Featured activities
Pan for gold in Alaska
Look for nuggets and flakes at public sites
Alaska.com
There's still gold in Alaska's hills and streams -- and you can have some of it with a little work.
You may pan for gold for free in a number of places without the danger of being shot as a claim jumper.
For example, people with a gleam in their eye can pan the beach east of Nome; several streams in the Interior, including the one where the Fairbanks gold rush began; several streams in Southcentral Alaska, including the Kenai Peninsula; in places along the Dalton Highway; and in some streams in Southeast.
Some companies that charge for tours of towns and mining areas also have panning areas, complete with gold pans and soil that sometimes is salted with "color."
Pans, shovels and loupes can be bought in mining supply shops and discount stores.
As you're panning and sifting through the muck, remember that nothing that glitters is gold. You're looking instead for a gleam.
Panning: How to and where to
Here are some links to maps and how-to information:
- Kenai Peninsula: U.S. Geological Survey's "Guide to Recreational Gold Panning in the Chugach National Forest"
- Hatcher Pass, along the Little Susitna River north of Palmer
- Caribou Creek, off Mile 106 of the Glenn Highway
- Petersville Creek, off Petersville Road west of the Parks Highway and southwest of Denali National Park
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