Where Gold Concentrates
Gold is 19x denser than water, so it drops out of moving water wherever velocity slows. Look downstream of boulders, on the inside of river bends, in bedrock cracks (called "riffles"), and wherever the stream widens and shallows. These are called "paystreaks."
Basic Panning Technique
Fill your pan with gravel from the streambed. Submerge it and shake side-to-side to stratify material by density. Tilt the pan toward the current and use a circular washing motion to flush light material over the edge. Repeat until only black sand and (hopefully) gold remain in the crease.
The Black Sand Connection
Black sand (magnetite and other heavy minerals) concentrates alongside gold. When you see black sand in your pan, you're in the right material. A small magnet removes most black sand so you can see gold flakes more clearly.
Best States for Gold Panning
California's Mother Lode country (the Sierra Nevada foothills), Montana's gold-bearing rivers, Colorado's South Platte, and Idaho's Boise Basin all have documented placer gold accessible to the public on BLM land. Gold was first found in many of these locations during the 19th-century gold rushes.
Equipment and Legalities
A $15 plastic gold pan is all you need to start. Add a classifying screen to remove rocks first. Suction bottles capture fine flakes. Always verify you're on legal panning ground — BLM land generally allows recreational panning with a hand pan; dredging requires permits. Check your state's regulations before adding power equipment.