Find Gold Nuggets... While on Vacation

If you've dreamed of seeing the rugged, natural beauty of Alaska, you can take a trip to Ganes Creek, Alaska.

Not only will you get a chance to experience the beauty of Alaska, but you'll get to prospect for your own gold nuggets! (The heart-shaped nugget shown above was found at Ganes Creek.)

Ganes Creek has produced over 250,000 ounces of gold, including some of the largest nuggets ever found in Alaska (the largest weighed in at over 122 ounces, which is more than ten troy pounds!)

How to search for gold while on vacation in Alaska

There's an outfit called Clark-Wiltz Mining, Inc. that works the creek's alluvials, bedrock benches, and tributary creeks with big equipment. Much of the gold being detected and mined is coarse and frequently large particles of gold are found left by the wayside of the large equipment, and that's where you come in.

Clark-Wiltz lets paying visitors come to the mining area to search the tailing piles for gold nuggets lost in the old operations. Visitors have used provided metal detectors to find hundreds of ounces of gold since the tourism aspect started in 2002, including 120 ounces in 2006.

How much does this gold-nugget-seeking vacation cost?

The cost for a one week stay is $3,000, which includes all your meals, some ground transportation, small heated cabins, shower and restroom facilities, and satellite TV and VCRs.

Of course, the chances are the trip will cost more than you'll actually find in gold nuggets, but it'll be a fun vacation experience in beautiful Alaska, and who knows... you might just get lucky!

More information about searching for gold nuggets with Clark Wiltz

The Yukon is famous for the Gold Rush of the 1890s, and you can still find gold there today. In fact, you can pan for gold just like the first prospectors did.

Goldbottom Mine Tours & Gold-Panning

From the 1st of June through September, you can visit Goldbottom Mine Tours & Goldpanning to see the historic sites and pan for some nuggets (or at least some gold dust!) of your own.

A tour includes an hour of creek panning and instruction, rubber boots, gold pans, vial, shovels and authentic "paydirt." You get to keep any gold you find.

If you want more time to search for gold, you can continue on your own. Gold panning may be done from 10 am to 6 pm. And if you want to do more than wade in the creek with a pan, you can visit the mini sluice or "high banker" farther up stream.

The outfit has 69 placer gold claims along GoldBottom and Hunker creeks. Note:

"This activity is intended for the more serious 'hobby' miner and we have restrictions as to what we consider a 'hobby' miner."

This vacation is more for people who want the experience and to enjoy the historic setting--you're not likely to find any huge nuggets in the creek, but you'll likely get a few specks to take home, and you'll have the memories of panning for gold as they did in the olden days!

GoldBottom Mining Tours

If Alaska and Canada are a bit chilly for you, head to Australia for a gold prospecting tour.

BendigoGold World sells metal detectors and offers personalized gold prospecting tours. As they say, "Nothing can beat the thrill of unearthing your own natural gold nugget and experiencing the beautiful Australian bush at the same time."

You can sign up for full or half-day excursions that include a guide, transportation, food and drinks, and use of their Minelab SD Series Metal Detectors as well as other required prospecting equipment.

If you have a larger group, you can sign up for a full-fledged nugget-finding vacation that features packages that include accommodations.

You're guaranteed to walk away with a gold nugget. Even if you don't find any nuggets of your own, the company will hook you up with some souvenir gold.

BendigoGold World