Scott, I was looking at the Forest Service website and was amazed at how contradictory they say:

"Materials must be removed using small hand tools without mechanical means or motorized equipment. Removing mineral materials with a pick, shovel, sluice box or similar large tools can cause significant impacts to resources is considered mechanical so therefore not allowed."

Ok well a shovel is a mechanical piece of equipment. So what is a "small hand tool" ?? A small shovel....is how small..????...a small pick or small sluice box? I dont know that a sluice box is mechanical since there are no moving parts and it is stationary and does not do damage, unless of course someone got wacked in the head with it. Where is "small hand tool" defined within the Forest Service definitions? I guess we would have to start with that. If a sluice box is allowed in 1 National Forest in the West why not another National Forest in the East.? 

I think these rules were written just to purposely confuse the facts or they were actually written by confused people who think they know what is good for us. 

Here is the URL to their "rules" for gold panning and Rock hounding in the forest: http://www.fs.usda.gov/de...?cid=stelprdb5420144 A shovel is not mechanical as it is run by muscle power. but strangely enough a pry bar is considered mechanical due to the extra leverage it offers.

MY oops, shovels are mechanical !! Gee I wonder what science teacher they had.

Exactly....wonder what the real interpretation is.

I didn't even know about this forest. Need to check it out next time I do a walk about.

Thanks Paul, ....so these guys dont have actual hard rules to follow it is left up to their individual interpretation...could be a scary thought ...

Thats funny stuff... I am more MD....but Hand and Pan seems like a brutal proposition. Dig barehanded? well ok gloves on maybe but still .......

 

 

I own a metal pan, scoop with it into my plastic pan. Or use a rock? Or is that against the rules?

lol,we do have it rough in the east..

Actually there is gold in Pisgah NF, you just have to find it.  Lots of NF land is adjacent to private land or leased land in NF.  Talk with the locals and they may permit you on their land next to NF to pan streams.  Just leave it in better shape than you found it and it works!  There is also alot of gems to be found in the streams too!  If you are sluicing, be on lookout for garnets trapped with the gold, as well as occasional emeralds, aqua-marines, rubies and sapphires.  Look up gold mining history of that area and you will find numerous gold mines...try panning downstream from them, especially in the road right of way under bridges if you are exploring and dont have time to ask permission.  Once a good area found, ask the owner for permission.  LOL