Where to Find Gold in Arizona

Arizona has 7 mapped collecting spots that report gold, spread across 3 counties. The largest share sits in Maricopa County County with 3 spots. 7 of the spots are on land mapped as publicly accessible.

Spot list checked against source data on April 1, 2026.

Standout gold spots in Arizona

Hand-picked from the full list below, with the reason each one earns a trip.

San Domingo Wash
Maricopa County County
San Domingo Wash is a documented Au-Pt placer district in the western foothills of the Wickenburg Mountains, with Mindat and USGS-derived records tying the gold to stream-placer concentration. It stands out for Phoenix-area collectors because the target is a named historic placer system, not scattered speculative gold ground.

Best counties for gold in Arizona

Ranked by the number of mapped gold spots. County links open the full rockhounding page for that county.

Every gold spot we track in Arizona

Sorted by county. Coordinates open in Google Maps.

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
~4 mi. SW of Cave Creek townBrawling Badger Trail	Maricopa County	Agate Gold Jasper Quartz	33.7824, -111.9979	Public
Area around Go John MineSlate Trail	Maricopa County	Gold Silver Copper Red Jasper Blue Quartz	33.8257, -111.9930	Public
San Domingo WashPhoenix–Wickenburg Highway	Maricopa County	Gold	33.8870, -112.6623	Public
BiMetal Gold MineUS 66 Hist	Mohave County	Gold	35.1559, -114.0819	Public
Area of old Octave mining campOctave Road	Yavapai County	Gold	34.1417, -112.6901	Public
Area of old Stanton mining campStanton Road	Yavapai County	Fluorite Garnet Gold Pyrite	34.1569, -112.7362	Public
Congress MineGhost Town Road	Yavapai County	Gold Pyrite	34.1992, -112.8535	Public

Before you go

Read the gold identification guide so you know what a keeper looks like in the field: Gold in the encyclopedia.

Gold in Arizona FAQ

Where can you find gold in Arizona?+

The mapped spots concentrate in Maricopa County County, Yavapai County County, and Mohave County County. Every spot on this page appears on the map above with coordinates and access notes.

How many gold spots are mapped in Arizona?+

7 spots across 3 counties. The RockHoundR app keeps the same spots on an offline map with public land overlays, geology layers, and your saved finds.

Is it legal to collect gold in Arizona?+

Hand collecting of common rocks and minerals in small amounts for personal use is generally allowed on BLM and U.S. Forest Service land, with limits set by the local field office. National parks, most state parks, and tribal land are closed to collecting. 7 of the 7 mapped spots here sit on land marked public. Always confirm current rules with the managing agency before you dig.

Where else to find gold

More minerals to hunt in Arizona

Hunt gold in Arizona with the map in your pocket

RockHoundR puts these spots on an offline map with BLM and Forest Service overlays, geology layers, and a log for your finds.