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Directions

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Ruritan Club: This is where we have our indoor meetings
Directions to the Ruritan Club: On Hwy 68, heading south from Tellico Plains, go to Coker Creek (about 10 miles or so). Where the post office and little shops are, on the corner going to the left (towards doc Rogers field) you take a right, instead... go about 1/4 mile, and you will see a school sitting back off the road on the left. On that street going to the school, you will see a sign for the Ruritan club. Turn left towards the school, and the Ruritan club is the white building just before the school, on your right. We use the back section for our meetings.
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Our GPAA Claim - requires a GPAA membership - Some Special outings are open to the public check with Tim.
 
Directions: The our GPAA property, in Coker Creek, Tn. is located at 13431 Hwy 68 , Coker Creek, Tn. 37314. From I-75, take Hwy 68 east through Tellico plains and follow south about 12 miles, to 13431. You will see the signs marking where to turn in. Turn left, into the property, and follow the road to the parking area. Signs will be marking the way in from Hwy 68, at our main gate.
 
There are fines through the overburden, and flakes at the clay or bedrock.  You can find pickers in the cracks if you look for them.  A nice nugget was found metal detecting the banks in September 2008.
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Doc Rogers Field
Requires a free permit from the Ranger station, if you have a dredge, or anything else with moving parts,  and has fairly easy access, once you realize where it is. It is not well marked, at all. Dredging is open 6 months a year, panning & sluicing is year round.

If you travel south from Tellico Plains, or north from Ducktown, you will get to the small town of Coker Creek. You will only know you're there because on the east side of the road, you will see a set of shops, and a post office. There is a snack shack, and a small store.

Once you find this, you are less than a 1/4 mile from Doc Rogers field. The shops are sitting on a road that slants off to the southeast from the highway. Follow that road less than 1/4 mile. Keep an eye open for a small gravel road (sometimes the grass is high) that goes off to your left. There are small round posts on each side.  There is a number "5" on one of them.  This is the road.

You know you missed the road/path if you cross the creek. So, if you do cross the creek, turn around and look to your right in about 100 yards or so from the bridge.

Follow that road back a couple of hundred feet, and it turns left and has a nice large turn around and parking area. I have even seen some people camp out there.  You can park along the side of the road, on that corner, just make sure to not block the road... large horse trailers come in there, and need to make that turn.

Ok, once you get in, there are 3 ways to get to the creek.

One trail heads off to the east, directly towards the creek. There is shallow bedrock and several turns in the creek in this area. I have seen people prospecting here, and haven't heard a lot of good news.

One trail heads north from the road, right at the turn to the parking area. This is actually both of the 2 other ways.
Follow this path a short ways, and there is a wide path that turns toward the creek. You can follow that and get there quickly.  There is a forestry sign at this path, with the rules, and other information.

Once you reach the creek along this second path, there are mowed trails going along the creek in each direction (horse trials that make a large loop around the property).

I have seen people dredge, sluice and pan in each direction from here. I like turning left, and walking upstream a few hundred feet or so. Sometimes more... sometimes less.

While walking up the creek, make sure to watch out for dredge holes. They can be filled with silt, yet you will quickly sink 2 to 5 feet. It is like a mine field.... walk around them and you will be fine. We pull our dredge on a little wagon, and walk around them, usually without a problem. Once in a while, they don't leave room to get around, but not too often.

If you follow the main trail, and do not turn directly towards the creek, you can go along this trail around the field, and to the far end of the property. This is like an old logging road, more so than just a trail. You can go back in quite a ways, then turn off onto some deer trails and reach more remote areas of the creek; perhaps find a spot that hasn't been prospected too much, and do real well.

Fines, flakes, pickers are found here.  Even small nuggets once in a while - mostly by dredging real deep.

 Coker Creek Falls:

 Coker Creek Falls is a more remote area.  However, only panning, sucker tubing and sluicing are allowed at this time. 

To get to Coker Creek Falls,  take Hwy 68 south, from the town of Coker Creek.  As you pass Ironsburge Church, on your right,,, The next road to your right is Ironsburge Rd.  Take that right turn.  Follow this road until you come to a hill with a 4 way intersection at it.  You will miss this if your not looking hard.  Turn LEFT here.  This is Ducket Ridge Road.  

After you make that left turn, you will see a cemetery on your left side.  (Your on the right road).

Follow Ducket Ridge rd a few miles, and there is a turn off  to the left, that goes to the upper falls. The sign is missing from this direction, but there is a post with a number on it.   If your going to theupper end of the falls, take that turn off, and follow it back in about a mile to a mile and a half. It will end in a parking area, and has a hiking trail that goes along the creek to the south.

If you are going to the lower end of the falls, just continue on ducket ridge road, until it ends.  There is a little parking area here.  You can go up and down stream from this point. 

Fines to pickers are being found at the upper and lower falls areas. There should be nuggets in this area too, but it is hard to work the bedrock cracks without a dredge.