Gold panning tours, shops & clubs in British Columbia

Hell's Gate Airtram

Ride the tram down into the Fraser Canyon's narrowest gorge, then try a supervised pan at the bottom: buy a pan of salted gravel at the shop and learn the swirl where 1858 miners really did pull gold. Suspension bridge, fisheries exhibit and fudge shop on site (43111 Trans-Canada Hwy).

Nearest public spot: Yale Town Recreational Panning Reserve · ≈ 25 km

Source: Official site — hellsgateairtram.com (gold panning listed among attractions)

Britannia Mine Museum

National Historic Site on the Sea-to-Sky between Vancouver and Whistler. Panning troughs set at kid and adult heights — pan for gold and gemstones and keep what you find — alongside the underground train and the mill show.

Nearest public spot: Yale Town Recreational Panning Reserve · ≈ 128 km

Source: Official site — britanniaminemuseum.ca (what-to-see-and-do page)

Yale Historic Site

Living-history site (31187 Douglas St) at the head of navigation of the 1858 Fraser rush — Creighton House, the tent city and St. John the Divine (1863). Costumed interpreters have offered gold-panning lessons on site, a natural pairing with the free Yale panning reserve a few hundred metres away.

Nearest public spot: Yale Town Recreational Panning Reserve · ≈ 0.7 km

Source: Official site — historicyale.com (address, phone); panning lesson described on the site's former historicyale.ca/gold-panning page and the britishcolumbia.com Yale listing

Gold River Gold Panning Adventures

Two- and four-hour instructional panning excursions on the Gold River, west Vancouver Island, June–August: basic prospecting and panning on the short trip, advanced and high-recovery techniques on the long one. $60–$180 depending on group size; cash on the day.

Source: Official site — goldrivergold.ca (rates and contact pages)

Yukon Dan — Gold Panning Programs & Fraser River Gold Panning Championships

Forty-plus years a professional panner, Yukon Dan runs classroom and public-event panning programs across BC from a Greater Vancouver base and hosts the annual Fraser River Gold Panning Championships near Boston Bar (2026 edition: September 25–27). The go-to name for panning instruction in the Fraser Canyon.

Nearest public spot: Yale Town Recreational Panning Reserve · ≈ 35 km

Source: Official site — yukondan.com (programs and championship pages)

City of Victoria — Gold Panning Expedition (Sooke River)

Municipal recreation program: the Recreation Bus runs from Victoria to the Sooke River for a morning of panning with gear supplied, a short forest hike and the story of the 1864 Leech River rush and current prospecting rules. $55 plus tax, optional $10 paydirt; ages 14+; you keep what you find.

Source: City of Victoria recreation registration page

The Rockhound Shop

Vancouver Island's only full rock, lapidary and prospecting supply store, at 777 Cloverdale Ave. Gold pans, sluice boxes, classifiers, rock hammers and picks alongside minerals and jewellery supplies. Tuesday–Saturday 10–5.

Source: Official site — rockhoundshop.com (address, hours, prospecting line)

IRL Supplies

Forestry, surveying and mining supply house serving northern BC since 1958. Its prospecting catalogue runs to about 100 items: gold pans, sluice boxes, highbankers with pumps, gold concentrators, sieves, black-sand magnets and metal detectors.

Nearest public spot: Barkerville Historic Town · ≈ 125 km

Source: Official site — irlsupplies.com (prospecting category)

Tenorex GeoServices — Mining Office & Rock Shop

Quesnel mining office and rock shop: hardrock and placer prospecting supplies, Garrett detectors, MotherSucker hand dredges, scales and maps, plus help with claims, permits, reclamation bonds and regulations — a rare combination for the Cariboo.

Nearest public spot: Barkerville Historic Town · ≈ 66 km

Source: Official site — tenorex.ca (about page); listed as a Quesnel dealer by Canadian Treasure Seekers

Green River Gold (Gold Rush Supplies Inc.)

Quesnel prospecting store at 3650 Cariboo Hwy N that builds its own sluice boxes from local rough-cut lumber and stocks highbankers, mini trommels and accessories — some specialty items in-store only.

Nearest public spot: Barkerville Historic Town · ≈ 65 km

Source: Store website greenrivergoldstore.ca (indexed pages give address and phone); Gold Rush Supplies Inc. on LinkedIn

Fred's Gold Panning & Mining Supplies

Long-running Kelowna prospecting shop at 431 Hwy 33 W: gold pans, sluice boxes, highbankers, metal detectors and everything in between. Monday–Friday 9–5.

Nearest public spot: Princeton Gold Panning Reserve · ≈ 93 km

Source: Store website fredsgoldpanningstore.com (contact page as indexed); KelownaNow and YellowPages listings

MotherLode Prospecting Supplies

Kelowna maker of the MotherSucker hand dredge — the only commercially built hand dredge in Canada, popular where motorized equipment is banned — plus pans, classifiers, sluices, detectors and rock crushers. A-105 Boppart Crt.

Nearest public spot: Princeton Gold Panning Reserve · ≈ 87 km

Source: Company site motherlodeprospecting.ca; YellowPages/Canpages listings; MotherSucker also sold via Tenorex GeoServices

Vernon Placer Miners Club

Okanagan hobby placer club that meets at Peace Lutheran Church (1204 30th Ave, Vernon) at 7 pm on the first Tuesday of the month, except January and July–September. Group outings, panning practice and an active Facebook group for members.

Nearest public spot: Princeton Gold Panning Reserve · ≈ 126 km

Source: Official site — vernongoldpanning.com (meeting schedule and venue on homepage)

Vancouver Island Placer Miners Association (VIPMA)

Recreational placer association for southern Vancouver Island. Holds three claims that give members somewhere legal to pan and sluice without owning a claim; meets the second Wednesday of the month (except July–August) at Emery Hall, 537 Glencairn Lane, Victoria, 7:30 pm.

Source: Official site — vipma.ca (about and meetings pages; info@vipma.ca)

Kamloops Exploration Group (KEG)

Mining education and outreach society for the Kamloops region: annual conference and trade show, public lecture series, technical talks and a Prospector Showcase. More industry-facing than a panning club, but the best place in the Thompson to meet working prospectors and geologists.

Nearest public spot: Goldpan Provincial Park · ≈ 84 km

Source: Official site — keg.bc.ca (Box 25056 RPO Brocklehurst, Kamloops)

WCP Placer Mining Club (West Coast Placer)

Membership club run by West Coast Placer, an Abbotsford placer-exploration outfit. $50 a year gets access to WCP's 12 placer and 2 mineral claims on the Tulameen, Similkameen, Fraser, Cariboo and Kootenays — pan, sluice or camp on them and keep the gold — plus trips with experienced miners. WCP also sells claims and equipment.

Nearest public spot: Hope Recreational Panning Reserve · ≈ 72 km

Source: Official site — westcoastplacer.com (club page; about page gives the Abbotsford base)

Actlabs — Kamloops Analytical Lab

ISO 17025 lab at 1790 Versatile Dr for the BC Interior: fire assay for gold, silver and PGEs, multi-element AA/ICP-OES, plus soil and water testing.

Nearest public spot: Goldpan Provincial Park · ≈ 80 km

Source: Official location page — actlabs.com

MSALABS (MS Analytical)

Head office of MS Analytical at Unit 1, 20120 102 Ave: sample prep, geochemistry and PhotonAssay — a non-destructive alternative to fire assay for gold, silver and copper.

Nearest public spot: Hope Recreational Panning Reserve · ≈ 90 km

Source: Official site — msalabs.com (contact page)

Bureau Veritas Minerals — Vancouver

The former Acme Labs, now Bureau Veritas' main Canadian minerals lab at 9050 Shaughnessy St: fire assay for gold, platinum and palladium plus multi-element packages.

Nearest public spot: Hope Recreational Panning Reserve · ≈ 123 km

Source: Bureau Veritas North America metals & minerals page (address, phone); NRCan CDoGS lab record