What is it about gold panning in California? Why should you do it this weekend? Here are 6 good reasons.

  1. Let’s go with the most obvious first: you can find gold. We have all the equipment you need to search and pan for gold. Many of our visitors have found gold. We’ll show you how – we offer training for all ages.
  1. It’s a glimpse into the past. Roaring Camp was once a hard-scrabble frontier town. It had success gold mining, but struggled with getting supplies through the harsh territory.
  1. Enjoy time with your family. Summer’s winding down. Soon, your kids will be back in school and you won’t be able to take leisurely weekend trips. The sun will be lower on the horizon and days will get shorter. While you’ve still got long days, pleasant sun, and there’s time enough to enjoy it, come on out, learn some history, do an activity together, and enjoy each other’s company in the beauty of nature.
  1. It’s pretty good exercise. There’s hiking involved and gold panning is an active hobby.
  1. You’ll get to explore the outdoors. Gold panning is a hobby and a skill, and it can turn a profit, but it’s also an adventure. There’s nothing quite like sitting on the riverbank, spying the little treasures of nature that happen all around you.
  1. There’s a real sense of community here. We never pan alone. That lets us share what we discover, and point out things both natural and historical that you may not see. It’s easy conversation with a community that can share a range of different knowledge – about gold panning, about the animals you’ll see, about the area and its history. Everyone has something to contribute to the conversation, and everyone will help others learn and get good at searching for gold.