How can I find old mines near me?

Mine dumps and tailings show on satellite images and LiDAR as fans of bare ground. Most old mines in the US West are on public land, but some are active claims or private property.

Sources: USGS Mineral Resources Data System; MSHA "Stay Out, Stay Alive" campaign.

How do you find ghost towns? Ghost towns appear on old topographic maps, in old post-office lists and in mining-district records; comparing an old map with today's map shows towns that have gone. Many are on public land, but removing artifacts from historic sites on federal land is illegal.

Where is gold most likely to be found? Gold is most likely to be found where it has been found before: in and downstream of historic gold mining districts. In streams it collects where water slows, such as inside bends, behind boulders and in bedrock cracks (placer gold). In rock it sits mostly in quartz veins along faults (lode gold).