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The San Bernardino National Forest offers a wide variety of nature opportunities, including prospecting.
Rocks and Minerals
The Lure of Prospecting - Anyone who pans for gold hopes to be rewarded by the glitter of colors in the fine material collected in the bottom of the pan. Although the exercise and outdoor activity experienced in prospecting are rewarding, there are few thrills comparable to finding gold. Even an assay report showing an appreciable content of gold in a sample obtained from a lode deposit is exciting. The would-be prospector hoping for financial gain, however, should carefully consider all the pertinent facts before deciding on a prospecting venture.
Abandoned Mine-land Dangers
Much of the land that is now the national forest was previously mined. This history has resulted in mine-related hazards across the land today, including in the national forest. Tips for visiting:
- Never enter a mine opening. Not only are they illegal to enter in the national forest, but they’re incredibly dangerous. Toxic gases and the risk of collapse are always imminent.
- Watch where you’re stepping if you’re walking off-trail. Sometimes mine ventilation shafts can be found. Ventilation shafts are holes that lead deep into underground mines Never try to enter a hole in the ground.
- If you come across what appears to be a depression in the ground, do not approach it or walk within the depression. The depression could be a mine subsidence, where part of an underground mine’s roof collapses and creates a sink hole. It is possible that you could fall into the mine.