Rocks & Minerals
Rockhounding, Prospecting & Mining on Prescott National Forest
Interested in rock collecting? Limited collection of rocks and minerals for personal use is allowed on most National Forest System lands, including the Prescott National Forest. These materials may be collected without a permit, provided the collecting is for personal, hobby, and non-commercial use. You may collect reasonable amounts of specimens. Generally, a reasonable amount is up to 10 pounds per person per day for rocks/minerals. See Rock Hounding Guide for more information.
For commercial or other uses of rock material, contact the local Forest Service Office. Commercial use is any trading, bartering, or selling of rocks and minerals from National Forest System Lands.
You may collect of small amounts of widespread, low-value, relatively common minerals, and stones (common quartz crystals, agate, obsidian) for non-commercial use. Hobby mining activities are also allowed, such as recreational gold panning or use of metal detectors to prospect for gold nuggets and other naturally occurring metals. See Rockhounding Guide
Important: The following cannot be collected or removed
- Vertebrate fossils (anything with a backbone, including dinosaur bones and fish) and shark teeth.
- Archeological resources, including any material remains of prehistoric or historic human life or activities, which are at least 50 years old, and includes the physical site, location, or context in which they are found (36 CFR 261.2).
- The collection of projectile points, pottery or any other archeological resource or artifact is not allowed (36 CFR 261.9 (h) without a permit. Projectile points include âarrowheadsâ and any prehistoric human-modified stone.
Certain lands within the National Forest are closed to rock and mineral collecting. No collecting is allowed in designated wilderness areas, other sensitive areas, and areas withdrawn from mineral entry. It is your responsibility to be aware of land status, including if it is private property or an active mining claim. Know before you go by checking with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for specific locations to find out whether there are mining claims in the area.
For more information please visit: https://www.blm.gov/programs/energy-and-minerals/mining-and-minerals/locatable-minerals/mining-claims
No Permits are Required for the following activities:
- You are collecting samples on the surface (no digging with hand tools or mechanized equipment).
- Recreational gold panning or use of metal detectors
- You are collecting for personal and not to sell or barter.
Authorization is required for the following activities*:
- Activity that involves digging with hand tools or mechanized earth-moving equipment, including bobcats, suction dredges, âhigh bankingâ or dry washing equipment.
- Commercial activities including collecting mineral or fossil specimens for re-sale.
- Removal of more than insignificant amounts of landscape rock.
*Please contact the Forest Service to discuss authorization before initiating any of these activities.
Important: The following cannot be collected or removed
- Vertebrate fossils (anything with a backbone, including dinosaur bones and fish), and shark teeth.
- Archeological resources including any material remains of prehistoric or historic human life or activities, which are at least 50 years old, and includes the physical site, location, or context in which they are found. (36 CFR 261.2)
- The collection of projectile points, pottery, or any other archeological resource or artifact is not allowed (36 CFR 261.9 (h) without a permit. Projectile points include âarrowheadsâ and any prehistoric human-modified stone.
Limited collection of common invertebrate or plant fossils such as shells, leaf imprints, corals, etc., for personal use is allowed on most National Forest System lands. These materials may be collected without a permit provided the collecting is for personal, hobby, and noncommercial use. Commercial use is defined as any trading, bartering, or selling fossils or petrified wood from National Forest System lands. You may collect reasonable amounts of specimens. Generally, a reasonable amount is up to 10 pounds. For other uses of this material, contact the local Forest Service Office.
Fossil (Paleontological) resource means any evidence of fossilized remains of multicellular invertebrate and vertebrate animals and multicellular plants, including imprints thereof (36 CFR 261.2). There are four major types of fossils: ichnofossil (a.k.a. imprint or trace fossil), plant, invertebrate, and vertebrate.
Ichnofossils (or trace fossils) are typically sedimentary structures consisting of a fossilized track, trail, burrow, or tube resulting from the life activities and behavior of an animal, such as a mark made by an invertebrate creeping, feeding, hiding, or resting on or in soft sediment. Some non-sedimentary examples include tooth marks (resulting from predation), skin impressions, and coprolites (fossil dung).
Fossil plants are the fossilized remains of all parts of a plant. Petrified wood is a common term used for wood fossilized by silica, where the woody structure is visible. A free-use permit may be issued to amateur collectors and scientists to take limited quantities of petrified wood for personal use. A permit is required for commercial sales of petrified wood.
Invertebrate fossils are the fossilized remains of animals lacking a backbone. A few examples include ammonites, trilobites, snails, clams and insects.
Invertebrate and plant fossils (including invertebrate and plant trace fossils) may be collected without a permit, from the surface without digging and for personal, hobby, educational, and noncommercial use only. A permit is required for research/scientific purposes.
Vertebrate fossils are the fossilized remains of any animal having a bony skeleton or backbone such as: fish (includes sharks and rays), amphibians, reptiles (including dinosaurs, mosasaurs, and turtles), birds, mammals, and all trace fossils from vertebrate animals, such as dinosaur tracks.
The collection and/or duplication of vertebrate fossils, including vertebrate trace fossils, from National Forest System Lands requires a permit (36 CFR 261.9 (i)). Permits are issued to qualified paleontologists and researchers who curate the fossils for scientific and educational purposes.
No permits for the collection of any fossils (plants, invertebrates, vertebrates, or any trace fossils) are issued for commercial purposes, except for petrified wood. Trading, bartering, or selling any fossil material (plants, invertebrates, vertebrates, or any trace fossils) removed from National Forest System lands is prohibited. Note: Commercial use is defined as any trading, bartering, or selling fossils or petrified wood from National Forest System lands.
Metal detectors may be used in the Prescott National Forest. There are no specific areas set aside for such activities. Metal detecting is not permitted in designated wilderness areas, other sensitive areas, and areas withdrawn from mineral entry. It is your responsibility to be aware of land status, including if it is private property or an active mining claim.
The detectorâs search should be a recreational pursuit confined to areas with no historic or prehistoric value. Searching for artifacts (human made objects) with metal detectors is discouraged, as any ancient or historical artifacts found may not be removed from federal lands, such as old coins, metal implements, or utensils.
It is the responsibility of the detectors to avoid disturbing, altering, or removing archaeological resources protected by federal law. Code of Federal Regulations, 36 CFR 261.9: "The following are prohibited: (g) digging in, excavating, disturbing, injuring, destroying, or in any way damaging any prehistoric, historic, or archaeological resources, structure, site, artifact, or property. (h) Removing any prehistoric, historic, or archaeological resources, structure, site, artifact, property." (Historic means older than 50 years.) If youâre unsure of what is or isnât an archaeological site or resource, play it safe and leave the item in question behind. You can take a photo of the item and contact your local district office for further information.
The Forest Service recognizes gold panning as legitimate recreational pursuits. Lynx Creek Gold Pan Day Use Area is primarily used for recreational gold panning.
Maps:
- Mineral Withdrawal Area Map
- Lynx Creek Withdrawal Map (JPEG)
- Lynx Creek Withdrawal Map - Insert A (JPEG)
- Lynx Creek Withdrawal Map - Insert B (JPEG)
· Pick/shovel excavations may only be done in conjunction with gold panning and metal detecting and must be made below the high-water mark of the stream channel.
· All excavations must be filled in before leaving the area.
- Do not cut trees, limbs, or brush. Do not dig up ground cover.
- Pack out everything you brought into the area, especially trash.
- Do not wash yourself or your dishes in Lynx Creek or any of its tributaries. All wash water is to be contained and disposed of, off of National Forest Land. Bury human waste 4 to 6 inches deep and at least 100 feet from the stream channel.
Gold panning in this area is subject to the following prohibitions designed to protect the environment:
- All persons are prohibited from mutilating, defacing, removing, disturbing, injuring or destroying any natural feature or any property of the United States. (title 36 cfr 261.9a)
- Except for gold pans, metal detectors and hand tools, such as picks and shovels, it is prohibited to use any motorized or mechanical equipment or mining aids used for mineral extraction within the boundaries of the withdrawal area, as defined on the attached map. (title 36 cfr 261.53 e & f) **
- Violation of these prohibitions is punishable by a fine of not more than $500, or imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or both.
Prescott National Forest has two designated, self-serve community sites where you can remove flagstone (sandstone) and river rock for personal use. Both sites are located in the Chino District and require a permit which can be obtained from the Bradshaw Office front desk. There is a small service fee. The permit is good for 3 months.
Roads to both quarries require a high-clearance, 4-wheeled drive vehicle. Motorized travel is restricted to roads identified on the Prescott National Forest Motorized Vehicle Use Map. It is a difficult 45+ minute drive from Highway 89 to the quarries. Mineral materials from the site can be removed by hand only. Use of heavy equipment is not permitted. Maps and additional information can be found below:
Mining and related activities on National Forest System lands are governed by specific laws that identify procedures and conditions under which prospecting, exploration, and development of minerals can be carried out. A flow chart summarizes the U.S. Forest Service Mining Regulations. See Mining Regulations Flowchart
- Low-impact activity with little surface disturbance (e.g., gold panning, hand collection of gems, minerals, and rocks as well as metal detecting, generally do not required Notice of Intent or Plan of Operation.
- Any activities that might cause significant disturbance of surface will require a Notice of Intent (NOI) to be submitted for review. If it is determined that operations will likely cause significant disturbance of the surface resources, the operator will be notified to submit a proposed Plan of Operation.
- Use of motorized earth-moving equipment will require an approved Plan of Operation.
PROSPECTING: Prospecting is the gathering of information on mineral resources. Prospecting is allowed within designated Wilderness Areas, but an approved Plan of Operations (Plan) is required. No person can acquire ANY right or interest to mineral resources discovered by prospecting or other information-gathering activity. Extraction of minerals (except a small grade sample) is a type of mining, and must comply with all related laws, regulations (see âMiningâ below). If the search is for precious worked metal or other treasure, see âTreasure Trove Huntingâ below.
MINING: Mining is any activity that attempts to extract minerals (which are valuable and locatable) from their natural setting. NO MINING OF ANY TYPE (whether recreation and/or profit) is allowed except with an approved Notice of Intent (NOI) and/or Plan for activity on a LEGAL claim with VALID existing rights. New mining claims can no longer be filed on designated Wilderness Areas. The Wilderness Act of 1964 allowed mining claims to be filled until January 12, 1984, at which time all wilderness areas were closed to new mineral entry. Subsequently, designated wilderness areas were closed to minerals entry when the new law was enacted.
GOLD PANNING: This category includes panning, sluicing, or dredging wet or dry material. If any mineral is extracted by this activity (for recreation and/or profit) it is a type of mining: see âMiningâ above. If minerals were NOT extracted, this activity would be a type of prospecting (see âProspectingâ above).
TREASURE TROVE HUNTING: A treasure trove is defined as money, gems, or precious worked-metal (in the form of coins, plate, bullion, etc.) of unknown ownership. Not included are recent vintage coins, located minerals, or archeological resources and specimens. A Treasure Trove Permit must authorize searching for such treasures. Applications for Treasure Trove Permit(s) are evaluated on a case-by-case basis; approval requires that evidence of treasure is of such a character that a person of ordinary prudence would be justified in the expenditure of labor and funds, with a reasonable possibility of success. Permits are issued for a specific number of days and the site is subject to inspection.
If you are interested in doing any of these activities in a designated Wilderness, you should first discuss your intentions with the local Forest Service Office. Remember that only a small part of each National Forest is classified as Wilderness; many opportunities exist outside these special areas where the types of activities described can be carried out in compliance with the laws and regulations which pertain to those non-Wilderness areas.