Gold Dredge 8 - Fairbanks, Alaska

Trista Samson

Informative and unique experience.
An open train ride to the gold dredge 8 itself. Followed by gold panning. Rain or shine. There are plenty of employees to help you out. There is plenty of time. The gift shop was HUGE and unexpected. Reasonable prices. You can have a necklace made from the gold you find if you want. Every person is gauranteed to find some gold as part of the excursion. I would hit this hidden gift shop itself on every visit to the area.

P S

Fun experience, really appreciated how informative it was on oil and gold. The presentation had good audio with video for a great understanding. Gold panning was more challenging than expected! Definitely check out the mammoth fossils in the gift shop.

ninbarr2

Been to that area a few times, but this was the first time we did the Dredge and loved it!!! So worth it for the history and just phone. The hot chocolate was very good too, not to mention the cookies!!!!

Paul De Young

Great place to learn about the Trans Alaska Pipeline and gold dredging! Hands on panning, guaranteed to yield some gold. My wife and I panning paid out 5.8 Grains, worth about $28. Had the gold placed into a souvenir locket/magnet.

Capt Paul

Absolutely phenomenal experience!!!
Straight from the Pipeline lecture at the beginning to the end, Dexter did a great job explaining the details of the area and what we would see. The train ride to the dredge is a nice touch, but the dredge itself and the gold panning are the stars. Having not panned for years, we were a little rusty, but we found lots of gold flake and even a nugget! The staff are very friendly and always willing to help and answer questions. Being that my wife and I are geologists, we were a little fearful that this was simply a "tourist trap" aimed at pleasing the cruise ship people; nothing could be further from the truth! We intend to book another tour when we return to the area. One word of advice; book early! This tour fills quick...

Roger Allen Burns

This place is the real deal. It is a genuine gold mine. The commentator is excellent and well informed. If you like history, it's a must see. We had the opportunity to pan for gold. The staff is very helpful and friendly. Free cookies!

Tony Peterson

Went on the discovery riverboat tour right after this and they are both a must do. 10 yr resident.. visitors came and the dredge was amazing as well as the boat! Well worth it! We had a perfect sunny day but I bet it would be fun in rain coat weather too!

A Thompson

This was a great history tour that I enjoyed thoroughly. At first I thought my 8 year old was pretty uninterested but as soon as the gold dredge was in site she started paying more attention. And when we were showed how to pan for gold she really got attentive.

After the tour they give you a poke full of paydirt and you get to pan it. I was awful at it but the staff is incredibly helpful and show you the way and you will get your gold! I got about $30 worth. My daughter got $6 and we combined them in the film container as our little souvenire. We didnt make it into a necklace charm because I'd be too afraid of it getting lost, we'll keep the film canister and look at it.

They also offer free cookies, coffee and hot chocolate after you get your gold weighed and assayed.

Very cool, most of the profit must come from the gift shop which is great they can make it work, with so many talented employees instructing panning, being guides, and assaying your bounty.

This was a really positive experience and I'm glad we found out about it. I dont consider it touristy, i consider it history and lessons. I've watched several videos on panning technique but you really have to try it to get the hang of it. I had bought and brought my own pan up to AK, planning on stopping at a public river claim and this lesson was valuable to have if I'm ever going to find something out in the wild.