Lytton Recreational Panning Reserve Site 1

The Lytton Recreational Panning Reserve Site 1 is located 6 km north of the village of Lytton, British Columbia. The panning reserve spans roughly 0.625 kilometers of the east bank of the Fraser River.

The shore of the river is 1 km from highway 12. The panning reserve itself is on a rectangular piece of crown land stretching from the river to east of the highway. This segment of crown land is surrounded by First Nations reserve lands.

There are a couple dirt roads that traverse portions of the crown land on which Lytton Recreational Panning Reserve Site 1 resides. Neither gets you completely to the panning reserve and their accessibility is unclear. Expect to hike at least some of the distance through sparse forest to get to the river’s edge.

The remaining 60 m is a relatively steep slope into the river valley. Satellite imagery does not indicate a large bar or much flatter ground here. You’ll need to be cautious and only go during low flow periods for safety purposes.

No confirmation of gold can be found on the internet. This panning reserve is on the Fraser River and not far from Lytton Recreational Panning Reserve Site 2 which is known to have gold, so there likely is gold here too. It’s just harder to access and with Site 2 so close, panners default to that location.