Our New Mexico Gold Maps shows there are currently 13,019 active gold claims and 178,244 abandoned gold claims located throughout the state. Of those active claims, 11,528 are lode claims and 1,491 are placer. Of those abandoned claims, 161,813 are lode and 16,431 are placer. New Mexico’s roughly 13,019 active gold claims represent about 2.9% of all active gold claims in the lower 48 states.
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- After opening the New Mexico gold map you first see a satellite view of the state boundaries with yellow and orange clusters. Those yellow (lode claims) and orange (placer claims) clusters represent very high concentrations of active gold mining claims. This view of these yellow/orange clusters gives us a very accurate and current idea of where most of New Mexico’s gold is being found today. 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 50 miles NW of Deming to a little mining town called Silver City. You can clearly see the active lode and active placer gold mining claims. You are now right outside public land in the Gila National Forest. Once in Gila you can find dozens of non-claimed public gold prospecting locations for you and your family to try your luck at. Our maps can save you $100’s 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 placer or active lode claims for the MTRS number to determine ownership and other information about the claim(s). This information is for professional miners with experience in staking claims. Recreational gold panners should not try to contact claim holders and should stay away from claimed properties. You can read more about how to use the MTRS numbers on our Viewing Tips page.
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- Still looking at the Silver City area, turn on the Google Earth™ overlay entitled Parks and Recreation located within the More overlay. Now you can see Gila National Forest campgrounds, ranger stations, hiking trails, hotels and stores. You can zoom in further still to get a close-up 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.”
New Mexico Gold Maps Note: None of the New Mexico images above show just how close you can zoom in to see gold prospecting 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. Google Earth™ is a free download.
