Juneau Underground Gold Mine and Panning Experience
Recommended by 92% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Juneau, USA
- 2 hours 15 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Why travelers loved this
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Overview
If you’re looking for a unique experience that combines history with the great outdoors, book this Juneau Underground Peterson Gold Mine and Panning Experience. Go with a guide to the old mine and go on one of the only underground tours in all of Alaska—wearing a hardhat for safety. After learning about the mining done there, test your skills at gold panning.
- Go gold panning at an underground gold mine experience in Juneau
- Perfect for families and history lovers
- A guide teaches you about the Peterson Gold Mine and its past
- Choose from multiple tour times when booking for convenience
What's Included
- Private transportation
- Alcoholic Beverages
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Mount Roberts Tramway490 S Franklin St, Juneau, AK 99801, USA
Please meet your tour rep BEHIND Goldbelt Tramway building, (waterfront side) under the GREEN canopy, 15 minutes prior to tour time. TOUR DURATION 2.25 Hours / PLEASE, NO PRIVATE VEHICLES ALLOWED!
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 24 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.7
based on 263 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Matt_S, Jul 2026
Time inside mine is limited. The kids enjoyed panning for gold, but the tour was on a strict time schedule. The people working were knowledgeable, but the guy in the mine was not friendly.
Kathleen_B, Jul 2026
This was an awesome tour and our kids loved it. It sent my husband and I down a Google rabbit hole learning about gold mining. We loved Doug (the salty retired miner who led the underground portion.) I wish we had time to buy him a drink and listen to his stories about his time as a miner. He did a great job of making sure all the kids could see in the front and took great pains to make sure their ear protection was in correctly before turning on the machinery. It was impressive to see the equipment they use and how much engineering, geology, and chemistry come together to make gold mining possible.
Rick, who led the gold panning portion, was great with the kids. Everyone found little gold flakes thanks to him and his teaching abilities. I enjoyed talking with him about the local area, the gold mine’s relationship to the local indigenous population, and his background. We got to spend a solid 20-25 minutes learning to pan for gold at the end.
The gal who taught the mining overview portion really knew her stuff and answered all of our random questions. She was really pleasant and patient with some wild questions from a few of the visitors. The length of this portion was perfect and they even have overhead heaters they turned on in the outdoor classroom area where we sat.
I definitely recommend this!
Dena_T, Jul 2026
It was a very informative tour and interesting to see the actual mine and the equipment that still in working condition
Donna_C, Jul 2026
This was delightful and informative beyond our expectations! Each person we came into contact with was knowledgeable and pleasant. My 12 year old nephew and 16 year old niece were engaged and learned alot. A great memory to last their while lives!
Toye_P, Jul 2026
It was a very interesting tour for my family with people of all ages. We learned alot about mining and mills and panning for gold.
Jonathan_P, Jul 2026
This was a fantastic experience. My teens really enjoyed the very informative tours from the ride to the mine, the underground mine, the background history of the mine, the gold panning and even the gift shop was entertaining. This was an unforgettable experience.
Julia_S, Jun 2026
This was a very interesting activity. It is not too long, but it still provides a lot of nice and useful information. The organization was perfect, and everything worked very smoothly from start to finish. It was enjoyable, informative, and very well arranged. Highly recommended!
Lucinda_M, Jun 2026
Great experience for family of all ages! A history lesson, fun demonstrations, and some hands on learning/fun.
Daniel_B, Jun 2026
I went on this excursion with my wife and kids. The underground mine tour, led by a retired miner, was authentic, insightful, and filled with humor. Most likely the highlight for my kids was panning for gold, during which each of us did in fact find a few small flakes (which we were allowed to keep). This was a great use of our time in port and I definitely recommend it to others, young and old.
Samantha_F, Jun 2026
This tour was fun and informational. You can tell the employees really care about preserving the mine and sharing their knowledge about the history of the mine.
Only downfall: the directions told us to arrive 15 minutes before the departure time of 4:30, so we arrived at 4:15. The bus was not there to transport us until almost 4pm. The guide who took us underground talked fast and didn’t accept questions. The lady who shared about the mill process was VERY scripted. The gold we got was only 1-2 flakes and they really rushed us to get them and be ready to leave.
Overall it was still a great educational experience and was something different to do and experience.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for joining our tour and seeing that our team really cares about preserving the history. That's our goal. I apologize for not earning the 5-star review that we strive for. The young lady that did the mill presentation does exactly what we teach, to talk as though you are talking to your friends or family...yep that's how she talks. :) The bus departed right on time. It was scheduled for a 4PM departure. If everyone showed up at 4pm we would need 10 minutes to check everyone in. Now for the gold, we look at a lot of guests viles of panned gold when they come in the store, Some come in with 1 or 2 tiny nuggets or flakes an some come in with 10. it is a learned technique. We make sure everyone goes home with at least one or 2 even if we have to pan it for them. This is a historic mine tour, as you know, with many parts. Every tour gets 5 minutes with the instruction pan that already has 3-4 nuggets, flakes in the pan. Then each tour gets 15 minutes to pan independently to find more. Again it is an practiced technique. Please join us again on your next cruise to Alaska. WE will be here!
Sincere Regards,
M
P.S. The miner in the tunnel usually lets everyone know he must take out his hearing aids in the tunnel and you have to get his attention for questions. Trust me...that man can talk and loves to talk about mining! :)
Michele_L, Jun 2026
Completely surprised at how fun this was! Gary is a hoot! Left with a little vial with some gold pieces in it. Highly recommend this adventure!
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for this wonderful review! I LOVE the part "Theres GOD in them mountains" because you know what...there really IS!
You made my day, thank you! :)
Ryan_T, Jun 2026
We loved this tour for our tween sons who love everything about gold mining. Everyone was amazing, very knowledgeable and responsive.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you so much for your awesome review!
Have a Golden Day!
Alison_B, Jun 2026
We really enjoyed our tour. The tour guides actually have worked in mines so their experiences and knowledge is genuine. Great for adults and kids!
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you so much for your awesome review! We love where we are what we do!
Have a Golden Day!
Lisa_M, Jun 2026
Alot of talk about how mines work. Get to do a little panning for gold flakes. Over all okay........
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for your review. I apologize for not earning that 5 star experience for you. We offer so much more than just gold panning. We are the only underground gold mine tour in Alaska. Theres lots of places to go gold panning but we offer the full experience of underground gold mine tunnel and the world's largest producing mill. We still add 20 minutes of gold panning. Most guests that sign up for this tour are already interested in the mining and milling process and those that just really come for gold panning usually fall in love with the historic process of Hard Rock mining and milling. I wish that had happened for you.
Golden wishes for you and yours,
M
Katie_W, May 2026
This experience was not what we expected. We did go in to the mine and pan for the gold but there was not as much to see as we expected. The tour also felt very scripted and if you didn’t have a good understanding of mining it was easy to get lost
Marlene_S, May 2026
Fun learning experience. They were all knowledgeable about the mining industry. We got a few flecks of gold during our planning.
Serena_C, May 2026
A brief tour of an old and unused gold mine with a guy explaining the story of the facility. Very cold inside; the best part was the last bit, looking for small partition gold in the water.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback! We are so glad to hear you enjoyed the hands-on panning experience. It is always a great favorite! As you noted, stepping inside our underground tunnel offers a very authentic, chilly experience, which is why we always recommend our visitors dress warmly! Because we are preserving an actual historic, unused mine, we strive to transport our guests back in time to experience what life was truly like for hard-rock miners. We also love that all our guest gets to go home with genuine Alaska gold! Our goal is to ensure a memorable souvenir of their Gold Rush adventure.
Blessed and Happy Travels
Tamera_L, May 2026
Great experience with very knowledgeable and experienced guides. We had a great time talking to everyone.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for taking time to share this wonderful review!
Jessica_S, May 2026
Really cool tour, you get to go in an actual abandoned mine. The guide in the mine was an experienced miner and very knowledgeable, he had my kids attention the entire time which is pretty hard to do. Other tour staff were very friendly and informative as you learn about each step of the gold mining process. This tour is worth it and must do in my opinion!
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for taking time to share this wonderful review!
Howard_B, May 2026
Fascinating and educational tour by guides who themselves have been miners for 30+ years. The panning was a bit disappointing (I only found one tiny flake), but the gift shop has some very reasonably priced souvenirs!
Jane_B, May 2026
Interesting ex miner that gave the tour. We gained a lot of information. It seems to be run by family and well-intentioned, friendly volunteers.
And I found some gold when we were pan-handling! What a bonus. All of it a memorable experience.
Michael_D, May 2026
Excellent history lesson about Juneau history and gold mining. Not strenuous, so all ages can enjoy.
Christine_H, May 2026
Great educational tour! We wanted to learn more about gold mining and they delivered! Great ship was unique as be gold panning a fun experience
Leah_J, Apr 2026
Very nice. Good information and educational on old mining. I liked that the guys that did the presentation were real miners. Enjoy it. Awesome that the panning water was heated!!!
Rebecca_E, Nov 2025
Excellent tour of the mine! Wonderful guide and staff! Highly recommend. I never expected to be able to tour an underground gold mine.
Rachel_B, Sep 2025
We scheduled this last minute due to bad weather having us in port for 2 days instead of 1. This was the perfect thing to do during the rain. The guides were all fantastic in their respective portions from learning about inside the mine from the son of a miner that used to work there to those teaching us about the history of the area and about how to pan for gold.
Phillip_C, Sep 2025
The hard hats were pretty nasty, but I enjoyed the tour. There was a family in the mine that was obviously stricken by some sort of respiratory ailment. The tour leader kept trying to get us all to move in closer; I kept declining to get too close to the sick family.
Pamela_C, Sep 2025
Very informative of history and fun! I had never been in a mine before so it opened my eyes too what mining is and how they do it.
Thomas_B, Sep 2025
The mine is unique, even among others in the U.S. The history and presentation was interesting and enjoyable.
Cassia_B, Sep 2025
We were a group of 5 adults and this tour was great! Very informative, and also just really cool to go underground into the mine. I also really enjoyed gold panning, found about 8 flecks of gold! It was a good activity for the last day of our trip since it’s actually kind of relaxing, was a nice way to wind down and get a true Alaskan experience before heading home.
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From $94.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Juneau Underground Gold Mine and Panning Experience
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