Rockhounding
Some visitors to the national forest like to try their hands at finding minerals or panning for gold. Visitors are asked to following these guidelines when rockhounding or gold panning in the National Forests in North Carolina.
- Rockhounding and gold panning may take place on most national forest lands – provided only small quantities of material are removed for personal, non-commercial purposes.
- Recreational rockhounding and gold panning are not allowed in Congressionally-designated wilderness areas or in the corridors of designated wild and scenic rivers.
- Recreational rockhounding and gold panning are not allowed in forest areas where mineral rights are owned by a private party, or in an area that is under mineral lease to a private party.
- Permits are required for removal of mineral materials for scientific and research purposes.
- Commercial removal of minerals requires a prospecting permit from the Bureau of Land Management.
- Materials must be removed using small hand tools without mechanical means or motorized equipment. Removing mineral materials with a pick, shovel, sluice box or similar large tools can cause significant impacts to resources is considered mechanical so therefore not allowed.
- Suction dredges are not allowed by forest closure order.
- Gold pans may be used for gold panning in the beds of streams, but the banks of streams cannot be disturbed by digging or removing materials.
- Any disturbance to or removal of historical or archaeological artifacts is prohibited by federal law
Rockhounding Areas
Alerts & Warnings
- Cheoah RD: NCDOT highway improvements will affect AT users
- Croatan NF: Two Roads Closed for Visitor Safety and Maintenance
- Cheoah RD: Fontana Loop Trail TR15, Portions of Bee Cove TR421 Temporarily Close
- Be Bear Aware
- Catawba Falls Trail (TR 225) Closed
- Camping and other restrictions now in effect at Max Patch
- Nantahala RD: Multiple areas under construction
- Appalachian RD: NCDOT construction near Harmon Den may affect Forest access
- Grandfather RD: Old House Gap Rd (FS192) temporarily closed
- Recreate responsibly
- Target Shooting prohibited on Croatan National Forest