Our Washington gold panning map shows there are currently 607 active gold mining claims and 14,950 abandoned claims located throughout the state. Of those active claims, 550 are lode claims and 57 are placer claims. Of those abandoned claims, 14,014 are lode and 936 are placer. Washington’s active gold claims represent less than 1% of all active gold claims in America.
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When you first open the Washington map you will see a satellite view of the state with little yellow clusters here and there. Those yellow clusters represent areas where you will find concentrations of active gold mining claims. This view of these yellow clusters gives us a precise idea of where most of Washington’s gold is being found. Abandoned claims will appear as little blue clusters mostly mixed in with the yellow clusters. |
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Now zoom in about 70 miles east of Tacoma to a little resort town called Cle Elum. You can clearly see the active (yellow) and abandoned (blue) gold mining claim boundaries throughout the area. You are now surrounded by public land in the Wenatchee National Forest. That means you can find dozens of non-claimed public gold panning sites for you and your family to try your luck at. The boundaries shown are accurate to within feet of what you’ll see at ground level. |
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Zoom in further still and you can click on any active or abandoned gold claim for ownership and other information about the claim. This information is to help those prospectors wanting to establish their own claims. Recreational gold panners should not try to contact claim holders and always stay away from claimed property. Use the claims to guide you to where the action is but always respect the property rights of others. |
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Still looking at the Cle Elum area, turn on the Google Earth™ overlay entitled Places of Interest. Now you can see Wenatchee National Forest campgrounds, ranger stations, hiking trails, hotels and stores. You can zoom in further still to get a birds-eye view of roads, creeks and other points of interest. Using Google Earth™ satellite imagery, altitude and distance measuring tools will eliminate most surprises like, “I didn’t know that hill was so steep.” |
Washington Gold Panning Notes: None of the Washington images above show just how close you can zoom in to see gold panning sites. You’ll be amazed at how crisp the satellite imagery is and how much exploring and planning you can do from the comfort of your home. And Google Earth™ is a free download.
