Alaska Gold Panning Tour

Get the Gold – Guaranteed!

Experience real Alaska gold panning, be a part of the living history of Fairbanks, and make memories that will last a lifetime. At Gold Daughters, you will learn how to pan for gold using real Alaskan “paydirt”.

Your day starts with a bag of paydirt from Fairbanks Gold Co. You can then pan all day from piles of paydirt that we’ve hauled in from a local operating gold mine. We play by the rule “finders keepers”, so you get to take home everything you find!

There’s more than guaranteed gold… you also have the chance to uncover ice age fossils and cool minerals. It is not uncommon to find pyrite, quartz crystals and garnets. We’ve even had people walk away with woolly mammoth ivory!

Gold Panning Tour Alaska

Fairbanks Gold Panning Tour Details!

Season

Memorial Day – Mid-September

Hours

Everyday 10am-6pm /
After Labor Day 12pm-4pm

Price

$30/person
(Kids 5 & under free)

Location

1671 Steese Highway, Fairbanks AK

Includes

Equipment, one bag of paydirt, museum access, and a panning lesson

Book Your Fairbanks Gold Panning Adventure Today

Experience real Alaskan paydirt, guided lessons, guaranteed gold, and make unforgettable memories just minutes from downtown Fairbanks. Reservations are not needed.

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Learn to pan for gold

Your day starts with a short panning lesson. Our friendly, helpful, Alaskan staff will teach you how to pan for gold. Our guides will provide you with a panning demonstration and coach you as needed until you have perfect gold panning technique and are comfortable and confident. Once you are an expert, it is time to roll up your sleeves and get to digging!

gold panning trough

We Make Your Experience Comfortable

We provide the gold pans and shovels necessary for recovering gold as well as vials for you to take home your treasures. We have a beautiful timber frame awning to provide shelter from the Alaskan environment. But we also have uncovered troughs for those looking to bask in the midnight sun. Our gold troughs have benches, so you don’t have to be crouched over a creek all day. Panning for gold in Alaska has never been easier!

Engage With Real Alaskan History

Gold panning has an important history in the Last Frontier. Experience the thrill and excitement that brought people to Fairbanks during the “Alaska gold rush” over 100 years ago. Many of our staff out at the troughs, and in the museum and gift shop, are from Fairbanks and are happy to answer questions you have about the area. We want to ensure that you have a great time.

learn to pan for gold

What Our Guests are Saying

“We loved the family friendly atmosphere and highly recommend Gold Daughters if you are in the Fairbanks area.”
Ken and Laura
“If you want to pan for gold this is the best place by far.”
Rick S.
“We all enjoyed ourselves and were lucky enough to take a little gold piece of Alaska home with us.”
Seth D.

Gold Panning Upgrade Pricing

Goldstream

$30
  • Flakes of gold
  • First one Included with $30 admission

Eva

$60
  • More gold
  • “Picker” (small nugget)

Cleary

$100
  • Even more gold
  • Small gold nugget

Fairbanks Creek

$200
  • Increased amount of gold
  • Even larger nugget

Eagle Creek

$500
  • Extra gold
  • Impressive gold nugget

Mammoth Creek

$1000
  • Most gold in bag
  • Gold nugget bragging rights

(For those who have serious cases of Gold Fever, ask about our Secret Menu!)

 

Let us show you a glimpse of Fairbanks Alaska history and who knows… maybe you’ll catch gold fever!

Gold Panning FAQ’s

How Long Does Gold Panning Take?

The average visit is about 2 hours. but, if you want to do one pan just to tell your friends you “found gold in Alaska” – we get it! You can be in and out in as quick as 20 minutes. Though, if you get hooked, you’re not alone! We’ve had many visitors stay a full 8 hours. We’ve even had visitors come back multiple times on their vacation because they loved looking for gold so much!

Where Does Paydirt Come From?

Gold Daughters works directly with Fairbanks Gold Co. to find an area that has rich paydirt. Gold Daughters locates the gold by panning, then Fairbanks Gold Co. delivers a dump-truck filled with it before they start mining! You will be able to pan through these piles all day long at no additional fee.

How Do I Pan For Gold?

Don’t worry, we teach you the perfect gold panning technique! It’s not complicated or difficult, but does take an expert hand to get you started. To get an idea, watch the video above.

What Is Paydirt?

Paydirt is dirt that has gold in it. The piles of paydirt on our site are transported straight from local gold mines, and are guaranteed to have gold in them.

Will I Find Gold When Panning?

Yes! You are guaranteed to find gold when you visit Gold Daughters. You can pan the poke of paydirt that is included with your $30 admission any time throughout the day. If you want to increase your chances of finding gold nuggets you can get higher concentrated gold bags in our gift shop. We have several paydirt upgrades available ranging from $30 – $1,000. The bags of paydirt are all roughly the same size, weighing around 1.5 lbs/bag. The only difference between the bags is the concentration of gold inside! As the price increases, the amount of gold and size of gold nugget in each poke increases as well.

Is The Gold Worth Any Money?

Absolutely. Gold has always been and always will be a valuable commodity worldwide. The value of gold fluctuates regularly, so check out our board at the front of the gift shop to view the current daily price per ounce. We, however, are not gold assayers and do not value the gold that is found on site.

Is There Food Available?

We do have water and soft drinks available for purchase, but there are no meals available. We recommend you bring snacks or a packed lunch. You’re also welcome to head to town for lunch and return for more panning, the admission is good for the full day.

What Do I Need To Bring To My Tour In Fairbanks?

You just need to bring proper attire for the day! Gold Daughters is an outdoor activity that involves washing dirt, so be sure to wear clothing that is appropriate for the weather outdoors, and is okay to get a little dirty.

Can I Bring My Pet?

Gold Daughters only allows trained service animals to accompany our guests.

Is Gold Panning Fun?

Panning for gold is fun and easy, and with the right type of dirt from the right source, you’re very likely to find gold. They don’t call it gold fever for nothing!