Our Arizona Gold Maps show there are currently 46,199 active gold claims and 364,629 abandoned claims in the state on public lands. Of those active claims, 39,478 are lode claims and 6,721 are placer claims. Of those abandoned claims, 303,361 are lode and 61,268 are placer. Arizona’s active gold claims represent about 10.5% of all gold claims in the lower 48 states.
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- When you first open the Arizona gold map you’ll get a satellite view of the state boundaries with little yellow and orange clusters throughout. Those yellow (lode claims) and orange (placer claims) clusters represent high concentrations of active gold mining claims. This view of these clusters gives us a very accurate and current idea of where most of Arizona’s gold is being found. This near real-time look at these gold bearing areas is simply not possible with traditional fold-out paper maps.
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- Now zoom in about 75 miles north of Phoenix to a town called Prescott Arizona and turn on the abandoned (green) placer mining claims map. You can clearly see the abandoned placer claim boundaries throughout the area. Once in Prescott National Forest you can find dozens of non-claimed gold prospecting locations for you and your family to try your hand at. Our maps will save you at least $200 in gas alone by showing you exactly where to go.
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- Zoom in further still and you can click on the active (orange) or abandoned (green) placer claims for the MTRS number to determine ownership and other information about the claim(s). This information is for professional prospectors. Recreational gold panners should not try to contact claim holders and always stay away from claimed property. Please read our Viewing Tips page to learn more about MTRS numbers.
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- Still looking at the Prescott area, turn on the Google Earth™ overlay entitled Parks and Recreation within the More overlay. Now you can see Prescott National Forest campgrounds, ranger stations, hiking trails, hotels, gas stations and stores. You can zoom in further still to get a birds-eye view of roads, creeks and other points of interest. Using Google Earth™ satellite imagery, altitude and distance measuring tools will eliminate most surprises like, “I didn’t know that hill was so steep.”
Arizona Gold Maps Note: None of the Arizona images above show just how close you can zoom in and see potential gold panning sites. You’ll be amazed at how crisp the satellite imagery is and how much exploring and planning you can do from the comfort of your home. And Google Earth™ is a free download.
