Pan for real gold on Butte Creek
Guided half-day and full-day trips with Dayton, a real prospector who scouts fresh spots by drone. All gear provided. Keep every flake you find.
Not a tourist trap. A real day in the water.
This isn't a salted trough at a theme park. You're on Butte Creek in genuine gold country, working spots we found ourselves, learning the same techniques prospectors have used for a hundred and fifty years.
Drone-scouted spots
We fly the creek ahead of time to find fresh bends, gravel bars, and bedrock that most people never reach.
All gear provided
Pans, classifiers, sluice boxes, and the know-how. Just bring water, sunscreen, and a sense of adventure.
Keep what you find
Every flake and nugget you pull out of the pan is yours to take home. We will help you spot the color.
All skill levels
First time or seasoned rockhound, kids or grandparents, everyone learns to read the water and work a pan.
Pick your day on the creek
Every trip includes all the gear, hands-on instruction, and drone-scouted spots. Prices are per person unless noted.
Half-Day Creek Trip
A perfect first taste. Learn the basics, work a drone-scouted spot, and find your first color.
- All equipment provided
- Hands-on instruction
- One scouted location
- Keep your gold
Full-Day Expedition
The real deal. Multiple spots, sluice work, and time to actually dial in your technique.
- Everything in the half-day
- Multiple scouted spots
- Sluice box session
- Creekside lunch
Private & Custom
Private trips for families, groups, and special occasions, built around what you want to do.
- Just your group
- Flexible timing
- Tailored locations
- Great for gifts
From booking to gold in the pan
Four simple steps. We handle the hard part — figuring out where the gold is.
Book your trip
Pick a half day or full day and a date that works. We will confirm the details and where to meet.
We scout by drone
Before you arrive, we fly the creek to find the spots holding gold, so you are not just guessing.
Meet on the creek
We gear you up, walk you in, and show you how to read the water and set up your pan and sluice.
Find gold
Work the water, watch for color, and take home whatever you find. Most folks leave with a vial.
Dayton
Your guide & prospector
You'll like Dayton. Everybody does.
Dayton has spent years working the land around Chico, and gold panning started as the thing he did on his days off. One drone, a truck full of pans and sluice boxes, and a lot of cold mornings later, he knows Butte Creek about as well as anyone.
What people remember, though, isn't the gear — it's him. He's the guy who walks your property, remembers your kids' names, and makes a day in the creek feel like a day with an old friend who happens to know exactly where the gold hides.
Come out for a few hours and you'll leave with real color in a vial, a few new skills, and a story worth telling.
“Down to earth, honest, and genuinely great to be around. You couldn't ask for a better person to spend a day on the water with.”
Butte Creek country
From the canyon to the Honey Run Covered Bridge — real North Valley gold country, and the water we work.
Questions before you book
Butte Creek is real gold country, and we scout the spots ahead of time. Nature makes no promises, but most trips turn up visible color, and you keep whatever you find.
None at all. We provide the pans, classifiers, and sluice boxes, and teach you everything on the creek. All you bring is water, sunscreen, sturdy shoes, and a sense of adventure.
Absolutely. Gold panning is one of the few real adventures the whole family can do together, and kids tend to be the best at it.
Clothes and shoes you do not mind getting wet and dirty, sun protection, and layers depending on the season. We will send a full list when you book.
Let's get you on the water
Tell us how many people and roughly when, and we'll sort out the date, the meeting spot, and everything you need to bring. No deposit to ask a question.