Can you pan near Canmore?
Yes — panning with a gold pan needs no licence at all. Alberta is one of the easiest provinces for casual panning: on the beds and shores of most rivers (which are Crown land), you may pan with a hand pan without any licence, and you keep what you find. Recover more than one troy ounce (about 31 g) in a year and Crown…
Read the full Alberta guide — claims, gear, tips → Quick rule check
This guide is general information for recreational prospectors — it is not legal advice. Mining, land-access, and environmental regulations change and vary site by site. Always verify the current rules with the official sources linked above before heading out, obtain permission from private landowners and mineral-claim holders, and respect First Nations rights, settlement lands, and treaty areas — some lands require permission or are closed to panning entirely.