Tranquille River

The Tranquille River is the most famed public panning reserve in British Columbia, Canada. Its notoriety is richly deserved as there absolutely is gold here. Lots of it. And not just flour gold or tiny flakes. With a bit of luck, you’ll unearth pickers and even small nuggets.

Located 18 km west of downtown Kamloops, the Tranquille River panning reserve is quite easy to get to. Found on the north side of Kamloops Lake within the Lac Du Bois Grasslands Protected Area, it is not an “official” BC government recreational panning reserve, however, don’t let this deter you, as it is no less legitimate.

Unlike those “official” recreational panning reserves, this one lacks defined boundaries. There’s no red box on a map stating exactly where panning is and isn’t allowed. The general concensus is that you can pan the Tranquille from just north of the train bridge to where the claims start showing up at the confluence with Watching Creek (see this map). That’s roughly 9 km of pannable river, parts of which are easily accessed by trail.

Recently, the Tranquille River has had seasonal closures to all recreational activities including gold panning. These closures are to support spawning salmon and typically occur from late fall through late spring. Be sure to check the status on the Lac Du Bois Grasslands Protected Area website so as not to arrive at a time when the river is closed.

And now a further update. Starting in 2025, recreational activities, including gold panning, are no longer allowed below the dam. This is a significant change, and a potentially frustrating one as this is where most folks pan. Not that there isn’t gold upstream of the dam, but getting to said gold will certainly require much more effort.