Wildhorse River Recreational Panning Reserve

Wildhorse River Recreational Panning Reserve is located on the eastern flank of Fort Steele, a heritage town north of Cranbrook, British Columbia. It is about 1 km in width and straddles the Wildhorse River for a touch more than 3 km in length until it enters the Kootenay River. The Wardner-Fort Steele Road splits the panning reserve roughly in half north-south.

Although Wildhorse is one of the largest of the panning reserves, it does contain a fair amount of private land, so be sure to respect landowners property. The remainder is mostly crown lands consisting of forested parklands disected by distributaries and flood deposits. A CP railroad crosses the southern portion of the reserve, another property rights issue to be aware of.

Flood season can be quite intense on the Wildhorse River resulting in a continual altering of the river’s path within the reserve. As such, the Wildhorse River Recreational Panning Reserve can be a bit tricky when it comes to finding gold. Floods bring new material but also bury former hot spots. Where once you could easily walk, the next year it could be under piles of large rock or water. There is gold here, but you’ll have to work for it.

The easiest portion of the panning reserve to access is the lands on either side of the bridge where the Wardner Fort Steel bridge crosses the Wildhorse River. It’s not manicured parking but there is off-road access for vehicles that get you right close to the river. The remaining reaches will require some walking as they aren’t readily accessible by vehicle.

There is gold in this panning reserve, but it’s small and finicky to find. We found our first ever gold here and while it was exciting at the time, we now recognize it as a very modest reward. With patience, knowedge, and hard work you can surely find more.

As the closest of the BC panning reserve to Calgary, it is a popular spot for Southern Albertans to cut their teeth on gold panning. That’s what brought us here. The ghost town of Fisherville is close by which is sometimes mentioned as a public panning area online. This is not true, though it remains a nifty place to explore. And the Fort Steele Heritage Town itself is worth an investigation when you need a break from the panning.