Lynx Creek, Arizona — Dry Washing Gold in the Desert

DIRECT ANSWER

Lynx Creek in Yavapai County, Arizona, is a historic gold district where Dave Turin showcased the harsh realities of desert mining. Lacking flowing water, operations here rely entirely on dry washing to separate gold from cemented desert gravels, battling extreme heat, dust, and rugged terrain.

If you want to mine in Arizona, you have to learn how to mine without water. Lynx Creek is one of Arizona's most famous and historically productive gold districts, but like most of the Southwest, its drainages are bone dry for most of the year. When Dave Turin brought his operation here, he had to completely abandon traditional water-based wash plants.

The Mechanics of Dry Washing

A dry washer uses air and vibration instead of water to separate gold from dirt. The gravel is fed into a hopper, and a fan pushes air up through a porous cloth riffle board. The vibration and airflow fluidize the dirt, blowing the lighter sand and dust away while the heavy gold settles behind the riffles. For this to work, the dirt must be absolutely, completely dry—even a slight morning dew can cause the dirt to clump and the gold to blow out the back.

Battling Caliche and Heat

The primary geological enemy at Lynx Creek is "caliche"—a naturally occurring desert concrete where calcium carbonate binds the gravel together. Caliche traps gold tightly, and running it through a dry washer is impossible without mechanically crushing it first. Combined with summer temperatures that easily exceed 110°F and blinding dust storms created by the dry washers, desert mining is a grueling test of endurance.

Arizona Casual Use

Dry washing with a portable, hand-fed unit is generally considered "casual use" on open Arizona BLM land and requires no permit. However, using heavy machinery to excavate the dirt before dry washing requires a filed Notice of Intent.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Where is Lynx Creek?

Lynx Creek is located in Yavapai County, Arizona, near the city of Prescott. It is one of the most productive historic placer gold districts in the state.

How does a dry washer catch gold?

A dry washer uses a fan to blow air up through a riffle board while vibrating. This creates a fluidized bed of dry dirt. Lighter materials blow away as dust, while the dense gold sinks and gets trapped behind the riffles.

When is the best time to dry wash for gold?

Late spring and early summer are ideal because the soil must be completely dry for the equipment to work. However, extreme summer heat in Arizona makes physical labor dangerous, so many prospectors prefer the dry, cooler months of October and November.