Crow Creek Mine
 One of the best recreational gold prospecting mines in
Alaska is just south of Anchorage at Crow Creek. The total estimated production since 1898 is 42,500 oz.
A dredge operator reported collecting 1.5 oz. of gold per 6 hour day in
the Fall of 1996. We pulled out two flakes in about an hour and a half working
a place along the creek with just a pan, shovel, bucket and hand sluice.
And when our friends Jon, Cindy, Erin, Jon Jr., Stuart and Anne helped, we found
five flakes.
To find this mine, head south out of Anchorage on the
Seward Highway. After approximately 40 miles, take a left on Alyeska
Highway. After a mile and a half
there will be signs indicating a left turn to Crow Creed Road.
Follow this road for about 3 to 4 miles and look for signs to the right
marking the entrance to the mine.
 The mine is privately owned and operated.
The active mining by the company was abandoned many years ago, but it
still operates as a recreational area. At
the entrance everyone pays at least $3 to enter.
Pay $5 and you get to pan the creek all day.
They provide you with a pan and a poke of dirt with guaranteed gold, and
give a demonstration on how to use the pan and water to find the gold.
There is a practice area so you can learn how to use your pan before
hitting the creek. They also rent
hand sluices and metal detectors for a small fee.
You are permitted to bring your own dredge, but the daily entry fee is
higher for using this equipment.
The mine features a group of historic buildings used during
the heyday of the mine production. Visitors
are welcome to wander through the buildings and examine the equipment the miners
used. The area is incredibly
picturesque and an ideal place to capture some great pictures of frontier Alaska
back dropped with amazing vistas of nature.
While we visited in 1999 a couple held their wedding right in the middle
of the mining camp. The groom had mined the gold for the wedding rings from the
creek himself.
 While
gold can be found anywhere in the creek, there are some
better places to look than others. Gold
is found upstream from the mine in the gravel bars about a half mile to a mile
above the historic buildings. However,
the best place to find gold is to follow the stream down to the mouth draining
into Glacier creek, where it is found in the bedrock and benches (areas where
the creek flowed and deposited silt and gravel, but are now dry and higher than
where the creek is now located).
For those who wish to stay at the mine, camping areas are
provided for a small fee. The
campground can accommodate both tents and motor homes. There are outhouses, but
no running water at the campsites. Nearby
the small community of Girdwood features restaurants, grocery stores and plenty of lodging as well.
For
those who prefer hunting biota instead of rocks, the berry picking along Crow
Creek Road is phenomenal.
Beginning in late July pickers can be seen all along the road.
Local berries include blue berries, black huckleberries and salmon
berries.
Last visited: July 2000
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