Changelog

Updates and upgrades we're shipping. Newest first.

August 2026

County pages under Gold in Virginia: Louisa, Spotsylvania, Orange, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Goochland, Prince William, Stafford, Fairfax, Halifax, Charlotte, and Mecklenburg, each with map links and inventory counts.
New public hub: Gold in Virginia. Counties, rivers, named mines, and access rules, with links into the map.
Popup on the original /map: you are on the older layout, with a button to switch to the new full-screen map.
Saved places: free and trial can save 10. Paid Prospector and Lifetime have no cap.
Search box at the top of the full-screen map: type a town, historic mine, creek, saved place, or GPS (37.57, -78.53) and the map flies there.
Long-press or long-click the map (or right-click at a desk) for a menu: drop a pin, copy GPS, or save the place.
Saved claims: set stroke and paint colors separately, plus paint opacity, so neighboring tracts stay distinct.
Field Note: The Beale Papers: An 1885 Hoax Along Goose Creek, Not a Treasure Map - see Field Notes.
Shared location links open the current full-screen map, with the saved tract outlined when a parcel was saved.
New full-screen map: Maps and Open the map now open a full-viewport research map. USGS topo by default, with drainages, tracts, historic mines, and parks and WMAs on. Legend for layers, Find me for location, Places for saved pins (same places as before). Zoom is still 10 without an account, 12 with a free account, 18 for members. The previous map is still at /map.
Basemap switch (Topo / Streets / Satellite) updates immediately, without needing a zoom.
Parks and WMAs: tap inside the red area (not only the outline) for the name, acres, and no-prospecting note. Thin trail parks are easier to hit.
Field Note: The Map, Rebuilt for Your Phone - see Field Notes.
Wildlife Management Area boundaries layer: all Virginia WMAs (Amelia, C.F. Phelps, Chickahominy, and 55+ others), always on and shown in red. Tap a boundary for the WMA name, acreage, and a reminder that DWR regulations ban removing minerals or artifacts without written Director authorization.
State Park boundaries layer: all Virginia state parks (Douthat, Pocahontas, Grayson Highlands, and 40+ others), always on and shown in red alongside National Park boundaries. Tap a boundary for the park name, acreage, and a reminder that prospecting and mineral collecting require a DCR permit (4VAC5-30-50).
National Park boundaries layer: National Park Service unit boundaries across Virginia (Shenandoah, Colonial, Manassas, and 12 others), always on and shown in red. Tap a boundary for the unit name, acreage, and a reminder that prospecting and mineral collecting are prohibited inside NPS land.
USFS layer: drop out-of-state forests (Cherokee, Daniel Boone, Wayne, Monongahela). George Washington and Jefferson National Forest stays.
Field Note: New Layer: National Park Boundaries (Closed to Prospecting) - see Field Notes.

June 2026

Streams layer: USGS National Hydrography overlay on the Geologic Survey map. Toggle Streams in the layer pills to see creeks and rivers while studying historic mines.
Field Note: Why We Added a Streams Layer (and How to Use It) — see Field Notes.

March 2026

Earthquakes layer: USGS epicenters (1900–present) for Virginia and nearby states. Toggle in the layer pills; marker size reflects magnitude; tap for date, depth, and a link to USGS. Counts toward the free layer limit.
Go to coordinates: enter GPS coordinates (decimal degrees, e.g. 37.57, -78.53) in the map toolbar to fly to that location. A green pin is placed at the exact point; tap it to see the coordinates.
Featured map pins: CVGP meeting (Curdsville Community Center, Dillwyn), Cold Harbor Metal Detectors (Mechanicsville), and Gold Mining Camp Museum at Monroe Park. Tap a pin for name, address, and description.
USFS layer: National Forest boundaries (Virginia only). Toggle in the layer pills to show George Washington & Jefferson and nearby forests; Monongahela, Daniel Boone, and Wayne are excluded.
Save parcels like pins: when you click a parcel at zoom 15+, the popup now has a "Save location" button. Save the parcel to your Saved places with name and notes pre-filled from parcel ID, locality, and acreage.
Pin tool fix: clicking Copy or Save location no longer moves the pin. Toolbar clicks are ignored for pin placement so the pin stays where you dropped it.

March 2025

Clicked parcel is highlighted with a gold outline; the outline stays on the map when you zoom out.
Changelog page — see what we've been improving.
Spotsylvania County parcel ownership in popups (owner, deed owner when available, and acreage).
Fluvanna and Culpeper County parcel ownership in popups (owner, deed/co-owner when available, and acreage).
Parcel popups now show acreage where available (Goochland, Spotsylvania, Fluvanna, Regrid).
Click-to-identify parcels: at zoom 15+, click the map to see parcel ID, locality, owner, and acreage.
Parcel ownership lookup for Prince William, Goochland, Spotsylvania, Fluvanna, and Culpeper counties (free); optional Regrid fallback for other areas.
Parcel boundary lines now appear at zoom 15 (was 16) for earlier visibility.
Field Notes Davey image updated (daveylookingup.webp).

Earlier

Saved locations: pin spots on the map, measure distances, share via link, optional obfuscated email.
Virginia Gold-Pyrite Belt geology layers: mines, faults, lithology, hillshade.
Field Notes blog and Gold Price sidebar.
Prospector / Lifetime tiers and account features.

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