Hangtown Gold Bug Park

Great fun to see a real gold mine. The stamp machine is also very interesting – we had no idea that they pulverized the ore (quartz rocks) all the way to dust before extracting the gold. Price was very reasonable for what you get. Note that there is some parking up by the stamp mill, if you don’t want to walk up the steep hill from the mine. FYI, adults have to wear a hard hat in the mine (some ceilings and beams are quite low). If finicky, you could bring a baseball cap or scarf to wear under the hard hat.

This is a nice small park located in Placerville. It was our first time in a mine. The first mine we went in is called the «Priest mine». It is only open once or twice a year. The cost was $ 4.00 to go through this guided tour. Although it is a short 100 foot travel into the mountain, it was very neat. When you get to the end, there is a shaft that goes up 55 feet to the top of the mountain where there is a light shaft with a roof. It also drops down another 55 feet. They constructed a special wood ladder for the mine inspector. Prior to the ladder, they used to lower the inspector down the 55 feet with a cable. Great history is told on the guided mine tour too.
The second mine (The Gold Bug mine) goes into the mountain side 360 feet. There are no up and down shafts, but there are a few left and right tunnels, some with rock carts. it was nice and cool and damp in this second mine. It is also a self guided tour. You pay $ 7.00 and they hand you a little radio. At certain areas there are numbers on the wall and you touch the appropriate number on the radio and you hear a little talk about this area.
They also have a nice picnic area.
Up the hill is the blacksmith and stamp mill. There are some neat tools of the trade here, and they sell hand made goods from the blacksmith.
I am glad we made the trip to this park.

The gold mine itself OK and at least it’s not overpriced, but the audio tour is ridiculously cheesy. It’s something they would poke fun of on a Simpson’s episode. What was cool was going up to the blacksmith’s shop. We talked to John for a while who told us about what about a blacksmith did. That wasn’t what we went for, but that, as it turns out, was actually the best part.

Affordable, interesting and fun for myself and 8 year old son. A definite place to visit whether you live in or are visiting the Sacramento Area.

Fun place to take the niece or nephew.
It is not very big or original but still fun.
The kids loved it

Packed up the kids and visited this hidden jem. Really easy to get too just minutes off hwy 50. Almost seemed a world away but still close to downtown Placerville.
The self guided tour of the underground mine with audio set was very informative and fun. The kids loved it. The mine went pretty deep and it was as real as youre going to get without going back in time.
They also had a blacksmith shop where actual blacksmiths were making things. Hot fire and all.
The kids highlight was panning for Gold. Kept them interested and busy for an hour. Couldve gone panning all day but we had had to go. Rental of the pan was only $ 2 and theres lots to find.
Great place to visit wether youre a local or just passing through town.

So much fun! Took the kids in the mine. The grown ups were given hard hats and audio tours. Wear the hard hat! The mine is low in spots and you will bonk your head. Mine tour took about 30 minutes. The kids were unsure at first but ended up having a great time!
After the mine, we panned for gold. Go ahead and splurge the extra 50 cents for the little bottle to store the «gold» in. Your kids will need it.
They have a nice, shady picnic area for lunch.

What a cute place to go with my god kids. It was a short walk thru the mine and adults, watch your head!!! Of course the kids were more excited about the panning part (well, so was I!). It wasn’t as strenuous as standing in a riverbed but I chose the higher side and my back was aching after a while so adults, try to stand on the taller side. Have low expectations, lots of fools gold and gems. This is supposed to be fun, don’t think too much! Great time with the kiddies. Glad I tried… I mean… it’s SF, gold rush… come on…

If you want AUTHENTIC history, come here! This is a legit gold mine that hasn’t been ruined by commercialism. A great lesson in history by kind and passionate volunteers. Visit the blacksmith too. He’s super nice and very knowledgeable. We stopped on a whim, and I’m so glad we did! We’ll definitely be going back here!

My husband and I were in the area the day before a wedding to wander around/​celebrate his birthday and found this little gem. We treked up to the Stamp Mill first to which we got a full tour and history of the mill and its creator by the docent Keith or «Bad Bart» he was a fabulous story teller and explained everything very thoroughly with out being over-​baring. They have a map of the country & world and he asked us to tack our hometown in, very cool way to see where everyone was visiting from! We went back down to the museum/​gift shop and they offered us to view the mine, which we were more then happy to pay the admission to check it out on audio tour after the great experience we had with the docent, A volunteer none the less, and we had no cash for a donation. This is a great place to take kids to and we can’t wait to come back with a family.

It’s alright.
The employees were nice, the mine was very cool (both temperature wise and otherwise), The gift shop is small but has a few things to look at; kids would probably enjoy it more, the property has a nice picnic area and well maintained trails. It’s pretty cheap to visit but could add up quickly just to walk through a hole.
I was kinda, just bored. Ahhh, I might get some flack for that. I did bookmark this place but it’s one of those one visit is enough. Unless I know someone who’s interested in rocks and the history of gold (and I do), it might not be worth it to take friends here.
I think I would’ve enjoyed it more if I could’ve panned for gold and gems but that wasn’t open the day I went.
I noticed walking trails, I’d like to explore those more.
However, a huge amount of stars goes to the guy working at the stamp mill. He dressed the part of Black Bart and explained the process of the stamps and told such a good story about his character that it made everything worth it. I really enjoyed listening to him talk almost more than the mine part. And he was so good and patient with my two year old. My son wasn’t being bad, but «Black Bart» would notice if he was getting restless and would interact with him during the presentation and give him things to hold. He was kind and personable and I wish I had gotten his name. Good job!

Went here with my boyfriend and kids and had a great time. The mine tour was quite affordable and a cool break from the heat. We panned for gold for a good hour with the rented pans and all came home with little vials (50 cents for small, 85 cents for large in the gift shop) full of cool stuff-​gold flakes, pyrite, and little bits of gems.

The actual gold mine was a disappointment. It’s $ 6 to walk into a hole. Just skip that and go across the street to the Stamp Mill. That’s way more entertaining.
I guess it might be neat for kids, but I didn’t have any kids with me.

Kids love this place, grownups love this place.
Rocks, gold, mines & blacksmithing, what more does a field trip for 4^th graders need? Wonderful tour guides? Nope because they have those!

So you’ve come to gold country expecting some history, abandoned sites and a lot to explore yourself only to discover every cave, mine or stop has been turned into a fee-​based activity. Bummer.
Gold Bug Park was the only non-​state park I decided to cough any money up for… mostly because it was the only place where it cost seemed to fit the offering at $ 5.
The main mine (by the entrance /​parking) is cool. You get the feeling there’s a lot of gold still in there and despite some framing and modern lights, it has a very similar feel to lost mines I’ve wandered before. The self guided tour drags a bit but talks history, minerals, fun stuff.
What I really liked in the tour was the second stop at the old Saw Mill up the road… There’s some dated remains to hike and see outside (warning: very, very hot in summer) and an amazing collection inside that shows what was used to mine, process and produce gold ore back way back when. The staff gave a great introduction to how everything worked, the history and that takes you back to something you can’t see much of even if you explore way out on your own.
Other perks include good parking, a few mill & mine exhibits around the area and an air conditioned restroom up top.
Worth the $ 5.

Great little spot to visit or to take out-​of-​towners! Don’t know why «bug» is in the name, there are no insects on display here, but lots of information on the gold rush and an actual mine you can walk into. I am slightly claustrophobic, but I did not have a problem with this mine, it’s not too deep and fairly spacious!
You take the residential streets and end up here. I don’t recall the exact price for the mine entrance, but everything is very reasonable. In fact, to rent a pan and sift through for gold and gems (they’re planted), it only costs $ 2 an hour. You sift through a wooden trough with other prospectors hoping to strike it rich. I didn’t find any gold, but found some quartz, calcite and some other stuff.
There is a large picnic area for groups and flushing toilets. Yay! The surrounding forest area is beautiful and it’s just nice to be in nature.
The gift shop is reasonably priced. You can purchase different rocks, glass eggs ($ 3), rock candy ($ 1.25), postcards, books on rocks, maps, etc. I was chatting to the woman in the store and she said last year they had visitors from all 50 states and all over the world! She didn’t know how people found out about it… maybe Unilocal

Gold Bug mine was such a neat experience for my kids because I feel like it was geared toward them. I have been on mine tours that get so technical that my eyes glaze over. At Gold Bug they provide you with a handheld device that you input a number into and it tells you a pretty simple, yet informative, history and story. It’s not a large mine either, but the end has some cool ore cars. It was absolutely perfect for my kids!
They only have 15 or 20 hard hats and story devices, which is nice because that controls the amount of people able to go in the mine. We did have to wait for a little bit but I was fine knowing we would not be completely cramped inside.
Oh yes, this is a great activity on a super hot day… it’s nice a cold in the mine!

So the hubs and I had some time to kill this past Saturday while visiting Pville. I lived here for 5^th-​8^th grade and had never gone to this park but saw a little pamphlet for it at a museum and thought we would go check it out.
The hubs and I decided to go on the little self guided mine tour. I’m glad they gave out hard hats as we both at one point ran full force into the ceiling of the cave. Also it gets pretty darn dark and super freezing in there!
While on the tour, at one point the «guide» told us to look up, which I did, and a huge drop of water went straight into my eye… I’m pretty sure I just got some 100+ year old creepy coal miners disease and my eye might fall out. Other then that we had a blast and even went «gold panning» after wards.
We also went and checked out the stamping mill at the top of the hill. Beware, the old man that works up there may be THE grumpiest man I have ever come across. I felt like I was in 3^rd grade getting reprimanded by my teacher. The stamping mill is cool, but not a whole lot to see.
P. S. I am joking about the eye thing… not the water falling in it, that happened. But I can not say if I got any sort of 100+ year old creepy coal miners disease in my eye. My eye is intact. If it falls out I will let you know ;)

I have loved this park ever since I was a child. It always gave me a thrill to explore the old mine. The darkness, the smell of the underground, the moisture, walking deeper and deeper into the the earth was so fascinating for me.
Then, up the trail, there was the mysterious Priest Mine. It was maddening! I felt so gypped! I knew — KNEW– there were secrets behind that closed off tunnel. It was probably the true entrance to Wonderland. Or maybe the iron door was the one thing keeping us separated from the Sleestaks.
Now I am an adult and have taken my own child to Gold Bug. He loves it just as much as I did. It has both changed and stayed the same. All the things that made it wonderful are still there, but now there are some added bonuses not available when I was a kid. Here are some of the things you can do:
1) Explore Gold Bug Mine. You can self-​guide with an audio device, have a real guide, or just explore on your own and ask questions later. Hard hats required, people over 5’5″ will be glad for them, I’m sure.
2) Check out the museum. It isn’t very big, but has some interesting items in there. It explains how things work (in the mining world of old) and you can even touch things! — you know how «hands off!» some museums are, not at Gold Bug Park.
3) Hike/​nature walk. There are some nice little trails around here that you can walk, view wildlife, and get in touch with nature. Every so often you might come across a mine or other such thing. Once I swear I saw a grudge in a barred up little hole in a hillside! Eep! OK, it was really just a museum display dummy, but it sure gave me the heebie jeebies (in a really good way).
4) Pan for gems! Kids can get a down and dirty hands on history lesson, as well as the thrill of discovering treasure.
5) Have a party, picnic, family gathering, etc. There are picnic areas as well as a pavilion. The pavilion can be rented for special events.
6) Explore Priest Mine. Yes! The mine I SO wanted to explore as a kid now has guided tours… or so I have heard. It still looks all locked up if you walk the trails past it. I haven’t brought myself to seriously inquire about it. I don’t want to break my childhood fantasy of Sleestaks in Wonderland.

Stumbled upon this after the bf said he wanted to go panning for gold. Apple Hill had inspired him to take a trip in to the past and Unilocal inspired me to hit up Gold Bug. I am so glad we did!
For $ 10, each of us were able to get some amazing head accessories (hardhats) and a huge phone like device to listen to and guide us throught the walking tour of the mine. I was thankful for the hardhat being a tall girl and all. This was the first time I had ever been in anything like this. I had been in caverns in the past, but this was a totally different experience. Seeing the the quartz, holes to place dynamite, and old carts was astounding. It was quite chilly in the mine. Afterwards we hiked up to the top and around the outside for a bit. It was so nice and quiet!
Note: they do close around 4pm and the gates to the park close at 5pm. The man working was quite old and abruptly asked us to pay and go on the tour because they were closing soon. It seemed the old guy wanted to go home… I can’t blame him. But I did feel like I was 5 years old as he yelled at us to pay. Also, I think they do have gold panning in the summer months.