Here you will find information about the opportunities for all-season outdoor recreation in the Alaska Prospectors and Miners Association, as well as some trivia, tips for goldseekers, and links to other exciting and interesting places in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley.

• LOCATION: The Yentna Mining area is bordered on the North, West, and Southwest by the spectacular Alaska Range, home of Denali ("Mount McKinley"), and partly lies within Denali State Park and Denali National Park and Preserve; on the East by the Talkeetna Mountains, and to the South by the Matanuska- Susitna Valley and the Knik Arm. Talkeetna is the largest town within the area, which is, for the most part roadless and sparsely populated.
• HISTORY: Gold was first reported in the area in 1898, and an estimated 200,000 ounces of gold has been produced since 1906.  Another interesting display of Alaska Prospectors and Miners Association stuff, and other items, can now be found at the Matanuska-Susitna Convention and Visitors Bureau next to the Parks Highway in Wasilla, and at the Dorothy Page Museum, also in Wasilla. Another cool Museum is the Southcentral Alaska Museum of Natural History in Eagle River.  Some of the interesting history of Alaska includes the famous Alaskan artist Sydney Laurence painted Denali from here, and Pioneer Bushpilot Don Sheldon worked at a gold mine here in 1939, when 4 miners were brutally murdered in what is today the Blue Ribbon Mine. Many other interesting bits of history may be found here, and in Talkeetna, and at the sites mentioned above. (More links at the bottom of this page, and on our News page!)
• MEMBERSHIP: A resurgence of exploration and mining activity in Alaska in recent years, as well as the lack of positive, meaningful representation has led to the formation of this Association by the active miners and claim owners. Membership is open to professional and recreational miners of Alaska, claim owners and other property owners, and anyone interested in mining, minerals, recreation, and the principals upon which the United States were founded. Only active professional or recreational miners or mining companies and claim owners are eligible to vote. Mail your request for an application packet, more information, a price list of maps and other products and services, or write: Alaska Prospectors and Miners Association, P.O. Box 423, Willow, Alaska, 99688. (See the link to the Forms page on this site, too) Many claim owners open their claims to recreational miners who are members of the Association, usually at no charge, and sometimes for a nominal fee. Other benefits available to members include: Access to hundreds of acres and many miles of gold-bearing streams, use of campsites on a space-available basis, regular updates of rules, regulations, tips, newly-opened lands available for claim staking, space in the newsletter for buying and selling claims, equipment, services, etc., special member discounts and special offers, and much more.  Of course, everyone is welcome, members or not! UPDATE: A State recreation area has been opened  along Peters Creek for recreational gold panning. For more recent news go to: (See bottom of this page).
• ACCESS and ACCOMMODATIONS: The heart of our mining area is easily accessible via the Petersville/Cache Creek Road, a 40+ mile long unimproved gravel road, beginning at mile 114.5 of the George Parks Highway, as well as by numerous landing strips, rivers, and trails. We urge you to patronize local, Alaskan-owned and operated businesses for food, lodging, and other services. This is the only way you will experience the real Alaska. Some of these places, as well as maps, photos of the area, and drive guides may be found at the Matanuska-Susitna Convention and Visitors Bureau website. You can also contact Roberta Sheldon at Belle's Cabin B&B (P.O. Box 292, Talkeetna, Alaska, 99676, ph 907-733-2414). Dating back to the early 1900's, Belle's Cabin is a lovely historical log cabin suite located in the heart of Talkeetna. It was originally owned by Belle Lee McDonald, an indomitable, hard-working trading post operator who lived in the village of Talkeetna for forty years. The cabin has been renovated to modern standards with care taken to preserve its special Alaskan character. One visitor has remarked, "It's a showpiece, and one with heart and warmth". Located only a hundred yards from the confluence of the Susitna, Chulitna, and Talkeetna Rivers, Belle's Cabin offers the seclusion and privacy of a cabin retreat, yet is conveniently close to all downtown businesses. "Rustic Elegance in Talkeetna, Alaska".
• ACTIVITIES: Gold Panning, sluicing, metal detecting, rock hunting, hiking, biking, photography, fishing, camping, wildlife viewing,(expect to see moose, brown and black bears, eagles, ground squirrels, wolves, beavers, and many kinds of birds and other wildlife), and much more; all the while the spectacular scenery of the Alaska Range featuring Mt. Hunter (14,570 ft.), Mt. Foraker (17,400 ft.), and of course, The Great One, Denali, (Mt. McKinley), at 20,320 ft. the tallest mountain in North America, along with glaciers, rivers, forests, and other stunning vistas surrounding you.Trail maps  (available soon) will show (in addition to trails and roads, of course), attractions, waypoints, Historical and other interpretive sites, campsites, etc.
• GENERAL INFORMATION: Unless prior arrangements are made, the visitor should be prepared to provide his or her own equipment (pans, sluices, shovels, etc.), especially if that is their primary objective, as only a limited amount may be available, but if they just want to try panning, depending on the number of visitors, then there should be no problem. Of course, camping and other equipment , for the most part, we will not be able to provide, but sometimes there are campsites and equipment available. Likewise with consumables: Water for drinking, and food will have to be brought with them, or treated before use. Please be aware that no matter how pure and clean the water in mountain lakes and streams may appear to be, to prevent serious illness, always boil water for at least 5 minutes, or chemically treat or filter. Also, please respect mining claims, equipment, historical resources,  the natural environment, and private property! Lastly, be advised that the weather here can change rapidly, and a sunny warm day can, in a matter of moments, become prime hypothermia conditions. Always Be Prepared! Check back often, as this page changes from time to time. Thanks for visiting.
• FOR MORE INFORMATION On State and Federal Parks, Recreation Areas, contact the links mentioned above, or the National Park Service. Or go to our "Links" page.
• TIPS FOR GOLDSEEKERS  More information on this subject will be found on the Alaska Prospectors and Miners Association Education Page.
  1. Where to look for gold: The best places to look for gold is where gold has already been mined or found. Before heading into the hills, however, first check on the status of the land in your local BLM or state Natural Resources agencies for details on open and closed areas, and active and inactive claims. This is also where you can learn where or if  there are any public recreation areas where you can pan or sluice for gold. You might also find the names of claim owners who will let you mine on their claims, either for free, a fee, or for a percentage. Remember, a mining claim entitles the owner to an exclusive right to mine on his or her claim, and you must have permission to pan or sluice from the claim owner. You can hike, hunt, fish, or cross a claim freely, but all minerals, buildings, equipment, etc., are the property of the claim owners, and disturbing any claim "stakes" , witness posts, monuments, or other items can result in serious trouble for you.
  2. Public Recreation Areas: Some of the former gold mining areas are open to recreational panners. A few that are easily accessible are on the Kenai Peninsula, about 2 hours south of Anchorage; Independence Mine/Hatcher Pass/Willow Creek, about 1 hour north of Anchorage; and Caribou Creek, about 2 hours north of Anchorage. Panning, sluicing, and suction dredging is allowed in most National Forests, subject to certain rules and regulations, and some recreational gold panning and sluicing may be allowed on other public lands. Even though the so-called "public lands" should belong to the Public, which is you and I,  a few bureaucrats act as though the lands are their private property. See the "Links" page for more specific information.
  3. When you get to the hills:  Look for gold concentrations, called placer deposits, in and along streams and rivers where the flow of water slackens or otherwise slows down or changes: The inside bends of streams, ridges or cracks in the bedrock, boulders, and so on. "Bedrock" may either be true rock such as slate, or "false" bedrock, such as a layer of  tightly cemented gravels or tough clay. Gold and other heavy minerals will settle down through the gravels, eventually coming to rest on an impenetrable surface, sometimes even working its way several feet into cracks in the bedrock. Remember, too, that where the streams are flowing today may have little or no relation to the former stream channels. While these abandoned channels may be buried or otherwise obscured by post-depositional processes, they are often excellent places to find gold.
  4. How to Get the Gold: To describe panning or sluicing for gold in words would be rather like describing how to ride a bike or swim, and about as effective: The best way is to learn from someone who has done it. Check with your local BLM, U.S.G.S., Forest Service, University, or other resource agencies, someone there should know how to pan. Other sources of instruction are videos, which may be available at your local library, and the manufacturers of mining equipment. Consider this: It takes about 270 full pans of gravel to equal 1 cubic yard, which is the standard unit of measurement for placer mining. If you work really hard, all day long, you might be able to pan one cubic yard, which, by the way, weighs about 3,400 pounds! With a small, simple sluice, you can work many times as much gravel as you can pan, making your experience more enjoyable. Besides, the average amount of gold found in a typical placer deposit is 0.015 ounces of gold per cubic yard. Hopefully, these tips will help you better those odds.
  5. Other Stuff:: Be skeptical of those unproven, or ungrounded in scientific fact, processes and devices that mostly seem designed to part the prospector from his or her money. A question to ask is: "If this works, then why don't the big companies use it?" Ask someone that you know you can trust, conduct thorough research, and try before you buy. This is especially true when purchasing mining claims. There is no easy way to recover the finer sizes of gold contained in the black sands. We use a jig on the sluice concentrates, then screen and table the remainder, and are still experimenting with elutriators and direct smelting. One must take into account the time and other expenses required to effect separation, weighed against the actual value of the contained fine gold. Most dredges do not keep a respectable percentage of fine gold, and not all placer deposits contain an appreciable amount of fine (passing 100 mesh) gold anyway. I suggest testing a representative portion of your concentrates on the various devices before investing in them. Some very good sources of information are: Placer Gold Recovery Research, Final Summary, by Randy Clarkson P.Eng. (403)668-3978; and some great links can be found on the First Gold Page on the Web. And check out INFO-MINE, the Internet's premier mining information site.
• LEGAL STUFF : The Alaska Prospectors and Miners Associationis not a tourism agency, however we do encourage visitors, and assist visitors and travel agencies with planning and fully enjoying the wide variety of experiences available in the Alaska Prospectors and Miners Association. The visitor must assume responsibility for injuries incurred to participants or personal belongings while visiting the Alaska Prospectors and Miners Association. This is a semi-remote backcountry to remote wilderness area, not Disneyland, and as such any activities in nature of this type are not without risk. If you are the type that likes to sue over every little thing, then you and your lawyers are not welcome, and I suggest you smear peanut butter and salmon oil all over your body and sleep beside a Bear trail! On the other hand, if you are a normal, decent human, then you will be welcomed with Alaskan hospitality!

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