Where to Metal Detect
You’ve just gotten a new metal detector and are eager to get started, but figuring out where to metal detect legally and responsibly can be challenging. Below is a list of common and lesser-known places to consider, from parks and beaches to historic sites, rural properties, and old gathering places.
Before detecting any location, always make sure metal detecting is allowed. Check local laws, park rules, city or county regulations, and property ownership. When needed, contact the proper authority or get written permission from the property owner before you start.
Responsible metal detecting is just as important as finding good targets. Dig clean plugs, fill all holes properly, remove any trash you recover, and leave no trace of your visit. This includes packing out can slaw, pull tabs, melted aluminum, tent stakes, and other discarded metal items. The goal is to leave every site in the same condition, or better, than you found it. Good detecting habits help protect access for everyone in the metal detecting community.
Happy metal detecting!
Best Metal Detecting Sites
The best metal detecting locations usually have three things in common: people gathered there, items were likely lost there, and detecting is legally allowed. Before choosing a site, look for signs of repeated human activity, such as old paths, shade trees, parking areas, picnic spots, swimming areas, historic maps, aerial photos, and land-use records.
Before detecting any location, always confirm permission, ownership, local laws, park rules, and whether the area may be archaeologically, historically, or culturally sensitive.
Water & Beach Sites
Water and beach sites are productive because people swim, sunbathe, fish, boat, camp, and gather near shorelines. These areas can produce coins, rings, jewelry, keys, fishing gear, phones, and older lost items near historic swimming areas. Always check local rules, waterway restrictions, park regulations, and private property boundaries before detecting.
Reminder: Use extra caution around moving water, slippery rocks, unstable banks, boat traffic, mud, and changing water levels.
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Ocean beaches: Good places to metal detect at the beach include dry sand towel lines, beach entrances, walkways, and the paths leading from parking lots to the sand. Also check around lifeguard towers, volleyball courts, fire pit areas, picnic tables, beach benches, showers, parking lot edges, and pay stations. After storms or heavy surf, search the wet sand, cut banks, erosion lines, and areas where sand has been moved or stripped away.
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Lake beaches: Lake beaches can be excellent places to metal detect because families, swimmers, boaters, and campers often return to the same shoreline areas for decades. Check swim beaches, towel lines, picnic areas, boat launch paths, docks, rental cabin areas, campground beaches, and places where people enter or leave the water. |
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Swimming holes |
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Rivers and Creeks: Rivers and creeks can be productive places to metal detect where people crossed, fished, swam, camped, or gathered along the water. Good areas to check include old crossings, shallow entry points, worn paths, flat sitting areas, shade trees, bridge areas, parking pull-offs, creek bends, riverbanks, gravel bars, sandbars, and swimming holes. |
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Waterfalls |
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Old swimming areas |
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Old public pool sites |
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Former swimming clubs |
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Boat launches |
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Marinas |
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Fishing docks |
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Old docks and piers |
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Kayak and canoe launch areas |
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Ferry landings |
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Beach volleyball courts |
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Beach fire pit areas |
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Beach shower areas |
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Lifeguard tower areas |
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Boardwalks |
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Pier entrances |
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Campground beaches |
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Lakeside resorts |
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Lake cabins and fishing camps |
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Shorelines after water drawdowns |
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Beaches after storms |
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Old bathhouse sites |
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Hot springs and mineral springs |
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Rope swings |
Historic Sites
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Old homesites / homesteads |
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Abandoned house sites |
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Old foundations |
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Cellar holes |
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Privy sites, where legal and safe |
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Ghost towns |
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Old townsites |
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Former settlements |
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Historic districts, where detecting is legally allowed |
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Battle-related sites, only where legal and not protected: Some historic, military, cemetery-adjacent, disaster-related, or archaeologically sensitive locations may be protected by law. Always research ownership, cultural resource restrictions, and local, state, provincial, or federal regulations before detecting. |
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Old military camp and cantonment sites, only where legal and not protected |
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Pioneer camps |
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Mining camps |
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Logging camps |
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Railroad camps |
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Stagecoach stops |
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Old trading posts |
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Old churches |
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Church picnic grounds |
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Church parking lots |
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Outdoor church sites, sometimes at parks, sports fields or beaches |
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Old schools |
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One-room schoolhouses |
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Old community halls |
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Former dance halls |
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Old fairgrounds |
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Old picnic groves |
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Former amusement parks |
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Old resorts and vacation sites |
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Old homestead dumps where legal and safe |
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Old bottle dump areas, where legal and safe |
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Fort sites |
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Areas adjacent to historical markers |
Parks & Public Gathering Places
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State, city, town, and community parks, only where legally allowed |
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Picnic areas |
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Picnic shelters |
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Playgrounds / Tot Lots |
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Sports fields, new and historical fields |
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Soccer fields |
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Baseball fields |
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Football fields |
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Basketball courts |
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Tennis courts |
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Dog parks |
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Skateboard parks: Outdoor skateboard parks can be productive places to metal detect, especially around areas where skateboarders rest, parents watch, or people gather between sessions. Check seating areas, benches, shade trees, picnic tables, fence lines, walkways, and the edges of the park where small items may be dropped. |
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Walking paths |
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Trailheads |
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Park benches |
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Shade trees where people sit |
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Gazebos |
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Bandstand areas |
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Public gardens |
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Schoolyards, where permitted |
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Public event lawns |
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Festival grounds |
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Town squares |
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Sidewalk grassy strips |
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Lookouts and overlook sites |
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Campgrounds, new and abandoned |
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Areas outside old cemetery boundaries, only where legal and with permission: Former parking areas, roads, church picnic grounds, or gathering areas near historic cemeteries may hold lost items. Never metal detect inside cemeteries, near graves, or in protected burial areas. Always confirm property boundaries, ownership, and local laws first. |
Suburbs, Rural & Farm Sites
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Urban Yards and Backyards |
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Old farms |
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Farm fields |
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Barn sites that are still standing |
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Old barn foundations |
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Farmhouse yards |
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Old orchards |
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Vineyards |
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Ranch sites |
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Cattle camps |
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Sheep camps |
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Old corrals |
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Windmill sites |
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Water trough areas |
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Old wells |
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Spring sites |
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Fieldstone piles |
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Old fence lines / fence posts |
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Tree lines |
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Old wagon paths |
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Rural picnic areas |
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Abandoned rural roads |
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Old rural schools |
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Farm labor camps |
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Old barns and outbuildings |
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Migrant worker camps |
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Irrigation canal areas, where safe and legal |
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Dry creek beds on private permission |
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Old hunting camps |
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Old fishing camps |
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Vacant lots |
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Rural Boundary Walls |
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Old Property Lines |
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Privies, outhouses, and paths leading to them |
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Old city garbage dumps |
Transportation Sites
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Old roads: Pay attention to junctions |
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Abandoned roads |
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Airport public viewing areas |
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Stagecoach and wagon roads |
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Old trails |
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Footpaths |
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Trail crossings |
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Roadside pull-offs |
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Old parking areas |
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Old gas stations |
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Former service stations |
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Bus stops |
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Train depots |
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Railroad stations, stops, depots, sidings, and crossings |
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Railroad sidings |
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Trolley stops |
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Ferry crossings |
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Bridge crossings |
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Covered bridge areas |
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Old river crossings |
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Canal paths |
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Roadside rest stops |
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Old motel parking areas |
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Drive-in theater parking lots |
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Former roadside attractions |
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Disaster Sites |
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State boundaries / crossings |
Recreation & Event Sites
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Fairgrounds |
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Carnival grounds |
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Rodeo grounds |
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Circus and fairgrounds |
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Sports fields |
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Running race tracks |
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Horse tracks |
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Old ball fields |
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Concert areas / Outdoor theater areas / Band shells |
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Drive-in theaters |
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Campgrounds |
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Summer camps |
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Scout camps |
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Hunting lodges and camps |
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Fishing camps |
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Ski hills and lodges |
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Sledding hills |
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Picnic groves |
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Dance hall grounds |
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Outdoor dance sites |
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Festival sites |
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Swap meet locations |
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Flea market grounds |
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Farmers market areas |
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Fireworks viewing areas |
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Parade routes |
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Holiday event areas |
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Car show grounds |
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Old amusement parks |
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Former miniature golf courses |
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New and old skating ponds |
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Ice-skating areas |
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Snow-play areas |
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Hiking trails |
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Vacation resorts |
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Outdoor wedding venues |
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Reunion areas |
Commercial & Community Sites
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Old stores |
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General stores |
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Trading posts |
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Old hotels |
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Old and abandoned motels |
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Old restaurants |
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Old and new taverns and saloons, where legal |
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Old theaters |
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Old banks |
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Barber shops |
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Blacksmith shops |
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Feed stores |
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Community / Grange / Union halls |
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Union halls |
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Churches – Churchyards, with permission |
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Church picnic areas |
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Schools – Schoolyards, with permission |
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Libraries |
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Post offices |
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Community post boxes |
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Fire stations |
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Town halls |
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Courthouses |
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Markets |
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Swap meets |
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Flea markets |
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Old fair concession areas |
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Roadside stands |
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Farm stands |
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Old tourist stops |
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Old resorts |
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Old camp stores |
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Lover’s Lanes |
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Horse race tracks |
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Old stone quarries |
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Roadside fruit and vegetable stands |
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Piles of scraped soil at construction sites |
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Revival sites: yoga centers, spiritual walks and mazes |
Advanced Research Locations
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Sites found through old maps |
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Sites found through historic aerial photos |
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Sites found through LiDAR |
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Sites found through Sanborn maps |
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Sites found through old newspapers |
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Sites found through postcards |
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Sites found through county GIS records |
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Sites found through old plat maps |
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Sites found through BLM/GLO land patents |
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Sites found through university theses and academic research |
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Sites found through public environmental reports |
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Sites found through historic topo maps |
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Sites found through railroad maps |
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Sites found through mining claim records |
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Sites found through tax assessor records |
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Sites found through oral history |
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Sites found through vegetation patterns |
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Sites found through old tree lines |
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Sites found through old road scars |
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Sites found through cellar depressions |
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Sites found through privy depressions, where legal and safe |
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Sites found through old dump patterns |
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Sites found through former event permits |
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Sites found through historic resort advertisements |
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Sites found through old school district records |
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Sites found through abandoned infrastructure |
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Sites found through reservoir drawdowns |
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Sites found through construction tear-outs, with permission |
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Sites found through vacant lots, with permission |
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Sites found through urban renewal areas, with permission |
Joanna Jana Laznicka, a Czech-Canadian residing in Southern California, is passionate about all things associated with metal detecting. She mainly detects on the West Coast, from Southern California to Northern British Columbia. As the founder of Focus Speed, her goal is to bring quality content to metal detectorists.
My name is Lionel I live in lakewood California and I’m always looking for places to detect , but I’m not sure where because I don’t know how legal it is to hunt in parks or schools
In my years of hunting, permission is paramount! Ask even if it’s public. Being polite works as well even if you are declined access. NEVER dress as if you’re a coal miner and leave your machine secured in your car. I usually arrive with a code of detecting ethics, pics of my finds (on my phone) and a permission sheet. My sheet included my contact info, ethics, duration that I am authorized to hunt the property. I also ensured the owner that they get to see what was recovered. I hope this helps!