Arizona Gold Maps
Updated November 2026
Is there gold in Arizona? Yes. Our Arizona Gold Maps show there are currently 62,497 active gold claims and 427,843 abandoned claims in the state on public lands. Of those active claims, 55,915 are lode claims and 6,582 are placer claims. Of those abandoned claims, 354,059 are lode and 73,784 are placer. Arizona’s active gold claims represent about 11.5% of all gold claims in the lower 48 states.
62,497
active gold claims
427,843
abandoned claims
40,820
old mines and prospects NEW
What you’ll see in the Arizona gold map
Start with the whole state
When you first open the Arizona gold map you’ll get a satellite view of the state boundaries with little yellow and orange clusters throughout. Those yellow (lode claims) and orange (placer claims) clusters represent high concentrations of active gold mining claims. This view of these clusters gives us a very accurate and current idea of where most of Arizona’s gold is being found. This near real-time look at these gold bearing areas is simply not possible with traditional fold-out paper maps.
Zoom in to claim lines near Prescott
Now zoom in about 75 miles north of Phoenix to a town called Prescott Arizona and turn on the abandoned (green) placer mining claims map. You can clearly see the abandoned placer claim boundaries throughout the area. Once in Prescott National Forest you can find dozens of non-claimed gold prospecting locations for you and your family to try your hand at. Our maps will save you at least $200 in gas alone by showing you exactly where to go.
Click a claim to learn more
Zoom in further still and you can click on the active (orange) or abandoned (green) placer claims for the MTRS number to determine ownership and other information about the claim(s). This information is for professional prospectors. Recreational gold panners should not try to contact claim holders and always stay away from claimed property. Please read our Viewing Tips page to learn more about MTRS numbers.
Find camps, trails and roads near Prescott
Still looking at the Prescott area, turn on the Google Earth™ overlay entitled Parks and Recreation within the More overlay. Now you can see Prescott National Forest campgrounds, ranger stations, hiking trails, hotels, gas stations 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.”
What’s in the Arizona mining claims map: five layers
One 5.1 MB download. Turn each layer on and off in Google Earth, which is free on your computer. How to open your map
Active lode claims
Gold in solid rock, the hard-rock veins
55,915
Active placer claims
Loose gold in sand and gravel
6,582
Abandoned lode claims
Old hard-rock claims nobody pays for anymore
354,059
Abandoned placer claims
Old creek and gravel claims
73,784
Old mines and prospects NEW
Tunnels, shafts, pits, dumps and tailings from USGS topo maps
40,820
Where to pan for gold in Arizona
Turn on the abandoned placer claims layer. Those boxes mark creeks and gravel where people once staked claims for loose gold. Pick a spot on public land that isn’t inside an active claim, and pan there. New to it? Read how to pan for gold, what abandoned gold claims mean for you, and our state-by-state guide to where to find gold.
Looking at gold claims for sale in Arizona?
Find the claim on the map before you buy. Click its section to see how many active claims are there, when the newest one was staked, and how many have closed. The popup also gives the BLM code (MTRS) and a link to BLM’s claim records, so you can check that the claim is still active and who holds it. Our guide to checking a mining claim in BLM’s MLRS shows how.
How Arizona’s mining claims have changed
Arizona had 37,818 active mining claims at the start of 2015. Today it has 62,497, 65% more. Compare all 12 western states, year by year, on the mining claims by state page.
How close you can zoom in
None of the Arizona images above show just how close you can zoom in and see potential 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 free to use in your web browser.
“As a prospector, I must admit that it has already pointed the way to some areas that I intend to prospect.”
Alan Chenworth, author of A Guide to Gold Panning in Utah
Arizona gold mine and history guides
- Arizona Gold Mines and districts Old mines
- The Arizona Gold Rush From 1774 Gold rush history
Prices: save when you add more states
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