Hi Ron, Going to Rye Patch will be a fun ride but you do need to take a few precautions. Not sure how familiar you are with the place but hopefully you will be in a truck with 10 ply tires at least. It is very easy to get a flat from all the sharp rocks and shards of broken obsidian along the way. Once you get off I-80 and head down into the park , you cross over the dam, up the small hill and then make a left turn, you will cross over a cattle guard and through a fence opening, and to a T in the road, and from that point you make a right turn and follow that about 13.2 miles along the gravel road. It runs north and south along the western side of the lake. There are several left turns off the main road which will take you up into the Majuba Placer areas. These are all "after" you pass Poker Brown Wash. (which has a newly installed storm drain under the road). If you go down the 13.2 miles and make a left to head up the hill to the west, you will actually be heading up to where Newmont Mining has its property. Its about 1.5 miles up from the main road. The trail is drivable in a pickup, wouldnt take a car. Lots of room to park. many guys camp at the spot. Then from there you are on your own. There are claims around and some is not. Its a tough hunt though, as many people pound it. You will see some nice crystals and such as well. I been there more times than I can count. Its easy to hunt on the land but any gold still remaining is either down deep or smaller pieces on the surface. Be carefull if it gets wet. The roads get real slick with mud. Do a good scan with Google Earth and you will see.

Hi, Lia here. I saw your post regarding Rye Patch. Thanks for all the info about it. I've always wanted to go at least one time. I'll plan to go next year and take all the precautions as you said. Your directions are great, I'll be able to follow them easily enough. I have a 4x4 with great tires so I hope I'll be ok.

Lia

Not sure how familiar you are with the Rye Patch area, but it is really great. There is soooo much BLM land out there and its easy to get out away from everyone and be in your own world for however long you stay. And its very easy to get around and hike through as there is no heavy underbrush like in California.

Not very familiar with the Rye Patch, only heard from others who used to travel there once a year as a group to camp and hunt for gold. I've just been wanting to go for a long time and then last year everything got cancelled. Not sure if this year there will be an outing for Rye Patch or not. Do you know of someone who went metal detecting there? I can look on youtube.

Lia

Sure I have been there metal detecting every year since about 2011, and go about 3 times a year. Its tough finding gold, as guys with the newer GPX7000 seem to do better. Its really been hunted very hard and the better gold in down deep likely beyond the range of the best detectors. The bedrock is shallow. And there is smaller gold less than a gram...down 6 -12 inches but thats hard finding.

Unfortunately I can't afford those super duper metal detector. My husband got me a Minelab Vanquish 440 for Christmas. It kept telling me that something was there, so I dug and dug until I found it. I got me a silver coin (Canadian 1968). It was around 11-12 inches down. I absolutely love it. Less than a gram, I'm ok with that because it all adds up.

Lia

It is so good to see that women like this hobby also. I am 73 and have been going out as much as possible. I did go to Rye Patch with my son last year. It is very interesting and beautiful. I researched for months. When you get there it is so vast and knowing where to look would be a help. Also if you can walk well. (I can't). I gave it the good try though. Walked many a ravine and brought back some dirt that looked interesting. Nothing. It is beautiful and there is alot of wonderful rocks..... There are alot of copper mines leading to green rock, which I can't remember the name at this moment. What we found was that there are a lot more claims than we thought, I were worried about that. I have a claim map that shows open and closed mines and tried to go with that, but I am chicken and didn't want to get on a claim and get shot. It is a great outing and I hope you get to go and I hope you are luckier than we were. It sounds like your detector works well. 11-12 inches deep is good, I think. Have fun and enjoy Rye Patch.

I am a big time rock hound since I was a kid. I was thinking the green rock might be Malachite...maybe? If I don't find gold I just may pick up lots of that green rock instead...lol 😁 I'm 66 and push the limits of climbing up and down hillsides to get to the river, (I wish someone would carve out a few steps so I can climb better...😁 When my mom was alive we would just drive all over the place and go panning and look for rocks. We didn't know about mining claims and what might happen if we were encroaching. We probably did encroach on someone's claim I sure, but since joining up with GPAA (a little over 3 years), I now worry about encroaching on a claims and try not to. As for my metal detector, I'm different with it than other folks. Lots of folks don't want to take the time to dig in one spot a lot, me though I will spend as much as time as necessary to find out what is making my metal detector buzz at me. I love my new pin pointer (Nokta) and take it wherever I go, it helps finding the items quicker.

Lia

I have to tell you about the green rock if you decide to go to Rye Patch. I can tell you exactly where it is. There is so much beautiful stuff on this little hill. My son has a Jeep so we went all over the area. Like I said I have a claims map that we look at on Google Earth, but it doesn't show new claims and that is what I found a lot of there. This place shows as an old copper mine that is closed, so I am sure it was ok to take the green rock. I could look the name up. I don't think it is Malachite as that is one of my favorite rocks. More tourquise color.

Funny you talk about your Mom. My Mom and I used to go all over looking for rocks. We did Opals in Nevada, agate everything. Miss her. Now my son is doing it with me. My husband is not interested so he goes once in a while, but we try to find the spouses other things to do. My son makes me steps if possible. He has a bad back, so I don't like him to do too much. That is why we tack the Jeep mostly. Try to drive as much as possible. Let me know when you are going and I will send a map or something to the greens.....

I am in Washington, where are you?

Nancy

Thanks Leo, my son goes "rock climbing" with his Jeep so I'm sure we have that part covered. I thank you for the most excellent directions. I appreciate your taking the time to respond.
Ron

You should have a blast out there. Even though you are "out there" you still get cell coverage from the Winnamucca area....and if your camping be prepared for the strong winds at times which blow up from the south. It gets nasty at times. You can easily make campfires as well and dont need a BLM fire permit either.

I'm in California. Driving and getting closer to my destination is always better for me too. While I love walking, I definitely don't want to climb hills on animal trails any more, I'm a little too old for that now. 😁. Did you happen to find any copper just laying around on the ground? Yeah, I miss my mom too, before she got sick (failing kidneys and had to go on dialysis), we had planned to go to the opal mines also, but never made it. Maybe next year I can plan that trip too. My husband also doesn't like to go with me on my excursions. I sometimes can take my little grandson (7 yoa) and until recently I was taking my older brother, but he got covid in January and it took all the stuffin' out of him. While he survived covid he's not wanting to go anywhere or do much anymore, he's just real tired and sleeps a lot now. I think I'm going to have to find someone else to go with, especially since Spring has officially arrived (I saw my first Robin this morning!!). Even though I retired last August (thank goodness), I also got a new job...it's being a "student assistant" to my young grandson while he is on his zoom class. My daughter and son-in-law still have to go in to work. I can occasionally get out of the house on weekdays but weekends are better until Spring Break for kids. 😁 I will try to go either later this year, early September or next Spring 2022. I've got a couple of things in the frying pan that I have to complete before I can schedule anything else. I'm going to Duisenberg (LDMA camp) to one of their "Digger's Push Dig" at the end of March, I can hardly wait for this to happen, it should be fun!! Then in June I've got a cabin reserved, at Roaring Camp Mining (a private gold mine) in Pine grove California, to spend 4 days panning for gold in a dirt pile there. They have hiking trails, fishing and swimming in the river. They have cabins, and tent spaces and of course they have a Saturday night BBQ. Lia

It all sounds fun.
No, I didn't find any copper that I know of. We brought a lot of the Greenrock and quartz to my sons house for a pond. My son is disabled and really can not do much either. (we make a great pair). We drive where we can and panning is easier for us than walking long distances. But you get in a ravine and before you know it you are mile from the car. If we have my husband or his wife they drive the jeep to pick us up. Sad getting old. A 7 year old is great company if they are interested at all. Hopefully your brother will come back from the tiredness.
My son's wife works from home, so we have the ablility to go more than we would if she had another job. Sometimes she works in the motorhome and we go out. We have to have good internet for that. At Rye Patch we stayed in Winnemucca. There is a nice campground at the dam, but no electricity I don't think. I was trying to go to Alaska this year, but don't want to make air plans yet, so that is off, I think.
We will make our first trip out to Southern Oregon, on I5. We went last year, but got sent away by the fires. My son lives in Klamath Falls and I in Washington, so that is kind of middle. There are some GPAA mines in Middle Oregon also. I will make as many as I can. If you are in Calif. we went to Plumas County last year. There are alot of mines there. Had alot of fun there. Even found minute gold. It is all fun. If you want to email instead of here, basketcasenra@hotmail.com. Nice talking to you

Nancy-. When you head south and have time, more than happy to give you a tour of the Quartzville Group, east if I-5, between Salem and Eugene.

Can arrange to meet in Lebanon or Sweet Home.

email: waugh1198@gmail.com

I would love that so much. Thank you. I am hoping for March or April, but the weather has to cooperate. I am so thrilled, thank you.

Will look forward to it. Might be able to have another lady member in the area here join in on a look-see of the claims.

We have a 4x4 club member in Keno, and I grew up in Quincy, in Plumas County, but wasn't into gold as a kid. Left in '71, and only been back two or three times since. Ran around all over the Buck's Lake and Taylorsville/Genesse and Feather River canyon areas, all the way east to Beckwith.
Used to fish the claim on Spanish Creek a couple times a week, since Mom had the post office in Keddie.

Hi Nancy, about the green rocks...did you take home a sample rock or did you take a photo of them? Can you upload a photo if you have one?

Does any member out there know the color of copper or what it looks like in it's natural state? Is copper the color of copper (similar to burnt-orange like a penny) or is it a different color until it has gone through a process?

Lia

Copper in metallic form could be anywhere from bright shinny to looking like an old indian head penny. Most of what is out here is in ore form. Green with blueish tinge or streaks. Lots of pictures of natural copper from Michigan floating around, as well as ore in mineral books.

Thank you Arthur, for your information and description. Have you been to Rye Patch and the area near a copper mine? Did you see the green rocks and do you know what they might be? Just curious. Sometimes I have to be an arm chair traveler and can't leave home much, but still like to know about places and see pictures. 😃

Lia