Still Gold in Them Thar Hills!

Perhaps the only excitement that trumps receiving gold is finding gold. Gold may not epitomize one of Arizona’s top exports, but prospecting—both as a living and as a hobby—is not dead here in the Grand Canyon State. We hear tell that there are plenty of precious nuggets awaiting discovery and plenty of fun to be had hunting them!

For novices, check out short-term classes in which equipment, which can get rather expensive, is provided and instruction is dispensed by knowledgeable, passionate experts. We’ve heard of one nearby prospecting business that offers training: Visit arizonagoldadventures.com to learn more about this particular school.

If you catch gold fever, there are resources out there to get you started on your own prospecting adventure, but we recommend that you make sure you’re doing it legitimately. Available stakes are advertised on various Web sites, but be sure to check anything out on the U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management at  “http://www.blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/mining/requirements.html”blm.gov/az/st/en/prog/mining/requirements.html. Purchase all the necessary equipment from places like arizonaoutback.com, and we figure that you can find out anything you need to know about the nitty gritty and the sparkle inside it from fellow enthusiasts at the Arizona Association of Gold Prospectors, arizonagoldprospectors.org.

Remember: Beginner’s luck doesn’t mean you’ve found a gold mine, and a “beginner’s funk” doesn’t necessarily indicate that you’ll never strike gold. Who knows what you’ll find, and with the price of gold favoring the seller, it’s a great time to make a valuable discovery of your own, or at least to have fun and some golden dreams trying it out.