Placer County, California Mines

Placer County, California is one of the West's top gold producing regions. With over 500 active placer claims, it makes number 4 on our list of top counties to find gold. The County also has around 120 active lode claims.

WMH Mine Discovery Tools for Google Earth are available for Placer county

Mines in Placer County California
Distribution of mines in Placer County.

Placer County has 1,392 mine records in the USGS MRDS database. Gold mines are overwhelmingly the most common mine type, with 1,113 mines being listed with gold as a primary commodity.

Placer County has eleven gold mines that the USGS identifies as significant producers, which is notable given that it is not uncommon for many counties in the West to have no mines considered significant.

Placer County contains at least 15 historically important gold mining districts.

While the majority of Placer County mines are gold producers, the area southeast of Sugar Pine Reservoir has a high concentration of primarily chromium mines.

Mines in Placer County California
Distribution of mines and claims in part of Placer County - from the WMH Mine Discovery Tools for Google Earth

About the MRDS Mines Database:

All mine locations were obtained from the USGS Mineral Resources Data System. The locations and other information in this database have not been verified for accuracy. It should be assumed that all mines are on private property.

All 1,392 mines in Placer County, California

Western Mining History is your source for over 116,000 mines in the western states.

California Gold

Where to Find Gold in California

"Where to Find Gold in California" looks at the density of modern placer mining claims along with historical gold mining locations and mining district descriptions to determine areas of high gold discovery potential in California. Read more: Where to Find Gold in California.