The Princeton Recreational Panning Reserve underlies the entire town and large parts of the surrounding land. I’m not sure if that is good or bad, but it sure piques the curiosity. I suppose if you’re a charming person you might be able to convince someone to let you dig up their backyard to pan for gold. Otherwise, you’d be wise to stick to the riverbanks and bars of the Tulameen and Silkameen Rivers which run through town.
The easiest place to start panning at the Princeton Recreational Panning Reserve is Two Rivers Park where, brace yourself, the two rivers coalesce. We briefly worked a couple pans here once without success, but it’s easy to get to. Others online seem to have better luck along the river banks.
There is gold here, and platinum, which is novel. The town itself is quite quaint with food, grocery, and accommodations. If you’re looking for something else to do, fossils can be found in Eocene deposits at several locations nearby, the Blakeburn Coal Wall near Coalmont is fascinating, and there’s great camping at Otter Lake Provinical Park near Tulameen.
TARGET WATERBODY
Tulameen River and Similkameen River
PROOF OF GOLD
RESTRICTIONS
None known at this time.
Princeton, British Columbia, Canada
GET DIRECTIONS