Gold Rush Originals - Angels Camp, California

Patricija Pujate

Great place to go with the family, Mike who is the guide and his dog Jack are great! Mike gave us quite the amount of information about gold panning and the basics of gold panning. We have been here 3 years ago and it is still as fun as i remember it to be, just make sure you have a few hours to spare 😀

Kikii & Pat

Amazing adventure in small town! We went gold panning while we visited Angel's Camp few months ago. Mike and Jack were great hosts. Mike told a lot about gold, town history, mining etc. My daughter still talking about our experience and we even found pretty piece of gold that nicely clink in glass vial. Will definitely go again when will visit town again

Lori Lacher

My daughter and I had the best time panning for gold with Mike, his son Joseph, and their dog, Jack. Mike’s wife, Linda, was sooo sweet. She lent my daughter and me jackets in case we got too cold. Their hospitality made us feel like we were family and that we knew them forever. Mike’s stories about the history of Angel’s Camp are also very interesting. This is not your normal gold panning tour. They take their time and spend a few hours with you. I highly recommend doing this when you’re in Angel’s Camp. It was a great adventure.

tom hodge

Had a great day with Mike Darby and Gold Rush Originals! Mike is a character and his stories are so interesting and often funny. Nothing Mike says is scripted. He is a true prospector, gold miner, what have you. We dug for pay dirt, panned some pay dirt he had brought back from another claim the day before and had a great time doing it. Mike joked he had customers paying him to pan through his pay dirt, LOL. Best part you keep anything you find or Mike finds if he's helping you out. Didn't get rich but we met a new friend. If you're in Angels Camp take the time to give Mike a call and go pan for some gold. Who knows, maybe......

Eric B

If you are seeking an authentic gold panning experience,look no further. Mike and his son Joseph run a really nice operation in Angels Camp. We toured with Mike in July and our 6 year old daughter walked away with a positive experience, a vial of gold, an appreciation of the hard work required to find this very precious material.

Tour Overview

1) Drive out to Mikes Claim, walk down to creek- (In July its dry but I understand it was running through June. If running whole experience may remain here)

2) Dig and bag dirt and rocks, carry to truck and then head out to running stream

3) Arrive at refreshing running stream, pour out bagged dirt and pan it.

4) Find gold, store in provided vials, take home to treasure

Our two dogs were allowed to go on the trip!

Colter Barron

My family had a great time with Mike and Dave. We learned a lot about mining, panning and the area. Most importantly, we found some gold flakes! This is not a cookie cutter deal where they are going to do the same things every time. I appreciated that. If you are looking for somewhere that is gonna be super structured and do the same tour time after time, it might not be your thing. We recommended this to our extended family that live in the area.

Anastasia Poulos “Tasia”

I can't believe I forgot to leave Mike a review! I had such a killer time with Him, Dave, and Jack. These treks are certainly not for the faint of heart! What was supposed to be a couple hours turned into an all day trip, lots of walking, and even time out on the boat! It is strenuous, no doubt, but it is authentic as hell! My boyfriend had never experienced any type of prospecting and it was so enjoyable to have some genuine prospectors showing us around. Heavily reccomend scheduling an outing with Mike, but only if you're a tough cookie!

Maria Cerda

We had the most amazing time! This is like back in the real Gold Rush time and the cost is very reasonable!! Mr. Darby actually took us to the Claims he owns. We got to put on our boots get a little dirty dig, break rocks, fill our buckets and bags with what we collected. Then we put what we collected in the river and panne for gold. Both Mr. Darby and his son Joseph were super nice and really took the time to show us how to pan. My seven year old and my niece were thrilled to find their small pieces of gold. The tour starts and ends at the little Jewelry store that Mrs. Darby owns, where you can shop for all sorts of neat jewelry that she makes. Mrs. Darby is a very sweet lady, we were very glad to meet all of them and "Jack" their friendly dog. We will definitely be doing this tour again next year!! Just bring gloves, something to dig with and maybe some towels to dry up or extra clothes. We really loved this experience and were glad to meet such a nice family!!