Resurrection Creek Panning Area (Chugach National Forest)
Hope, Alaska
placer gold
Forest Service collecting area · Free
Resurrection Creek Panning Area (Chugach National Forest)
Gold turned up here around 1888, the second strike on the Kenai Peninsula, and the creek has given up an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 ounces since 1895. The Forest Service keeps a half mile open to recreational panning, beginning at the Resurrection Pass Trail footbridge 4.5 miles up Palmer Creek Road from Hope and ending at a patented private claim whose boundary is marked with a gate. Look for fine flat gold on the tan-to-yellow clay hardpan and against the bedrock exposed on the east canyon wall.
The card catalog
| What you can find | placer gold |
|---|---|
| Access | Forest Service collecting area — Free |
| Fees | Free; hand tools and hand-fed sluice boxes need no permit. A suction dredge of 4 inches or smaller requires a free permit from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. |
| Season & hours | Gold pans and hand-fed sluices year-round; suction dredges May 15 - July 15 only. Practically, June through September. This reach was substantially reshaped by the Resurrection Creek stream restoration project - as of August 2026 no closure for it appears on the Chugach alerts page and it is not among the forest's current projects, but the 2010 guide's landmarks may no longer match the ground. Call the Glacier Ranger District in Girdwood at 907-783-3242 before you drive out. |
| Kids | Family-friendly — The most family-workable of the Kenai sites: a short walk from the road, gentle gravel bars, and a campsite a quarter mile above the footbridge. Dig only in active stream gravels - the Forest Service is emphatic about not undercutting the banks, which slide without warning. |
| Official source | USDA Forest Service, Chugach National Forest - Gold Panning: A Guide to Recreational Gold Panning on the Kenai Peninsula |
| 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.
More drawers in Alaska
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Bertha Creek Panning Area (Chugach National Forest)
Girdwood / Moose Pass, AK
placer gold, pyrite, quartz
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Caribou Creek Recreational Mining Area
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placer gold
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Chicken, AK
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Crescent Creek Panning Area (Quartz Creek Road)
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Before you go
What does Resurrection Creek Panning Area (Chugach National Forest) cost?
Free; hand tools and hand-fed sluice boxes need no permit. A suction dredge of 4 inches or smaller requires a free permit from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Hours, fees, and access rules change. Verify with the operator or land agency before you go.
When is Resurrection Creek Panning Area (Chugach National Forest) open?
Gold pans and hand-fed sluices year-round; suction dredges May 15 - July 15 only. Practically, June through September. This reach was substantially reshaped by the Resurrection Creek stream restoration project - as of August 2026 no closure for it appears on the Chugach alerts page and it is not among the forest's current projects, but the 2010 guide's landmarks may no longer match the ground. Call the Glacier Ranger District in Girdwood at 907-783-3242 before you drive out. Hours, fees, and access rules change. Verify with the operator or land agency before you go.
Is Resurrection Creek Panning Area (Chugach National Forest) good for kids?
Yes — Resurrection Creek Panning Area (Chugach National Forest) works for families. The most family-workable of the Kenai sites: a short walk from the road, gentle gravel bars, and a campsite a quarter mile above the footbridge. Dig only in active stream gravels - the Forest Service is emphatic about not undercutting the banks, which slide without warning.