Pack Mule is a 20 acre placer mining claim located just West of the Hassayampa River. It contains about 1000 feet of dry creek bed on the East side of the road through the claim, and another 600 feet of dry creek bed on the West side of the road that's a bit easier to access. Pack Mule is a great claim for drywashing, metal detecting, running a wet sluice, and rockhounding. You'll also enjoy a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains and the Hassayampa River.

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Pack Mule is located in the Black Hills area about 5 miles directly North of Wickenburg.  There are places near the claim to camp if you want.  It has great access and an interestingly bizarre amount of geologic activity for the amateur geologist to take in, from metamorphic to volcanic events and more.  The dirt in this area has less iron  and clay in it, which tends to make it easier to drywash.  Wet washing is easier because there is less clay to thicken the water.  Also noted is much more caliche, which acts as a barrier to keep gold from dropping further toward bedrock.  As you will see in a picture toward the bottom, caliche traps the gold so nuggets are often found near the surface on top of the caliche.  We did bring in a geologist that confirmed the presence of gold bearing quartz in the area trending from the Black Hills west at about 272 degrees.  We have been exploring this area for nearly 14 years and always come up with some awesome specimens of gold and other minerals.  In addition to gold, .......... jasper, agate, green tourmaline, black tourmaline, topaz, garnet, epidot, and other minerals are pretty common in this area.