You can still pan for gold in this day and age in Alberta, Canada.
You might not strike it rich or find a huge amount all in one place, but you could possibly get lucky on a small scale while getting out and enjoying mother nature.
Where can I pan for gold in Alberta, Canada?
The best places to pan for gold in Alberta are the Red Deer, North Saskatchewan, McLeod, Athabasca and Peace River systems.
Alberta Energy has confirmed these rivers have gold in them.
Before you get your hopes up too high, it should be noted that most of the gold found in these rivers would not be the big nuggets that you would see on tv.
Most of the gold you find would likely be very fine or almost powdery type. This is the result of many years of erosion.
This gold material is called placer gold, and it is a lot harder to collect with a typical gold pan.
Gold mining in Alberta with a basic gold panning pan is legal and does not require licenses or permits.
On the other hand, mining using special tools and machines specifically designed to collect placer gold may require licenses and fees.
So just when you thought “there’s got to be catch”, you are right, there is. You would need something called a Recreational Placer License.
