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Have you ever wanted to go panning for gold but thought it was an adventure lost in time? Do you look wistfully at the pictures of old forty-niners standing in a stream bed with gold pan in hand and wish that could be you? Have you always wanted to follow in the paths of those forty-niners but never thought it would be possible? Well, today you too can have the panning for gold adventure of a lifetime.

Panning for Gold In Many Places

The first thing you need to decide is where it is that you want to go panning for gold first. The reason for this is that there are a variety of places to choose from like across the northern part of California, into Oregon, and possibility even Alaska. One possibility is http://www.oregongoldtrip.com/ where you can visit scenic Southwest Oregon State and keep what you mine. On this trip you will eat home cooked meals and actually stay in a cabin built for miners in a time gone by.

You can also go to California simply by logging onto http://www.goldfun.com/Panning_Trips/panning_trips.html and following Joshua Vick’s guidelines. This trip will take you to Woods Creek in the heart of gold rush country where you can pan for gold to your hearts content. Still another California adventure is http://www.strikeitrichadventures.com/ where you can receive lessons on how to pan for gold as well as take a guided tour into an old mine providing there are six people who wish to do so.

There are lots of ways you can follow your dream to pan for gold. However, if an adventure is not enough and you wish to add some competition to your future plans, there is a number of open panning for gold championships that you can watch and perhaps someday join. While many are held in California and other gold rush areas, you can also travel as far as Africa to try your hand at panning for gold in competition.

While a competition cannot replace having lived in the days of the gold rush anymore than an adventure can provide a true feeling for what it was like then, these possibilities can offer you and your family an exciting new hobby and means to get outdoors and meet new people. You will quickly find that panning for gold is not easy—it is an art. And, like all art forms requires practice and patience to master.