Map your way to some California Gold!

This is an amazing map. Never before has California seen a map with so much key information for prospectors consolidated and presented clearly with a few simple clicks.

From the cold waters of the American River up the steep canyons to the tertiary gravel deposits at Iowa Hill, Foresthill, Gold Run and every hill in between, there has been gold found throughout the drainage basin of the North Fork of the American River.

To put you on the path to this Gold, we dug deep to find the Old Maps of the Tertiary River Channels and Gravel Beds. We located geologic folios, reports, studies and maps to provide 7 map layers detailing the geology of these goldfields.

Historic gold locations are easily found with our custom map layer showing Mineral Patents granted for Proven gold lands. A well-researched and documented mines layer tells you where the mines are and details their history.

The North Fork of the American River watershed has thousands of acres of public land open to prospect and claim. Included are map layers showing Land Ownership, current Placer and Lode Claims, as well as Mineral Withdrawals for Power Sites and Reclamation.

With 70 selectable map layers designed for prospectors, a huge searchable database, detailed reports & documents, tools for measuring & drawing, and GPS capabilities, you have everything you need to print yourself a custom gold map.

The North Fork of the American River

Since gold was first discovered in California, prospectors have been digging, dredging, dowsing, drilling, detecting and discovering gold along the American River. And they still haven't found it all.

Before you head up the canyon to find your share, you need to know the answer to a few questions.

Where is the best place to look?
How can I get there?
Can I prospect and stake a claim there?

FootPrints was designed to help you answer these questions and more.

North Fork American FootPrint - All the Details

MinerDiggins has mapped in detail, 282 square miles or 180,500 acres of the North Fork of the American River drainage basin. From Emigrant Gap and Snow Mountain in the northeast we have followed the water all the way downstream to Auburn. The mapped area includes Iowa Hill, Sailor Canyon, Yankee Jims, parts of Gold Run and the Forest Hill Divide and lots of other famous gold bearing lands.

With 70 selectable map layers to choose from, you will see the North Fork of the American River in whole new ways. Here is a just a sample of what map layers are available. (Click for Full Layer List)

Especially for the Prospector: Placer & Lode Claims, Mineral Withdrawals for Power Sites, Reclamation Etc., Mineral Patents, Historic Places.

Base Layers: Aerial Imagery, Topo Maps, Shaded Relief and more.

Transportation: Roads, Rails & Trails

Land Status: Ownership, Patents, PLSS, & County Parcels

Hydrology: Rivers, Lakes & Streams, Water Basins and Subbasins.

Geology: Tertiary Gravels, Local Geologic Maps & Reports, Historic Geologic Maps

And by the way, did I mention the searchable database to help you find what you are looking for?

And...detailed geologic maps & reports, detailed mining history, land patent documents, actual claims location filings. The list goes on.

FootPrints puts you miles ahead on your pathway to the gold!

Read more about FootPrints

Mining History of the North Fork of the American