is still found in relatively impressive quantities in Alaska's ice-cold watercourses.
Several tourist companies that are based in Fairbanks offer gold panning courses on the river. Recreational panning is also allowed at the narrower Pedro Creek to the north of the Alaskan city.
The Klondike Gold Rush kicked off in 1896 when gold was found in Bonanza Creek (then called Rabbit Creek), a tributary of the Klondike River, attracting hundreds of thousands of prospectors to this remote part of Canada.
Gold panning and sluicing are permitted on the Klondike River and other watercourses in Canada with some exceptions. If the land is federal-owned or belongs to First Nation people, you'll have to obtain permission before you prospect.
This river in British Columbia is noted for its reserves of gold and attracts many a recreational prospector. Tranquille Creek in Thompson County is one of the best spots to pan for gold on the river.
Fraser River is awash with gold left behind by prospectors over decades. There's a good chance you'll find small nuggets here rather than tiny specks or grains of gold among the rich alluvial deposits, as it's one of the largest gold-producing mines in Canada .
New Zealand is blessed with generous reserves of gold and there are plenty of sites in which to prospect for the yellow metal, including the Arrow River in Otago on the South Island.
The shallow part of the river near Arrowtown is the best place to prospect for gold. Panning is allowed and even encouraged here and several local gold prospecting firms hire out pans to rookie prospectors.
Gold hunters may have more luck in Ireland. Recreational gold panning using handheld, non-motorised equipment is permitted, but you'll need to declare any find in excess of 20 grains (just over a gram) and you must obtain a licence to sell any gold you discover.
The appropriately named Gold Mines River in the Wicklow Mountains, which got its moniker in 1796 following the discovery of a nugget of the precious metal, boasts relatively high quantities of gold and is a magnet for amateur prospectors.
One of Europe's major rivers, the Rhine stretches from the Swiss Alps to the North Sea via Germany and the Netherlands. A popular destination for river cruisers, it also boasts several known gold panning spots.
In the alpine village of Disentis, Switzerland, for example, budding prospectors can join daily summer courses led by "Swiss gold-prospecting legend" Gold-Gusti. All the gold washing equipment you'll need is provided, and you can keep any nuggets you find, with some reviews claiming you're "guaranteed" to come away with a precious memento.
People have reportedly been hunting for gold in the Danube (pictured) for thousands of years, but today, it's mainly the tributaries that attract aspiring panners. The River Enns, a southern tributary of the Danube that forms the border between Lower and Upper Austria, can be particularly profitable...
From the Austrian town of Steyr (pictured) to the mouth of the Danube, it's been estimated the Enns contains an average of 0.14 grams of gold per tonne of gravel. Currently, 0.14 grams is worth around $11 (£8). In other places, the concentration is nearer 2 grams of gold per tonne of gravel, worth around $170 (£135).
The richest in gold of all German rivers, the Schwarza in the state of Thuringia is a tributary of the River Saale. Precious metals have reportedly been found in the Schwarza since the 12th century, but in 1402, the rights to all of the valley's gold were handed over to the Count of Schwarzburg.
Thankfully, that's no longer the case. Today, online sources suggest anyone is free to pan for gold in the Schwarza River and keep anything they find. A variety of panning courses and introductory classes are available during the summer months.
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