Gold Panning Locations in Alberta, Canada

28 Jun, 2025 3 min read

People often ask ....where can i find gold in Alberta, Canada?

Gold was discovered in Alberta back in the mid-1800s!!!

We have an article on the page regarding mining and link to help you navigate the process and rules of mining in Alberta.

Before you get your hopes up too high, note that most of the gold found in these rivers would not be the big nuggets that you would see on tv.

Most of the gold you find would likely be very fine or almost powdery type. This is the result of many years of erosion.

When panning for gold in Alberta, remember to know all the rules and get all the necessary permits to avoid any issues with law enforcement.Make sure to carefully observe all the regulation on prospecting, as different areas may have different rules.

Places gold can be found in places like :

North Saskatchewan River: Near Devon and Edmonton, this river has been a traditional site for gold panning.

Peace River: The Peace River area, especially around Peace River town and Fort Vermillion, is known for its gold.

Athabasca River: The Athabasca region, particularly around the town of Athabasca, is another spot known for gold.

Red Deer River: Near the towns of Red Deer and Drumheller, the Red Deer River is another traditional gold panning site.

Milk River: Near the town of Milk River, this river also has been a site for gold panning.

Oldman River: Near the towns of Lethbridge and Fort Macleod, this river is another site known for its gold.

Sheep River: This river near Okotoks has been known to have placer gold.

McLeod River: Near the town of Whitecourt, this river is known for its gold potential.

Wapiti River: Near the town of Grande Prairie, the Wapiti River is another spot known for gold.

Elbow River: In and around the City of Calgary, this river has been known to yield small amounts of gold.

Highwood River: Near the towns of High River and Longview, this river has been a site for gold panning.

Crowsnest River: Near the towns of Coleman and Blairmore, this river is another site known for its gold.

Smoky River: Near the towns of Grande Cache and Valleyview, this river has been a site for gold panning.

Bow River: In and around the City of Calgary, this river has been known to yield small amounts of gold.

Ghost River: Near the town of Cochrane, this river is known for its gold potential.

Kananaskis River: Near the town of Canmore, the Kananaskis River is another spot known for gold.

Pembina River: Near the towns of Entwistle and Evansburg, this river has been a site for gold panning.

Lesser Slave River: Near the town of Slave Lake, this river is known for its gold potential.

Clearwater River: Near the town of Fort McMurray, the Clearwater River is another spot known for gold.

Beaver Mines Lake: Near the town of Pincher Creek, this area is also known to have some gold deposits.

Hope this is helpful and Best of luck out there !!

Last updated 2 weeks ago.
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sebo (Sebastien Latour) Co-Founder -Prospectors Web . Lead Prospector - Grizzly Discoveries Owner/Operator -Canadian Gold Mining Mining advocate

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