Then · 1850s
River bar gold rush
Thousands of prospectors worked Italian Bar and nearby diggings. Nervie's Store and the historic bar on the Stanislaus drew miners to one of the Mother Lode's richest stretches.
Gold Trails - Detecting & Wet Prospecting Training - Italian Bar
Two days of metal detecting and wet prospecting with Kevin Hoagland at LDMA's Italian Bar — historic Mother Lode ground on the Stanislaus River near Columbia, California.
September 18, 2027 - September 19, 2027Italian Bar Camp - California MotherlodeCourse handbookDry campsite includedDinner included
Reserve this session
South Fork Stanislaus River · Mother Lode gold country
1977
First LDMA camp
160
Patented acres
River
Stanislaus gold
Mar–Oct
Camp season
The venue
Italian Bar — where LDMA began
The very first LDMA camp, built from the ground up in the 1970s on an 1850s gold rush site along the South Fork of the Stanislaus River. For decades, Italian Bar has been a destination for prospecting, camaraderie, and learning at the river.
Gold Trails events use this real claim ground — not a classroom simulation. You'll swing a detector, pan and sluice the Stanislaus, and learn the geology that tells you where gold settles — with river access, camp amenities, and field time built in.
Explore Italian Bar on LDMA →
Now · LDMA era
Living prospecting camp
160 patented acres with clubhouse, showers, campsites, and river access. Panning, sluicing, highbanking, detecting, and hands-on education — including Gold Trails sessions with Kevin Hoagland.
Why attend
The system for learning in the field
Detecting + wet prospecting
Two disciplines in one event: metal detecting on camp and claim ground, plus panning and sluicing on the Stanislaus.
Geology that finds gold
Learn how gold moves and settles in a river system so you know where to swing a coil and where to dig a sample.
Hands-on with Kevin
Live coaching across methods: reading water, running a sluice, detector tones, and clean recovery.
Dry campsite included
Stay on property at Italian Bar during the event. Arrive ready to learn and prospect without scrambling for lodging.
Dinner with the group
One group dinner is included — a chance to swap stories with Kevin and fellow prospectors.
Your course handbook
Every attendee gets a course handbook — a field textbook that guides you through each lesson, with room for notes you'll use long after the weekend.
Immersive field work
This is not a passive seminar
You'll be at the river and in the dirt — running pans and sluices, swinging a coil, reading the ground, and recovering gold with coaching nearby. Classroom concepts become muscle memory through drills you can take home.
This session
Reserve your spot
Choose your event option and complete secure checkout. Seats are capped so everyone gets real hands-on time.
Gold Trails - Detecting & Wet Prospecting Training - Italian Bar
September 18, 2027 - September 19, 2027Italian Bar Camp - California Motherlode
Join Kevin Hoagland for two days of metal detecting and wet prospecting at the Italian Bar LDMA Camp in the heart of the California Motherlode — with geology instruction that ties it all together.
Course handbook, dry campsite, and one group dinner included with registration.
What's covered
- Metal detecting on camp and claim ground — settings, ground balance, tones, and clean recovery
- Wet prospecting on the Stanislaus — panning and sluicing
- Geology: how gold moves and settles, and where to look for it
Details
- Dates: September 18–19, 2027
- Location: LDMA Italian Bar, 24997 Italian Bar Rd, Columbia, CA 95310
- Price: $400 per person — open to everyone, no membership required
- Group size: capped at 60 attendees
- Included: two days of instruction, your course handbook (a field textbook with room for notes), a dry campsite on property, and one group dinner
Good to know
- The canyon road is steep and narrow — rigs up to about 30 feet are recommended.
- No RV or trailer? There are hotels up the hill in historic Columbia and a little further in Sonora.
- Bring any gear you already own — detector, pan, classifier, or sluice — plus field clothes and camp essentials.
- Cancellation: refunds are available when you request cancellation at least 7 days before the event start date.
For more on the Italian Bar LDMA Camp, click here. Further event details are sent after sign up.
A word from Kevin Hoagland:
"Gold Trails is more than a chance for me to get out and on some gold with members. For me, Gold Trails is a passion project to fulfill a promise I made to the Buzzard in sharing knowledge with Prospectors and Miners at any level of expertise."
USD 400.00
Cancellation policy
We plan and cap these events so everyone gets real hands-on time. Refunds are available only when you request cancellation at least 7 days before the event start date. Requests inside that window help us cover committed costs and staffing.
Know before you go
Plan your trip
- What's included: Two days of detecting and wet prospecting instruction, your course handbook, a dry campsite on property, and one group dinner.
- Camp season: Italian Bar is typically open March 15 through October 31.
- Road access: The canyon road is steep and narrow — rigs up to about 30 feet are recommended. Gravel for the last few miles into camp.
- On-site amenities: Clubhouse, showers, restrooms, dump station, and community fire pit.
- Prospecting: River panning and sluicing; highbanking; designated areas for recirculating units and seasonal dry washing; metal detecting on camp and claim ground.
Lodging, RV, and hotel options are on the Italian Bar location page.
Location
Italian Bar, California
Nearby
- Columbia — Restored 1851 gold rush town, ~6 miles south
- Sonora — Queen of the Southern Mines
- Yosemite — National park within day-trip range
Looking for another date or location?