The largest association in the US, offering access to member-only mining claims, a dedicated magazine, and extensive educational resources.

A massive, highly active forum with dedicated sub-boards for dry washing, hard rock mining, dredging, and general placer gold prospecting.

The definitive resource for the highly technical chemistry, safety, and processes of refining recovered gold, silver, and scrap.

The digital wing of the long-running print magazine, featuring classified ads for claims, legal updates, and deep-dive articles on commercial and amateur mining.

Maintained by expert Steve Herschbach, this is the internet's most technical and knowledgeable forum specifically for hunting gold nuggets with metal detectors.

An advocacy group focused on keeping public lands open to miners, offering access to AMRA-held claims across America for its members.

A non-profit organization dedicated to fighting for miners' rights and providing legal defense funds and education regarding mining law.

A long-standing, tight-knit community of electronic prospectors sharing field reports, equipment modifications, and Arizona/Western US local knowledge.

Run by a prominent Arizona dealer, focusing heavily on Minelab machines, finding desert gold, and sharing meteorite/nugget discoveries.

A specialized hub for Rocky Mountain miners focusing on local geology, claim laws, and networking within Colorado's rich mineral belts.

Run by Chris Ralph, this site is a goldmine of old-school geological knowledge, DIY equipment plans, and guides to reading topography.

Based in Northern California, this group provides access to miles of claims on the Klamath River and extensive tutorials on dredging and sniping.

A massive detecting forum with a dedicated, highly active "Prospecting" sub-forum where users debate detector coils, frequencies, and ground balancing.

A blog offering straightforward, practical advice on placer mining techniques, sampling, and the realities of small-scale prospecting.

Beyond being a store, their site houses historic guides and regional advice specific to the brutal but rewarding conditions of Alaskan prospecting.

While they sell mining claims, their site features an extensive database of abandoned mine evaluations and photos from across the western US.

A regional group offering excellent localized information on the specific permits required for Pacific Northwest waterways.

High-energy underwater sniping, bedrock clearing, and dredging videos primarily shot in the rivers of British Columbia.

Excellent educational content teaching viewers how to read rivers, process concentrates, and locate high-yield paydirt.

A highly entertaining blend of deep geological science, desert hard rock mining history, and comedy.

An Australian prospector focusing on panning, sluicing, and metal detecting, with a great emphasis on teaching beginners.

Features a veteran prospector exploring the historic gold camps of Northern California, focusing on metal detecting and dredging.

Run by an engineer who builds rock crushers, this channel focuses on the hard rock side: crushing ore and smelting.

Focuses on designing, modifying, and testing sluice box dynamics and fluid mechanics to catch microscopic gold.

Showcases high-altitude prospecting, utilizing highbankers and trommels in the heavily mineralized Rocky Mountains.

Focuses on large-scale cleanouts, operating heavy machinery, and commercial-level placer mining operations.

Extremely academic videos on recognizing gold-bearing rocks, understanding fault lines, and the chemistry of mineralization.

Deep dives into old mining texts, demonstrating how the miners of the 1800s operated, blasted, and processed ore.

An Australian couple sharing decades of experience in bushcraft, gem hunting, and finding large gold nuggets with detectors.

An aggregator of BLM and USGS data, providing interactive maps of millions of active, closed, and abandoned mining claims in the US.

The world's largest open database of minerals, rocks, meteorites, and the specific geological localities and historic mines where they are found.

The official government portal for researching current active claims, preventing accidental claim jumping by amateur prospectors.

A massive global database of mineral occurrences, metallic deposits, and historical mining operations with downloadable GIS data.

A government archive holding over 275,000 digital scans of maps from closed and abandoned mines dating back centuries.

An exceptional archive of photographs, historic newspaper clippings, and profiles of legendary gold rush ghost towns and mining districts.

An interactive map that overlays historical USGS topographic maps onto modern satellite imagery to reveal lost trails and watercourses.

Provides access to raw satellite imagery, aerial photography, and cartographic products vital for spotting geological anomalies.

A stunning, high-resolution digital library of rare 18th and 19th-century maps, useful for seeing how early prospectors mapped the frontier.

Provides high-resolution LiDAR topography data, which prospectors use to see old, overgrown mine tailings through dense forest canopies.

The physical and digital repository for historical federal mining patents, early land grants, and frontier mineral disputes.

Contains detailed geological cross-sections, structural maps, and historical production data for Arizona's rich copper and gold belts.

The Pro desktop version is vital for its "Historical Imagery" slider, letting prospectors view landscape changes and seasonal water flow over the last 30 years.

The industry leader in gold-specific Pulse Induction detectors. Their site features extensive training videos and technical manuals.

One of the oldest and largest online retailers, featuring a massive blog with deep-dive guides on choosing machines for specific soils.

Manufacturers of the famous AT Gold and Axiom detectors. Their site provides solid tutorials on VLF prospecting.

Known for classic gold machines like the Gold Bug 2. Their site houses technical data on high-frequency detecting for ultra-fine gold.

Makers of the completely wireless Deus and ORX machines. Excellent resources on tweaking high-frequency programs for nuggets.

Producers of highly affordable, rugged gold machines like the Gold Kruzer, featuring detailed specification breakdowns and firmware updates.

Offers not just detectors, but an impressive array of specialized panning kits, sluice boxes, and local knowledge via their blog.

Run by a prominent prospector, this site offers highly curated bundles and gives buyers direct access to his expertise for setup.

Known for exceptional customer service, offering trade-ins and detailed advice on East Coast vs. West Coast detecting needs.

An overarching retail site featuring comprehensive "Learning Library" articles covering the physics of target separation and depth.

A highly respected dealer specializing in premium prospecting machines and custom recovery tools for serious miners.