Yukon Main Attraction: Tourists Pan For Yukon Gold and Silver
Gold panning enthusiasts head to Yukon at various times of the year to pan Yukon gold and silver. The experience can be incredibly fun, especially if you are doing it with some friends. If you have no prior experience, you can seek assistance once you get to the specific location in the Yukon Territory, where you want to pan gold. Several companies facilitate the activity, and they can also help you. Yukon deals for gold panning may be as low as $5, but chances are, they may be higher.
Here are some tips that can come in handy when panning gold in Yukon:
Get the necessary tools and gear
There are several things that you will need to get whenever you are going to pan gold in the Yukon region. Since it is usually done in extremely icy cold mountain streams, you will have to get a pair of warm socks and quality boots. Then, you will also need a gold pan. Plastic gold pans are common because they neither rust nor corrode. Even so, you can get a steel one for your gold panning adventures.
With a colored pan, you can quickly notice the Yukon gold at the bottom. There are a few nearby places where you can buy your gold pan such as Claim 33, Goldbottom Mine Tours, Home Hardware, or at the Dawson Trading Post. Some pans’ price tags may read $5, but others may cost more than that. Other tools that you will require are shovels, tweezers, glass vials, and snuffer bottles.
Explore
The chances of finding gold floating on the surface of the river are extremely low. The treasured metal is heavy. If you want to find it, you should be ready to go to the places where the water slows down. Such areas include the insides of river bends, inside crevasses, or even under the big rocks.
Do not just settle for any stream. Instead, pick the slow-moving ones where you can also find rocks big enough to sit on. While panning the Yukon gold, make sure that you always fill out any open holes after digging.
Learn
Take the time to learn about how gold panning is done before you go to pan the Yukon gold. You may even get a local to teach you. They might offer to do it for free, but you can consider giving them about $5 to show appreciation. Furthermore, places like Claim 33 in Dawson City and Goldbottom Mine Tours provide gold panning training.
There are various methods that you can use to pan gold, and some are easier than others. Generally, you start filling your pan with gravel and removing any large rocks that might be present. Make sure you rinse them using water first. There may be some gold still attached to them. Do not forget to break all the clay clumps.
Then, submerge the gold pan in the water and later vigorously move it in a circular motion so that the Yukon gold can settle at the pan’s bottom. The chances of finding gold after tipping the pan away from your body are high. Do it at a small angle so that you can wash away the top gravel layer from your pan.
Afterward, rinse and repeat the same procedure. If you notice any Yukon gold flakes in the black sand, pick them using your tweezers. Your snuffer bottle will come in handy when picking any fine gold present.
When gold panning, have as much fun as possible and bear in mind that it might not be your fastest way to get rich. If you are looking for a company that can help you go for gold panning, here are some that you can consider:
Goldbottom Mine Tours
Goldbottom Mine Tours allows you to have the time of your life while gold panning. They provide visitors with daily trips to their active mine. There, you can try your luck at the intersection of Goldbottom and Hunker Creeks. Since there is no assurance that you will find any gold, you take your chances like the old gold seekers in the late 1890s. It makes panning the Yukon gold even more thrilling.
As of 2019, high bankers using the Goldbottom Mine Tours have to pay an estimate of $200 per highbanker daily.
Claim 33 Goldpanning & Jerry Bryde Klondyke Mining Museum
You can also visit this location in Dawson City if you are interested in panning gold. They have pretty amazing Yukon deals. In 2018, they were charging about $15 per pan plus a tax of 5%. Once you pay the panning cost, you can get a free pan rental. The good thing about trying your chances with them is that you don’t have to buy the panning equipment. You can rent shovels and pans from them.
If you want to pan Yukon gold, you can have many chances to do it with the help of various companies that include Goldbottom Mine Tours. You may have to spend more than $5, but the thrill is worth it. Feel free to explore other nearby companies for attractive Yukon deals available for gold panners.