Mat-Su Valley, AK Mining Claims & Land Ownership Map
Current BLM claim data, land ownership layers, and rockhounding-ready backcountry navigation for Mat-Su Valley, AK — built for the field.
Mat-Su Valley, AK Mining Claims & Land Ownership Map
Current BLM claim data, land ownership layers, and rockhounding-ready backcountry navigation for Mat-Su Valley, AK — built for the field.
The Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) Borough offers some of the most accessible and productive gold prospecting locations in Southcentral Alaska. Centered around the Talkeetna Mountains and the broader Susitna River basin, this region is famous for two distinct mining epicenters: the high-grade lode gold veins of Hatcher Pass (Willow Creek Mining District) and the expansive placer gravels of Cache Creek (Yentna Mining District). Located just an hour north of Anchorage, Hatcher Pass features dramatic alpine granitic peaks cut by quartz vein systems that historically produced vast quantities of hardrock gold at mines like Independence and Gold Cord.
For prospectors and rockhounds, the Mat-Su region provides excellent public access alongside structured state mining claims. The state-designated Hatcher Pass Public Use Area allows recreational gold panners to search the gravels of the Little Susitna River and Willow Creek without needing a mining claim. Further west near Talkeetna, the Cache Creek and Peters Creek drainages host extensive placer claims where suction dredgers and sluice operators target coarse gold and native platinum. Rockhounds in the Mat-Su Valley explore glacial till, river cutbanks, and mountain scree slopes for epidote, quartz crystals, rhodonite, copper minerals, and gem-quality garnets.
661
Current / Not-Closed Mat-Su Valley, AK Claim Records
1,367
Historical Mat-Su Valley, AK Claims
228
Mat-Su Valley, AK Rockhound Hotspots
2,256
Total Mat-Su Valley, AK Claims & Hotspots
227
Metallic Sites
1
Non-Metallic Sites
Notable finds: Gemstone
| Material | Sites Recorded |
|---|---|
| Gemstone | 1 |
16
Lode Claims
0
Placer Claims
Reflects BLM federal claims only — Alaska DNR's state mining-claim records aren't classified by claim type the same way.
| Claim Type | Current Claims |
|---|---|
| Lode Claims | 16 (100.0%) |
| Placer Claims | 0 (0%) |
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Save any map area while you have cell service, then navigate active BLM mining claims, surface-management boundaries, and optional layers like elevation contours, roads, and creeks — with zero connectivity out in the field. Offline downloads are included on every paid plan. See plans below →
Official Prospecting Resources for Mat-Su Valley, AK
What it is: The official state land management document outlining recreational mining boundaries, rules, and allowed equipment in Hatcher Pass.
Use case: Locating public panning zones along the Little Susitna River, checking suction dredge size restrictions, and reviewing park rules.
What it is: The primary state agency regulating state land use, mineral estate leasing, and mining claim filings in the Mat-Su region.
Use case: Searching state status plats, verifying active state placer claim boundaries, and submitting annual state land rentals.
What it is: The state geological agency providing interactive mineral maps, bedrock surveys, and placer inventory publications.
Use case: Downloading geologic maps of the Talkeetna Mountains and examining mineral occurrence reports for the Yentna district.
Plans
Basic
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$0/mo
Paid plans unlock full claim details, historical claims, research layers and offline tools.
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For prospectors who mostly work one state.
$29.99/yr
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Adventure Miner
For prospectors who cross nearby state lines.
$49.99/yr
Everything in Free, plus:
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For serious Western prospectors.
$99.99/yr
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For nationwide rockhounding research.
$29.99/yr
Gem & crystal hunters, Midwest/East users — everything in Free, plus:
Single State, Tri-State and All-West all unlock the exact same features — nothing is pay-gated between them, they differ only in how many states you get.
Paid plans renew automatically at the monthly or annual rate you choose until you cancel. Cancel anytime and keep access through the end of your paid period. See our Terms of Use.
Staked Maps isn't crowd-sourced guesswork. Current and historical claim boundaries are parsed directly from the Bureau of Land Management's Mineral & Land Records System (MLRS), which replaced the legacy LR2000 mining claim system in 2021, and kept in sync with our database on a regular schedule. Rockhound Hotspots draw from the USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS), cross-referenced by material so you can see exactly what's been found at a given site. For legal filings, always confirm current status directly with your BLM state office of record; Staked Maps is a research and navigation tool, not a substitute for the official record.
Directly from the Bureau of Land Management's official MLRS (Mineral & Land Records System) case-recordation records, synced into our database on a regular schedule — not scraped or crowd-sourced.
Staked Maps displays the status reported by BLM. Records with a case disposition of Active are labeled Active; historical records come from BLM's closed-claims dataset. These statuses are research information, not a Staked Maps legal determination of claim validity, discovery, ownership or compliance. Verify the current record through MLRS before acting on it.
Free users can search by county. Paid plans add search by claim serial number, plus each claim's full legal (aliquot) description and BLM records link.
Staked Maps currently tracks 661 current federal mining claim/site records and 1,367 historical claim records from BLM's federal MLRS records combined with Alaska DNR's state mining-claim records, plus 228 Mat-Su Valley, AK mineral-occurrence records derived from USGS MRDS.
A premium map layer of documented mineral occurrences, prospects and mines sourced from USGS MRDS and labeled by material where available. These records are research leads, not a directory of verified public collecting sites.
Yes — the live map covers all of Alaska, not just Mat-Su Valley. Other Alaska counties with a dedicated page: Fairbanks & Circle District, Nome & Seward Peninsula, Fortymile River & Chicken and Kenai Peninsula.
Alaska DNR Hatcher Pass Public Use Area Fact Sheet is Mat-Su Valley, AK's primary office for filing and researching mining claims — see the Official Filing & Information Links section above for the direct link and more resources.
Regulatory and editorial content last reviewed against official records · Source: Alaska DNR Hatcher Pass Public Use Area Fact Sheet · USGS MRDS
Information hosted on Staked Maps is compiled from publicly available data streams provided by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and relevant state geographic clearinghouses. Staked Maps accepts no liability for the content of this geospatial data, or for the consequences of any real-world exploration, land entry, or staking actions taken on the basis of the information provided via this application interface.
Staked Maps makes no warranty, expressed or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, nor assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the pinpoint accuracy, reliability, completeness, latency, or programmatic utility of these geospatial data layers, or for the improper interpretation of these data grids.
These mapping layers and related graphics are visual convenience aids only; they are not legal documents and must never be used as such. The data may not be used to legally determine title, mineral ownership, valid description boundaries, jurisdictional authorities, or land restrictions in place on public or private land. Natural backcountry hazards may or may not be depicted on topographies, and land users are strictly mandated to exercise caution. Federal records are dynamic and change constantly. The end-user is exclusively responsible for validating current land classifications with local BLM field offices and managing compliance accordingly.