🎟️ Tourist panning (paid) · East Kootenay, BC

Fort Steele Heritage Town

UnverifiedBritish ColumbiaHand panning
Map showing Fort Steele Heritage Town in East Kootenay, British Columbia
Approximate location · © Mapbox © OpenStreetMap · open in the Explore map
Latitude
49.617
Longitude
-115.632
Region
East Kootenay
Type
Tourist panning (paid)

About this spot

1890s heritage town at the mouth of the Wild Horse River valley, born of the 1864 Wild Horse Creek gold rush (some $7M in gold in its day). Offers visitor gold panning among its living-history exhibits in season.

Before you go

Panning is a seasonal, paid visitor activity on site — not open river panning. Verify current status, season and hours with Fort Steele Heritage Town before visiting.

Source

Fort Steele Heritage Town (fortsteele.ca); activity described in travel listings — panning offer not re-confirmed on the official site this season

Marked Unverified: publicly documented, but not re-confirmed against a current official source — treat the status and boundaries as unconfirmed until you 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.