Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park
Tourist attraction · California
★ 4.7 (2,151 reviews)
310 Back St, Coloma, CA 95613
Hours on Google: Daily 8 AM to 8 PM
Gold mines in California that are not abandoned
| Mine | County | Type | MSHA status | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesquite | Imperial County | surface | Active | 277 |
| Soledad Mountain Project | Kern County | surface | Active | 179 |
| Castle Mountain Mine | San Bernardino County | surface | Active | 38 |
| Big Seam mine | Placer County | underground | Active | 8 |
| Washington Mine | Shasta County | underground | Active | 8 |
| Colosseum Rare Metals Inc. | San Bernardino County | surface | Intermittent | 6 |
| Lincoln Mine Project | Amador County | underground | Non-producing | 3 |
| MT. Gaines Mine | Mariposa County | surface | Active | 3 |
| Red Ledge Mine | Nevada County | surface | Intermittent | 3 |
| Ruby Mine | Nevada County | underground | Active | 2 |
| Sixteen To One Mine | Sierra County | underground | Non-producing | n/a |
Historic gold producers in California (USGS)
USGS records 10,337 historic gold producers in California: 8,824 past producers and 1,513 listed as producers or plants. For 5,183 of them USGS gives an output size (29 large, 73 medium, 5,081 small). Production years are recorded for 124 sites, from 1848 to 1962. The most common deposit type is placer Au-PGE (125 sites).
Source: USGS Mineral Resources Data System (retrieved 2026-10-13), last updated around 2011. The county pages list the sites.
Counties
Visit a gold mine in California
Working mines are closed to the public. 17 places in California offer tours, panning or mining history.
Empire Mine State Historic Park
Tourist attraction · California
★ 4.8 (2,131 reviews)
10791 E Empire St, Grass Valley, CA 95945
Hours on Google: Daily 10 AM to 5 PM
Gold Discovery Museum
Tourist attraction · California
★ 4.8 (754 reviews)
310 Back St, Coloma, CA 95613
Hours on Google: Daily 9 AM to 5 PM
Questions about gold mines in California
How many gold mines are in California?
MSHA lists 439 gold mines in California. 11 are not abandoned (7 active, 2 non-producing, 2 intermittent). 428 records are marked abandoned. USGS lists another 10,337 historic gold producers that are not in the MSHA records.
What is the largest gold mine in California?
By employees reported to MSHA, the largest is Mesquite in Imperial County, with 277 employees.
Can I visit an abandoned gold mine in California?
Old workings are dangerous and most are on private land or active claims, so the answer is almost always no. Do not enter them.
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