Historic Gold Mining and Panning Adventure

Catch “gold fever” and experience what it was like to seek your fortune during Gold Rush days! Learn to pan for gold and keep all you find! Discover Juneau’s colorful mining heritage for yourself. Head out with your prospector/guide for a historical tour of Juneau, including the state capitol. Then, turn up the road to Gold Creek and “Last Chance Basin,” where Joe Juneau and Richard Harris struck gold in 1880. In a beautiful, secluded setting near a waterfall alongside Gold Creek — only accessible for groups under our tour’s special permit — your prospector shows you how gold panning is really done. Then, it’s your turn, as you expertly work the pan with helpful tips and advice in the creek, or in the waist-high demonstration trough. People of all ages and mobility limitations can learn how to pan and capture the full gold-rush experience. You’re guaranteed to find gold, and all that glitters is yours to keep! See the remnants of the original buildings of the Alaska-Juneau Mining Company all around you. At the height of production, it was the largest operation of its type in the world. You’ll learn about the mining techniques used, and the quest for gold that is such a major part of Alaska’s history. Take home a souvenir Orelove Brothers Gold Claim Certificate, all the gold you find, and an appreciation of what it was like to seek your fortune in the wilds of Alaska more than a century ago.