California Gold Panning - Jamestown, California

Wei-Pei C.

Was super fun! Got 12 gold flakes, 1 cube of hematite, and 1 flake of lead. Water was cold but we came prepared with surgical gloves and garden gloves to keep hands dry. They had extra boots for the guests that didn’t have a pair. Beautiful creek area, kids had a lot of fun digging around the rocks. Our guide Jared was super knowledgeable and helpful.

Jose R.

We had a blast! The misses, 2 doggies and I took a 3 hour package after reading the reviews and recommendations of others. We found gold! A small specimen, few small flakes and some flour. (Jared if you’re reading this…. We have not appraised the specimen, yet!) It was not a whole lot, but the experience was amazing and Jared was wonderful, great vibe, very friendly and detail oriented.

The creek had plenty of shady spots, and refreshing cold water to battle the heat.

Come prepared to put in the work. Highly recommend!

L G.

Andrew, Wyatt, Nugget Nick, and Carole were so nice! We dug for two hours, and they were there when we needed them and gave us space to enjoy the experience as a family. It was a gift to our seven year old for his birthday to go panning, and they surprised us at the end with a birthday card and his very own panning kit. What a wonderful surprise!! They were absolutely awesome! We'll be back in the summer with family! Thanks again! Ps... we found gold!

steve I.

My 8 year old son wanted to try panning for gold. California Gold Panning has alot of good reviews so I booked a 3 hour time slot with them. I thought we would get the full experience of gold panning. We learned where to dig and using the classifier but NO panning. The employee did the panning, put the gold flakes in the glass containers and went on our 1 hour 45 minute drive home. My youngest son was disappointed after realizing he wasn't going to learn how to pan for gold. I did see other customers post pictures of them panning. It wasn't the case for us.

Alyssa B.

Bucket list for husband and son. We were en route from Yosemite to SF. Booked the 2 hour experience. Found a few gold flakes for 2 hours of work, but the information and experience was great!!! Don’t come to expect to find gold nuggets or “strike it rich.” We did find flakes of goal and learned a lot of info! Being clothes you can get wet and dirty, prepare to dig in the dirt and mud, and have fun! Bring snacks, water, bags to bring home quartz you find.

Expected to pull up to a touristy type of location. (Building, gift shop, etc). Nope. Pulled up to a green port o potty, 2 semi trailers, and a guy with a tent set up and a dog (dog is Max- son called him mighty Max). Nick was very helpful, knowledgeable, recommend!!

Mindie H.

Very fun! The anticipation kills you. Our guide was awesome and wholesome. My husband loved the experience as well as I! It shows you an insight that you don't think about. Our miners work/worked soo hard for sometimes very little. This is definitely something I would take the kiddos to do! And yes we found gold!! Ureeeka!!!!!!

Annemarieke G.

So much fun to pan for gold with Nugget Nick. Found one beautiful nugget and a few small ones. Thanks Nick

LK

Our three-day trip to gold country, this was the highlight. We have done gold panning before where we are given a little bit of dirt and we have to pan it over a little running water. This is way different! This is the real thing! We were actually doing exactly what the old prospectors would be doing years ago….. digging, sifting, sluicing, and panning for gold.

The location is on a claim along a creek. Lots of shade and running water. There is some hard work. We were in the creek, so bring your water shoes. The location is easy to find. Booking on-line was super easy.

And credit to Nate, our guide. He was so good with the kids. He was fun, loving, patient, knowledgeable, and made it really engaging for them.

Definitely recommend 2 hours minimum. Preferably 3 hours.

And yes, we found a pretty big picker!