Caribou Creek Recreational Mining Area
Sutton / Chickaloon, Alaska
placer gold
State-designated locality · Free
Caribou Creek Recreational Mining Area
The Alaska legislature carved this one out in 1991 specifically so the public would always have somewhere to pan, and no mining claim can ever be staked inside it. You work the active floodplain where Caribou Creek meets the Matanuska River, below the Lion's Head crag at Glenn Highway mile 104. Pans and hand shovels are fine all year; sluices, highbankers and small dredges open up only between May 15 and July 15, when the salmon calendar allows.
The card catalog
| What you can find | placer gold |
|---|---|
| Access | State-designated locality — Free |
| Fees | Free. Gold pans and hand shovels need no permit at all. A free ADF&G permit is required for a suction dredge, and also for the water pump if you run a sluice box or highbanker. |
| Season & hours | Gold pans and hand shovels year-round. Metal detectors, small sluice boxes (under 16 inches wide and 6 feet long), highbanker/rocker boxes and suction dredges with a 6-inch or smaller nozzle (18 hp or less, 30,000 gallons a day max) are allowed only May 15 - July 15, because Caribou Creek is anadromous fish habitat. Realistically snow-free June through September. |
| Kids | Family-friendly — Families do this regularly, but the only way in is a steep trail down from the gravel parking lot, and the climb back out with wet gear is the hard part. DNR restricts the trail to foot traffic - no ATVs - and notes Dall sheep, black and grizzly bears and gray wolves in the area. |
| Official source | Alaska DNR, Division of Mining, Land and Water - Caribou Creek Recreational Mining Area fact sheet (August 2021) |
| Last checked | Checked against its source August 16, 2026 |
Hours, fees, and access rules change. Verify with the operator or land agency before you go.
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Before you go
What does Caribou Creek Recreational Mining Area cost?
Free. Gold pans and hand shovels need no permit at all. A free ADF&G permit is required for a suction dredge, and also for the water pump if you run a sluice box or highbanker. Hours, fees, and access rules change. Verify with the operator or land agency before you go.
When is Caribou Creek Recreational Mining Area open?
Gold pans and hand shovels year-round. Metal detectors, small sluice boxes (under 16 inches wide and 6 feet long), highbanker/rocker boxes and suction dredges with a 6-inch or smaller nozzle (18 hp or less, 30,000 gallons a day max) are allowed only May 15 - July 15, because Caribou Creek is anadromous fish habitat. Realistically snow-free June through September. Hours, fees, and access rules change. Verify with the operator or land agency before you go.
Is Caribou Creek Recreational Mining Area good for kids?
Yes — Caribou Creek Recreational Mining Area works for families. Families do this regularly, but the only way in is a steep trail down from the gravel parking lot, and the climb back out with wet gear is the hard part. DNR restricts the trail to foot traffic - no ATVs - and notes Dall sheep, black and grizzly bears and gray wolves in the area.