Gold Panning

Guide to Recreational Gold Panning on the 

Kenai Peninsula, Chugach National Forest, Alaska

U S FOREST SERVICE

DE P A RTMENT OF AGRICULT U R E

U.S. Department of the Interior

Bureau of Land Management
This 2018 revision is a joint project of the 

U.S. Forest Service, Chugach National Forest, and the 

Bureau of Land Management in Alaska.

1997 edition:

Written by

Carol Huber

Chugach National Forest

and

Joseph Kurtak

Bureau of Land Management

Technical Assistance by

Nathan Rathbun

Bureau of Land Management

Graphic Design and Editing by

David L. Allen & Charles Lindemuth

Chugach National Forest

Graphic Art by

Kathy Sarns

Chugach National Forest

2010 and 2018 editions:

Edited by

John Hoppe and Karen J. Laubenstein

Bureau of Land Management

Graphic Design

Vanessa Rathbun

Bureau of Land Management
Contents

Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii

Gold – Significance and Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Kenai Peninsula Mining – A History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Figure 1: Sluice Box Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Figure 2: Hydraulicking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Geology of the Northern Kenai Peninsula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Mining Rights & Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Where to look for gold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Equipment you will need . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

For your safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

How to pan for gold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Kenai Peninsula gold panning areas... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Map 1: Panning sites on the Kenai Peninsula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Bertha Creek panning area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Map 2: Bertha Creek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Sixmile Creek panning area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Map 3: Sixmile Creek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Resurrection Creek panning area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Map 4: Resurrection Creek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Crescent Creek panning area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Map 5: Crescent Creek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

How much gold have you found? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

A Glossary of Mining Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Tips you can use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Further Reading... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

More Information... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
ii

Welcome

Striking it rich! Finding the mother lode! The lure of gold! ‘Tis 

the stuff of miners’ dreams. Unlike professional gold seekers, 

recreational gold panners benefit mostly from the adventure. The 

entire family can share in the fun of prospecting and gold panning.

In this booklet, we explain:

• Basic gold panning techniques

• How to find gold

• Mining rights and guidelines, and 

• Identify areas available for recreational gold panning in the 

Chugach National Forest portion of Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula.

Recreational gold panning on lands withdrawn from mineral entry 

is not a mining activity—it is a privilege. Be aware that panning, 

sluicing, and suction dredging can adversely affect water quality, 

which impacts vegetation, fish, wildlife, and ultimately people.

During the process of separating soil from minerals, silt may be 

washed into streams, creating turbid water. Fish, fish eggs, and 

aquatic insects have difficulty living in heavily silted water because 

of its reduced oxygen supply.

Avoid washing soil and vegetation into streams. Do not dig in 

stream banks. Digging increases silt in the stream and is also 

dangerous. Many banks are unstable and can slide without 

warning.

To reduce silt, dig only in active stream gravels. Return rocks or 

boulders moved during your efforts to their original positions. 

Aquatic insects, an important food source for salmon, often make 

their homes under these rocks. A little care will help ensure a 

healthy water ecosystem for both miners and anglers.

Good luck and good prospecting!
1

Gold – Significance and Use

Throughout history, humans have been lured by the brightness and 

ornamental beauty of gold. This most noble metal takes its name 

from the Germanic gulth: ‘glowing’ or ‘shining’ metal. Gold is a 

“precious metal” – which means that gold is rare and has a high 

economic value. Wealth is often measured by the gold standard.

Although sometimes we find gold free in nature, we generally find 

gold in conjunction with silver. To increase its strength, gold is 

usually alloyed with other metals such as silver, copper, platinum 

or palladium. We use gold alloys to make jewelry, decorative 

items, dental fillings and coins.

Gold is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity. It doesn’t 

tarnish when exposed to air, which is why gold works well 

as electrical connectors and microchips. Gold is also a good 

reflector of infrared radiation, and can help shield spacecraft and 

skyscrapers from the sun’s heat. Gold-coated mirrors can make 

telescopes that are sensitive to infrared light.

Gold is the most malleable and ductile (can be drawn into a very 

thin wire) of all known metals. A single ounce of gold can be 

beaten into a sheet measuring roughly five meters on a side. Pure 

gold is soft. On a scale of 1 to 10, gold has an average hardness of 

2.8. Compare gold to diamonds, which have an average hardness 

of 10. When gold is alloyed with other metals, it becomes harder.

Gold’s specific gravity is 19.3, or more than 19 times heavier 

than an equal volume of water. This property is very useful in the 

recovery of placer gold. 

Gold’s rich yellow color or “kindly” appearance turns paler as its 

silver content increases. When you know gold’s properties, it is 

relatively easy to identify. Novices can confuse gold with minerals 

such as pyrite and mica. Both minerals can occur with gold. Pyrite, 

or “fool’s gold,” is brassy, light yellow, and brittle. Mica is light 

yellow to bronzy, lightweight, and has a platy appearance. 
2

Kenai Peninsula Mining – A History

Crew members from the St. Peter, a Russian vessel commanded 

by Vitus Bering, were the first Europeans to set foot in Russian 

America (Alaska) in 1741. It was not until 1848 that the Russians 

mounted an expedition solely to search for precious metals in 

Alaska. 

In 1848, the Russian-America Company sent Russian mining 

engineer Peter Doroshin to the Kenai Peninsula to prospect for 

precious metals. He found only a few ounces of placer gold in 

the upper Kenai River (Map 1). Although he then abandoned his 

mining venture, Doroshin was convinced that the Kenai Mountains 

contained large placer gold deposits. Thirty-eight years later, his 

hunch proved correct. 

In the late 1880s, a prospector from Alaska’s Interior named Al 

King was rewarded with four pokes of gold from Resurrection 

Creek. King kept his discovery quiet until 1893. Looking for 

King’s discovery, other prospectors found gold on Resurrection 

Creek and nearby streams in 1894. 

As word spread, prospectors began to trickle into the region. In 

1895, claims were staked on Mills and Sixmile creeks and gold 

was discovered near Girdwood. 

By 1896, a full-fledged gold rush was on! The first arrivals were 

seasoned miners from the American West and Canada. Latecomers 

tended to be inexperienced miners with grand dreams of easy 

riches. Thousands of prospectors arrived in Cook Inlet to seek their 

fortunes. News of the district’s richness were exaggerated over 

time, dooming many stampeders to bitter failure. 

A record amount of gold was produced in 1897. A second shortlived rush occurred in 1898—mainly due to an overflow of miners 

from the Yukon gold rush in Canada.
3

(long narrow wooden boxes through which water was run). Slats 

caught the gold, and let the gravel waste (tailings) wash through. 

Rich, shallow deposits were soon worked out (Figure 1).

Later, hydraulicking was used (Figure 2). A high pressure water 

jet broke up the gravels and washed it through a sluice box. 

Large amounts of gravel could be processed in a shorter time, 

allowing lower grade gravels to be mined at a profit. To get enough 

water pressure, miners dug long ditches on hillsides above their 

operations to collect and funnel water down to the mining area. 

One of these ditches stands out as a conspicuously straight strip of 

alder brush on the mountainside east of Canyon Creek. You can 

see it from a pull-out on the east side of the Seward Highway, three 

miles south of the Hope Road junction. An interpretive site at the 

pull-out describes the mining history of the area. 

In some streams, miners noticed milky-white quartz boulders with 

small specks of gold in them. Curious prospectors, looking for the 

source, discovered gold-rich quartz veins on Palmer, Bear, and 

Sawmill creeks in 1898. 

Settlements at Hope and Sunrise sprang up along the shores of 

Turnagain Arm. Both mining communities served as supply and 

entertainment sources for thousands of people. Sunrise all but 

disappeared after nearby mining played out and fire destroyed 

much of the town. Placer mining on nearby Resurrection Creek 

and lode deposits in Palmer Creek kept Hope going. 

By 1931, only about 20 men were in placer mining on local creeks. 

Today, scant evidence exists of Sunrise, but Hope survives. 

More than 100 years of mining in the northern Kenai Peninsula 

produced about 133,800 troy ounces of placer gold. Hard rock 

mines produced an additional 30,000 troy ounces. Suction 

dredging and sluicing are currently the most common mining 

methods.

Mining was simple—liberal use of a pick and shovel and a strong 

back. Miners shoveled gold-bearing stream gravels into sluices 
4

Figure 1: Sluice box operation on Lynx Creek in 

1904. Gold-bearing gravel from the stream cut on 

the right of the photo was shoveled into the sluice 

box. U.S. Geological Survey photo

Figure 2: Hydraulic 

mining on Juneau Creek in 

1904. Note hand-stacked 

boulders and precarious 

wheel-barrow bridge.

U.S. Geological Survey photo
5

Geology of the Northern Kenai Peninsula

The rocky peaks of the Kenai Mountains have their origin in sands 

and muds deposited on the sea floor about 65 million years ago. 

These deposits created large submarine alluvial fans streaming into 

the sea at the then western edge of the North American continent, 

piling up to form sedimentary deposits at least a mile thick. 

The tremendous weight of this great thickness of sediment 

generated high internal pressures and temperatures that baked 

the muck to form siltstone and sandstone. Later, hot silica-rich 

fluids from the depths penetrated these rocks along faults and 

fractures. Upon cooling, the fluids crystallized to form milky white 

quartz veins. If conditions were right, the hot fluids may have 

contained gold and silver that became frozen in the veins during 

crystallization, forming lode deposits. You can find excellent 

examples of quartz veins exposed along the Seward Highway, 

2.7 miles north of the west-side rest area in Turnagain Pass. 

Subsequent weathering of the veins released the gold to mix with 

stream gravels. Due to its high specific gravity, the action of water 

to concentrate the gold form placer deposits. 

Beginning about 2 million years ago, climatic cooling and heavy 

precipitation resulted in the formation of large glaciers on the 

Kenai Peninsula. Like giant bulldozers, the advancing glaciers 

pushed gravel ahead of them, dispersing the placer gold. A 

warming trend, that began about 12,000 years ago, caused the 

glaciers to retreat, leaving behind gravel-filled U-shaped valleys. 

Knolls and ridges in the Turnagain Pass area are composed of 

gravels left behind by glaciers that filled the valley to a depth of at 

least 2,000 feet. 

Braided stream channels from the melting glaciers reworked 

the gravels concentrating the dispersed placer gold. Rapid down 

cutting by streams during the mountain building process left 

deposits behind as bench placers, perched above the present valley 

floors. This down cutting concentrated the gold further, forming 

gulch placers in the stream bottoms. Most of the gold on the Kenai 

Peninsula has been produced from placer deposits along Crow, 

Canyon, Resurrection, Lynx, Bear, Mills, Gulch, and Sixmile 

creeks. (See following sections and maps.)
6

Mining Right & Guidelines

Here are a few simple rules and guidelines that all recreational gold 

panners must know:

• Recreational gold panning on the Chugach National Forest 

consists of the use of hand tools, panning, sluicing, and 

suction dredging with a 4-inch or smaller intake hose.

• You must follow all National Forest rules, such as camping 

limits, discharge of firearms, and use of trails. You can 

find regulations in Title 36 Code of Federal Regulations 

(CFR), with general prohibitions in part 261. Review these 

regulations before you go gold panning. You can find copies 

of these regulations on the Internet and at Chugach National 

Forest offices in Anchorage, Girdwood, Seward, and Moose 

Pass. 

• You can use gold pans and hand tools-fed sluice boxes yearround in the streams listed in this booklet. 

• No hydraulic mining or use of earth-moving equipment is 

allowed. 

• Work only the active stream channel or unvegetated gravel 

bars. Do not dig in stream banks!

• You are not allowed to build structures, cut trees or dig up 

archaeological, historical, or paleontological objects, nor are 

you allowed to obstruct others in their recreational pursuits. 

If you find those objects, please report them to the Chugach 

National Forest.

Suction dredges

There are Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) and 

the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) 

regulations about how and when to suction dredge some streams. 

You must get permits from both agencies to suction dredge streams 

that are important for salmon spawning habitat. To find out more 

about these permits, contact ADF&G and ADEC. The ADF&G permit 

is free and for the Six-Mile Creek and Resurrection Creek areas, may 

be downloaded from their webpage. The ADEC permit can be pickup 

at one of their local offices and requires a $25 annual fee.

Suction dredges that are 4-inch diameter or less may be used within 

the active stream channel in recreational gold panning areas of the 

Chugach National Forest.
7

Mining law and mining claims: The 1872 Mining Law allows a 

person to locate a mining claim on federal land and to mine that 

claim. However, when certain lands are withdrawn from mineral 

entry, no claims can be located there (although there may be preexisting claims). The four designated areas in this publication are 

withdrawn from mineral entry and have no mining claims. Any 

other federal lands in the Chugach National Forest not covered by 

claims are available for recreational panning. Remote areas are less 

likely to have mining claims. As a recreational panner, you do not 

operate under the 1872 Mining Law.

You can hike, fish, hunt, and recreate on a federal mining claim, 

but you must respect the claimant’s equipment and operations. The 

claim owner has an exclusive right to mine his or her claim. You 

must have permission from the claimant to pan on his or her claim.

If you wish to file a claim, or want to know the location, owners, 

and status of legal claims, do the following:

• All location notices for federal mining claims in Alaska must

be filed with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Alaska 

State Office (see ‘More Information’ section).

• Establish the area in which you are interested in filing a 

claim. (BLM, U.S. Bureau of Mines (closed in 1996), and 

U.S. Geological Survey publications identify gold-bearing 

streams.)

• Locate the area on a topographic map, and determine section, 

township, and range.

• With this information, check with the BLM who keeps current 

records for all mining claims on federal lands (see ‘More 

Information’ section).

• Mark claim locations on your topographic map, and go out 

and look for markers in the field.

A placer mining claim is normally 20 acres, generally measuring 

660 feet by 1,320 feet. The long direction of the claim is usually 

oriented parallel to the stream. Be aware that claims may exist with 

no visible markers. If there is an error in the location description, 

the marker on the ground rules.
8

Where to look for gold

Water is the primary agent in the formation of most placer deposits. 

Moving water can transport large amounts of material, from fine 

silt to large boulders, especially during runoff periods. When 

freed from the rock by weathering, gold is added to stream waters 

along with rock debris, and is carried along by the stream. Where 

streams meander, go over falls, or are deflected around boulders, 

a drop in water velocity occurs and the gold drops out. Continued 

agitation by water causes gold to settle down through the gravel 

until reaching bedrock or an impermeable clay layer. These 

concentrations are called pay streaks.

The best places to find gold exist where turbulence changes to 

slower-moving water flow. Check out slower water below rapids 

and waterfalls, deep pools, and the downstream side of boulders. 

Inside bends of meanders, upstream ends of sand or “point” bars 

are good places to pan fine gold, which is renewed yearly during 

runoff. Bedrock crevices or pockets acting as natural riffles can 

collect gold. Scoop out and pan material from these spots. 

Spring, early summer, and just before freeze up in the fall are good 

times of the year for panning. Water is low and gold-bearing gravel 

is exposed. To minimize resource damage, confine digging to 

active, unvegetated stream gravels.
9

Equipment you will need

The basic equipment is quite simple and requires only a minimum 

investment. A gold pan is most important. Early prospectors used 

metal pans; modern versions are plastic with built-in riffles. In a 

pinch, frying pans and even hub caps will work. New metal pans 

generally come with a coating of grease and should be cleaned 

thoroughly by heating over an open fire. The pan will rust, but 

some rust is beneficial for collecting fine gold.

Suggested equipment.

• gold pan (plastic with riffles or metal); 14-inch size is best.

• shovel to loosen gravel from creek bottom.

• grizzly pan with 1⁄2–inch holes in bottom; this pan helps separate coarse gravel, speeding up the panning process.

• magnifying lens (at least 10X power) to identify minerals.

• sluice box, approximately three feet long; (construct or obtain 

commercially; aluminum version is available.)

• tweezers for picking up gold; a dry finger will also work.

• small magnet for separating out magnetic black sands.

• small glass vials to hold gold.

• rubber gloves to protect hands from cold water.

• rubber boots to keep feet dry while wading in creeks.

Most of these items are available at local miners’ and prospectors’ 

supply houses, sporting goods stores, and some hardware stores.

For your safety

The Chugach National Forest is one of the most diverse and 

beautiful of the nation’s 155 national forests. Its spectacular 

mountains, marine shorelines, wetlands, and wildlife lure visitors 

from around the world.

A place as wild as the Chugach has its dangers, however. A little 

knowledge and good judgment can help ensure a safe outdoor 

experience. (Check out more tips near the end of this booklet).
10

How to pan for gold

The key to recovering placer gold from gravel is the weight 

difference between ordinary gravel and gold. This difference 

allows gold to move downward (concentrate) when agitated. The 

simplest placer mining tool for this purpose is the pan. So grab 

your gold pan, grizzly, and shovel, and let’s begin.

Shovel gravels into a grizzly positioned over the gold pan.

Agitate the material through the grizzly.

A grizzly (a pan with holes in the 

bottom) is used to separate larger 

rocks from the finer material. 

Pan cross-section. After the rocks 

are caught in the grizzly you examine 

for gold, they may be discarded. 

grizzly pan

gold pan

With the pan’s riffles pointed away from you, alternate underwater 

dipping and swirling, until the lighter, finer material is washed away and 

the heavier material remains in the bottom of the pan.

riffles

finer

lighter

material

coarser

heavier

material

Check the over-sized material for gold nuggets, and then toss. 

Totally submerge your half-full pan in water. You may pan from a 

squatting or sitting position at the stream edge, in gently moving 

water, holding the pan between your knees.
11

Keep pan riffles pointed away from you to catch any gold that 

might slip over the lip. Liberal water, agitation, and patience are 

required to persuade gold to settle to the bottom of the pan. While 

your pan is submerged, break up any clots of dirt and wash any 

cobbles that may have clay that can trap placer gold. When your 

water in the pan starts to clear, you have removed the clay. Pick 

pebbles from the pan to get them out of the way. Look for heavy 

pieces with unusual color or shape. You might find a gold nugget 

or a gold-bearing piece of vein quartz.

Hold the pan level under water and shake it with a sideways 

or circular motion. The gold will settle to the pan bottom. 

Occasionally tilt the pan to let the sand-sized material wash out.

Dip the pan in and out of the water.

Using a slightly forward motion with the pan tilted, wash lighter 

material away. Alternate underwater swirling and dipping until 

only a few spoonfuls of heavy minerals remain. When dark, heavy 

mineral grains (black sands) are present, you are doing the panning 

right.

Black sands may be a variety of heavy minerals including 

magnetite, garnet, scheelite, zircon, cassiterite, and platinum. 

Precious and semi-precious stones are uncommon in Kenai 

Peninsula placers, but keep an eye out for them. If it is heavy, keep 

it and seek identification from a geologist or miner. 

When dark sands (heavy mineral grains) are all that is left (except for 

the gold, of course), you are panning correctly. Hopefully, your pan

will look like this when you are finished. 
12

Beginners are often impatient to find gold quickly. Take your 

time. During the panning motion, black sand and other fine 

sands concentrate in the crease or riffles of the pan. You can 

separate gold from black sands by rolling water in the pan with a 

combination swirling and rocking motion. Lighter material moves 

to one side, gold stays put. For safety, do the final panning over 

another container to keep from losing the gold. Dry the fines. Use a 

magnet to separate magnetic grains and tweezers, a knife blade, or 

a dry finger to pick up small gold pieces. Save the gold in a waterfilled vial. 

Examine your gold. Rough, nugget gold is near its source. Gold 

that is flat and smooth has traveled some distance from its point 

of origin. Flour gold has been flattened to a few microns thickness 

and will float on water. Panning is a relatively slow method for 

recovering gold. Experienced panners can process about 10 large 

pans per hour. A sluice or suction dredge can increase productivity.

Kenai Peninsula gold panning areas

There is still gold “in them thar hills,” and we would like you 

to find some of it. We doubt that you will get rich panning gold 

recreationally, but you might find some color—and have a great 

time doing it. We have selected four sites on the Kenai Peninsula 

portion of the Chugach National Forest that we feel has the best 

potential for yielding gold (Map 1).

These sites are within two hour’s driving time from Anchorage via 

the Seward and Sterling highways. The following pages describe 

the four sites in detail. We hope that our descriptions will help you 

find success in your panning endeavors. 

Good luck.
13

Sterling Hwy.

Crescent

Creek

Resurrection

Creek

Sixmile

Creek Bertha

Creek

Anchorage

Girdwood

Hope

Moose Pass

Cooper Landing

Seward

Chugach

 State

 Park

Chugach

 National

 Forest

 Kenai Fjords

National Park

Kenai

National

Wildlife

Refuge

PORTAGE

 GLACIER

Turnagain

 Pass

Seward

Highway

Highway

T

u r n a g a i n

A r m

ResurrectionCreek

ResurrectionTrail

K e n a i L a k e

Trail

Lake

Crescent Lake

Cooper

 Lake

Lost

 Lake

Lower

Russian

Lake

 Upper

Russian

 Lake

Seward

Hope H gi hway

S xi mileCreek

r TincanC .

MillsCreek

CanyonCr.

KenaiR.

QuartzCr.

CrescentCr.

SpokaneCr.

Russian River

BearCreek

PalmerCreek

w

k

Cro Cree

Resurrection River

LyonCr.

gold panning areas

road

river

national forest trail

Legend

0 miles 12

scale

Alaska

map

location

Bertha Cr.

Kenai

National

Wildlife

Refuge

Map 1: Panning sites on the Kenai Peninsula
14

Bertha Creek panning area

An early prospector named Bertha Creek after his daughter. Hand 

placer and hydraulic mining began in 1902 and may have yielded 

up to 600 troy ounces of gold. Most gold came from the alluvial 

fan below the canyon. 

Bertha Creek crosses the Seward Highway 2.6 miles south of 

Turnagain Pass. Lower Bertha Creek lies within a withdrawal that 

extends for 1,300 feet on either side of the Seward Highway from 

Turnagain Pass south to Pete’s Creek. Bertha Creek is available for 

recreational panning from its junction with Granite Creek upstream 

to the powerline crossing (Map 2). Granite Creek, however, is 

closed to recreational mining because of its salmon spawning 

habitat. 

Bertha Creek’s upper portion flows through a glacier-carved valley. 

Slate bedrock is exposed for 850 feet along the creek, beginning 

150 feet above the Seward Highway’s Bertha Creek bridge. A 

rough trail leads up the east side of the creek. The tan-colored clay 

layer on bedrock is a good bet for gold that ranges from flaky to 

nuggety. Single pans have produced gold pieces up to 1/4 inch 

long. The rust-colored quartz float in the stream bed occasionally 

contains pyrite cubes and may be the placer gold source. Another 

trail leaves the highway 250 feet north of the bridge, leading 

up the northwest side of the creek. At mile 0.2, it passes a bluff 

overlooking the site where Bertha Creek exits from a narrow steepwalled canyon. You can get good colors from stream gravel and 

fractured bedrock in this area.

You can also get gold from nearby Spokane Creek (Map 2) and 

Lyon, and Tincan creeks north of Bertha Creek. The withdrawal 

includes the lower creek portions that are open to recreational 

panning. An informal pull-off where the Seward Highway crosses 

Spokane Creek provides parking for 1-2 vehicles. Access Lyon and 

Tincan creeks from the Turnagain Pass rest area. Parking, camping, 

and picnic sites are available at Bertha Creek Campground. No 

motorized vehicles off established roadways in this area.
15

Map 2: Bertha Creek

Granite Creek *closed to recreat oi

nal mining*

Bertha

Creek

Seward             Highway

 Turnagain Pass

2 miles

Hope Junction

 9.3 miles

Spokane Cr.

MP 65.3

gold panning sites

mineral withdrawal

tailings

river

road

dirt/gravel road

Bertha Creek Campground

powerline

trail

milepost Seward Highway

Legend

0 feet 1,000

scale

MP 65.3

Granite

Creek
16

Sixmile Creek panning area

Early prospectors named Sixmile Creek because the creek was 

about six miles up Turnagain Arm from Cook Inlet. Gold was 

discovered in Sixmile Creek in 1895. In the 1930s, hydraulic 

mining was attempted. In recent years, there were several small 

suction dredge operations. 

Sixmile Creek has produced up to 2,000 troy ounces of gold, 

mainly in the area just below the confluence of Sixmile and 

Canyon creeks. A withdrawal bounded by the east bank of Sixmile 

Creek and a line 200 feet west of Hope Road’s center line, is 

available for recreational panning—0.7 miles to 5 miles north of 

the Hope Junction (Map 3). 

Sixmile Creek flows through a broad glacial valley with numerous 

gravel bars and some bedrock exposures. Park at mile 2.4 on the 

Hope Road, at the pull-out on the east side and follow a steep trail 

down the road embankment to Sixmile Creek (Map 3). Gravel bars 

along this stretch of creek contain flat flour gold and occasional 

small flakes. Pans have produced 15–20 fine colors of flat, wellworn gold. The south end of the gravel bar nearest the road is best, 

especially on the downstream side of larger rocks. Panning gravel 

on bedrock downstream from the bar can also produce gold. A 

rough trail from the north end of the parking lot will reach these 

sites that are best accessed during low water. Rusty-colored quartz 

float along the creek sometimes contains pyrite (fool’s gold). 

Suction dredges (4-inch or smaller) are only allowed from May 

15 to July 15 with a free ADF&G permit and a ADEC permit ($25 

annual fee). 

You can find good panning at mile 4.3 on the Hope Road (not 

shown on map). Pullout on a short side road into the trees and 

follow the trail to Sixmile Creek. You can find gold on point bars 

to the east and old channels next to the creek.
17

Sixmile Creek (h

gi

h

water channel)

Beaver Dam Creek

Sixmile Creek

m( ain

chan

nel)

Hope Junction 2.0 miles

Hope

Highway

MP 2.4

Alder Creek

scale

0 feet 1,000

gold panning sites

mineral withdrawal

tailings

river

road

powerline

parking

milepost Hope Highway

Legend

MP 2.4

Map 3: Sixmile Creek
18

Resurrection Creek panning area

About 1888, the second discovery of gold on the Kenai Peninsula 

happened on Resurrection Creek. Resurrection Creek has 

produced an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 troy ounces of gold since 

1895. Below Palmer Creek, Resurrection Creek flows through a 

1,000-foot-wide alluvial flood plain. Creek gravels rest on a tanto-yellow clay hard-pan, with streaks of blue clay present. Bench 

gravels are exposed on both sides of Resurrection Creek. You 

can find gold disseminated throughout the gravel, but it is mostly 

concentrated on clay and bedrock. 

A half-mile stretch of Resurrection Creek lies within a withdrawal 

and is available for recreational gold panning. This area is a 

favorite site for recreational mining. Suction dredges (4-inch or 

smaller) are allowed from May 15 to July 15 with a free ADF&G 

permit and a ADEC permit ($25 annual fee). You can access this 

area via the Resurrection Creek Road out of Hope. The mining area 

begins at the Resurrection Pass Trail footbridge, 4.5 miles from 

Hope, and continues upstream for 0.5 miles to a patented (private 

land) claim (Map 4). The claim boundary is marked with a gate. 

You can pan fine gold from gravels all along the creek. Try for 

fine, flat gold near the campsite 0.25 mile above the footbridge 

and along the creek bank near the recreational mining information 

sign. Bedrock is exposed on the east canyon wall just above the 

campsite and just below the private lands. Both spots are good bets 

for gold. Rounded boulders piled along the creek are tailings from 

old hydraulic operations. Much of the road has been built on these 

tailings.
19

Map 4: Resurrection Creek

Bedrock Creek

Hope

 4.5 miles

Resurrection

Creek

Resurrection

Pass Trail

Palmer Creek

scale

0 feet 2,000

gold panning sites

mineral withdrawal

patented claim (private)

tailings

river

national forest trail

road

bridge

Legend
20

Crescent Creek panning area

Evidence of early hand mining exists on Crescent Creek and 

suction dredging has been done on the upper parts of the drainage. 

Crescent Creek is available for recreational panning from the 

bridge on Quartz Creek Road to its junction with Quartz Creek 

(Map 5). Although adjacent to a Forest Service campground, the 

creek is on state land. For updated information regarding this 

site, contact the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Mining 

Division.

You can access the area by turning onto Quartz Creek Road off the 

Sterling Highway, 7.4 miles southwest from the Seward-Sterling 

Highway junction at MP45. Bear left at intersection for 2.7 miles 

to the Crescent Creek bridge. Turn left past the bridge into the 

Crescent Creek campground (Map 5). For day use, park in the day 

use parking area.

Fine gold is disseminated through the clay-rich, boulders and 

gravels along Crescent Creek, just south of the campground. 

The gravels form an alluvial fan, where the creek exits nearby 

mountainous terrain. That creek portion, stretching for 600 feet 

below the bridge, produces flat to ragged, slightly crystalline, 

flakes up to 2 mm in size. Clay-rich gravels are best for holding 

gold. The south side of the creek has mining claims.

Because of king salmon spawning, Crescent Creek is only open 

to suction dredging from May 15 to July 15 with a free ADF&G 

permit. Old hydraulic workings on claims can be seen just south of 

the Crescent Creek trailhead. Respect active mining claims located 

on the upper portions of the creek, above the bridge.
21

Map 5: Crescent Creek

Sterling

Highway

Quartz Creek Road

Quartz

Creek

Crescent Creek

Crescent Lake

 trailhead

 Sterling Highway

2.7 miles

MP 45

gold panning sites

mineral withdrawal

river

road

Crescent Creek Campground

bridge

Cultural site

Legend

0 feet 1,000

scale
22

How much gold have you found?

Just how much gold have you found and what is it worth? The 

following table is an approximate measure (assuming the gold 

is 100% pure). Use the scale column to compare to the gold you 

found. The value of a piece of gold equals the average weight 

times the current gold price (find online or in the newspaper). For 

example, a medium piece of gold would be worth 60 cents at a 

gold price of $1,200/troy ounce. 

Placer gold commonly contains small amounts of silver and other 

metals. It takes a lot of work to accumulate a small amount of gold. 

Hours of panning may be worth only a few cents. Historically, gold 

nuggets weighing up to 12 troy ounces have been recovered from 

the Kenai Peninsula, but these are very rare. 

Scale

Size 

(mm)* Explanation

Avg. 

Weight

>2.0 

coarse 

gold

Can be picked up with finger 0.003

0.90-2.0 

medium 

gold

About 2,200 color to troy 

ounce

0.0005

0.40-

0.90 

fine 

gold

12,000 color to troy ounce 0.0008

<0.40 

flour 

gold

40,000 colors to troy ounce 0.00003

* millimeters
23

A Glossary of Mining Terms

It helps to know the lingo. Here are a few of the more common 

terms used in mining. Knowing these terms might help you be a 

better recreational panner and maybe have even more fun.

alluvial fan: Cone-shaped gravel deposit formed where a stream emerges 

from mountains onto a lowland.

bedrock: Solid rock underlying gold-bearing gravel.

claim: Mining ground held under federal or state laws by virtue of 

location and record.

color: A particle of gold found in the prospector’s pan after washing 

the gravel.

concentrate: Minerals that are separated from less valuable materials.

false bedrock: A hard formation, usually a clay layer, within a placer deposit 

some distance above bedrock.

fines: Sand or other fine-sized material associated with placer 

deposits. Usually the last material left during the panning 

process.

flour gold: Finest gold dust, much of which will float.

float: Rock separated from the parent vein by weathering.

heavies: Minerals of high specific gravity in a placer concentrate, also 

called black sands.

lode deposit: A vein of mineral ore deposited between nonmetallic rock 

layers.

nugget: A piece of gold that can usually be picked up with the fingers.

patent: A government deed that conveys legal title of public land to 

the party to whom the patent is issued.

pay streak: A limited horizon within a placer deposit containing a 

concentration of gold rich enough to mine.

placer deposit: A glacial or alluvial deposit of sand or gravel containing 

eroded particles of valuable minerals.

point bar: The area on the upstream end of a gravel bar that can contain 

superficial concentrations of flour gold in a thin surface layer.

poke: A bag or sack of gold.

prospector: A person who searches for valuable minerals.

riffles: Small ridges in the bottom of a sluice box that catch gold in 

sand and gravel.

sluice box: An elongated wooden or metal trough with riffles, over which 

alluvial gravel is washed to recover gold.

stake: Laying out and marking the corners of a mining claim. 

Originally wooden stakes were used.

suction dredge: Uses a water jet and venturi effect to suck gravel off the 

stream bed and run it over a set of riffles.

tailings: Sand, gravel, and cobbles that have passed through sluice 

boxes.

troy ounce: One-twelfth (1⁄12) troy pound, used in reference to precious 

metals.
24

Tips You Should Know...

• BE BEAR AWARE. The Kenai Peninsula is home to brown 

and black bears. Bears have roamed here for thousands of 

years. They are wild animals and can be very dangerous. You 

will be panning in the stream channel, home of a bear’s favorite dinner—salmon. Stay alert and avoid bears whenever 

possible. For more information, get Bear Facts from the U.S. 

Forest Service or Alaska Public Lands Information Centers.

• MOOSE. Alaska has the world’s largest moose. Although 

herbivores, moose can still be dangerous—any critter that 

weighs 1,000 pounds can be dangerous. Moose get especially 

cranky if they feel their young are in danger. Watch them 

from a distance. 

• COLD. The water is cold and you can expect to get wet—

after all, the gold is in the water. Wear insulated waterproof 

boots and gloves. Wool clothing can keep you warm even 

when wet. Bring extra clothing and dress in layers.

• USE STREAM CHANNELS, NOT BANKS. Mine only 

in the active stream channel—not along the shore or in cut 

banks. Undercutting stream banks and trees is an extremely 

dangerous activity. These banks tend to be very unstable. 

Heavy boulders and trees can fall on you if the bank should 

collapse. 

• PACK IT IN, PACK IT OUT. Keep Alaska green, do not 

trash or litter. Many places have a $1,000 fine for littering. 

Follow Leave No Trace principles, lnt.org.
25

Further Reading...

To learn more about gold panning, the history of mining on the 

Kenai Peninsula, and the geology of mineral deposits in Alaska, 

you may be interested in the following publications.

Barry, M., A History of Mining on the Kenai Peninsula. M.J.P. 

Barry, Anchorage, Alaska. 1997.

Black, J., Gold Prospectors Handbook. Del Oeste Press, Tarzana, 

California, 1980.

Hoekzema, R., and S.F. Fechner, Placer Gold Sampling in and 

Near the Chugach National Forest, Alaska. U.S. Bureau of 

Mines Information Circular 9091, 1986.

Johnson, B. and others, Geology and Mineral Resources of Kenai 

Peninsula, Alaska. U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 587, 

1915.

Nelson, S. and others, Geologic Map of the Chugach National 

Forest, Alaska. U.S. Geological Survey Map MF–1645–B, 

1985.

West, J., How to Mine and Prospect for Placer Gold. U.S. Bureau 

of Mines Information Circular 8517, 1971.

Winkler, G. and others, Guide to the Bedrock Geology of a 

Traverse of the Chugach Mountains from Anchorage to 

Cape Resurrection. Alaska Geologic Society Guidebook, 

1984.

_________. Dalton Highway Recreational Mineral Collection. 

Bureau of Land Management, Anchorage, Alaska. 

Brochure. BLM-AK-GI-91-031-3966-060 Rev 2005.

_________. Search for Gold Along the Koyukuk. 2005.

Moffitt, F., Minerals Resources: Gold Fields of Turnagain Arm 

Region. 1906.
26

More Information...

If you would like more specific information about recreational 

panning on the Kenai Peninsula, we encourage you to contact any 

of the following:

U.S. Forest Service

Minerals Administrator

33599 Ranger Station Spur 

(Kenai lake Office at MP 23.5)

Seward, AK 99664–9515

(907) 288-7756 

www.fs.usda.gov/chugach

Environmental 

Protection Agency

Alaska Operations Office

222 West 7th Avenue, #19 

Anchorage, AK 99513-7588

(907) 271-5083 or 

(800) 718-0983 

www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-alaska

Bureau of Land Management 

Alaska State Office

222 West 7th Avenue, #13 

Anchorage, AK 99513-7504

(907) 271–5960 

www.blm.gov/alaska

Bureau of Land Management 

Anchorage District Office

4700 BLM Road 

Anchorage, AK 99507-2546

(907) 267-1246 

800-478-1263 

www.blm.gov/alaska

Alaska Department of 

Fish and Game 

Division of Habitat 

333 Raspberry Road, #2068 

Anchorage, AK 99518-1565

(907) 267–2342 

www.adfg.alaska.gov

Alaska Department of 

Natural Resources

Mineral Property Management 

and Mine Permitting 

550 West 7th Avenue, #900B 

Anchorage, AK 99501-3577

(907) 269-8642 

(907) 269-8647 

www.dnr.state.ak.us/mlw/mining/

index.cfm

U.S. Geological Survey 

Earth Science Information and Maps 

4210 University Dr. 

Anchorage, AK 99508-4626 

(907) 786-7011 

www.alaska.usgs.gov 

USGS Maps Online: 

https://www.usgs.gov/products/maps/overview
The solitary seeker with his grub-stake on his back,

The restless buccaneer of pick and pan.

On the mesas of the Southland, on the tundras of the North,

You will find us, changed in face but still the same;

And it isn’t need, it isn’t greed that sends us faring forth—

It’s the fever, it’s the glory of the game.

“The Prospector”

Robert Service
First Printing by U.S. Forest Service in 2001

Revised and Reprinted by the Bureau of Land Management in 2010 and 2018

BLM/AK/GI-10/008+8362+9320 Rev 2018

GPO Jacket 678-399