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.
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Gold Trails - Hands On Training
Hands-on prospecting with Kevin Hoagland at LDMA's Italian Bar — historic Mother Lode ground on the Stanislaus River near Columbia, California.
September 8, 2026 - September 10, 2026Italian Bar Camp - California MotherlodeDry campsite 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.
This Gold Trails session uses that real claim ground — not a classroom simulation. You may pan and sluice the Stanislaus, run a highbanker, and work targets with a detector — 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 this session with Kevin Hoagland.
Why attend
The system for learning in the field
Train in real gold country
Work historic 1850s ground on the Stanislaus — panning, sluicing, highbanking, and metal detecting on the river and in camp.
Hands-on with Kevin
Live coaching across prospecting methods: reading water, running a sluice, highbanking setup, detector tones, and clean recovery.
Beginner to advanced
First time with a pan or fine-tuning your coil — sessions meet you where you are and build skills you can use on your own claims.
Dry campsite included
Stay on property at Italian Bar during the event. Arrive ready to learn and prospect without scrambling for lodging.
Small-group field work
Classroom concepts become river and dirt time — sampling, processing, detecting, and reading ground with coaching nearby.
Leave with a playbook
Build repeatable habits for research, sampling, and recovery so your next trip to the river or the patch starts stronger.
Immersive field work
This is not a passive seminar
You'll be at the river and in the dirt — running pans and sluices, setting up a highbanker, swinging a coil, and recovering gold with coaching nearby.
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 - Hands On Training
September 8, 2026 - September 10, 2026Italian Bar Camp - California Motherlode
Join Kevin Hoagland for a 3-day gold prospecting & educational experience at the Italian Bar LDMA Camp in the heart of the California Motherlode.
DRY CAMPSITE INCLUDED WITH EVENT REGISTRATION.
No RV or Trailer, no problem... There is a hotel up the hill from Italian Bar in the historic town of Columbia. There are also several hotel options a little further in Sonora.
Each day will include both a classroom setting as well as in-the-field training. These events will cover all aspects of prospecting for gold, including wet, dry, electronic, etc.
*Non-Member Registration will include a basic GPAA Annual Membership
For more information on the Italian Bar LDMA Camp, click here.
Further event details to be 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.
In 2023, I traveled the western states and worked with over 1000 Members. In all my travels, I realized that something was missing -- more time. More time to share with each member the principles and processes that I have been using and honing for decades.
That is why I wanted to host Gold Trails events in one location, create a workbook, and include a third day."
USD 50.00
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
- 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.
- On-site amenities: Clubhouse, showers, restrooms, dump station, and community fire pit.
- Dry campsite: Included with many session options — check your event variant for details.
Location
Italian Bar, California
24997 Italian Bar Rd, Columbia, CA 95310
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?
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