Upper Priest Lake: Gold Prospecting in Bonner County, Idaho

Plan your visit

Generally open to casual rockhounding

County

Bonner County

State

Idaho

Nearest road

Navigation Trail

Coordinates

48.79915, -116.91555

Coordinates are approximate. Confirm the exact ground in the RockHoundR app, where land overlays show which agency manages the area.

Land & collecting status

Generally open to casual rockhounding

Most public-tagged spots sit on BLM, U.S. Forest Service, or other federal land where reasonable hand collecting of common rocks and minerals is allowed. Confirm posted rules and active mining claims before you dig.

Public-land rules vary by agency, season, and field office. The RockHoundR app pulls live BLM, USFS, NPS, and tribal overlays so you can see exactly which agency manages the ground at this spot.

Best time to visit Upper Priest Lake

Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)

Best months: March to October. Typical highs run 83°F in midsummer and 33°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 19°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, PORTHILL station (23 mi away), adjusted for elevation.

Geology at Upper Priest Lake

This spot sits on Glacial and alluvial deposits, mapped as sand and gravel that formed within roughly the last 3 million years. Stream-worked gravels like these are where placer gold tends to concentrate, settling toward bedrock, inside gravel bars, and behind boulders.

Mapped unit

Glacial and alluvial deposits

Age

3 Ma to present (Quaternary)

Rock types

sand and gravel

Elevation

2,450 ft

Geologic mapping via Macrostrat and the underlying state geological survey maps (CC BY 4.0). Bedrock at the surface can vary within a mapped unit.

Sources & verification

Spot details combine the public RockHoundR location dataset, normalized mineral labels, agency land-status checks in the app, and community submissions. Coordinates are approximate until verified in the field.

State guidance last verified: April 1, 2026

• Idaho Panhandle National Forests, Emerald Creek
• Idaho Geological Survey
• Spencer Opal Mines (fee-dig operator)
• Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules