prospector john's gold-n-paddle

About what you would expect John shared a bit of the history which was kind of interesting The children seemed to enjoy themselves

We stopped by at the beckoning of my wife. We ended up staying for 3 buckets and returned a few days later for 6 more buckets. We ran the sluice boxes and had a great time. We didn't get rich, you won't get rich, but it is just plain old fun. You fill your bucket with pay-dirt for under $30 and put it through the sluice box. Someone is there to walk you through every step of the process. I have built my wife a sluice box and she orders pay-dirt from John. Yes, we have dirt shipped from Alaska to Florida. I know. Stop by and try it. I'm glad we did.

This is not your typical hike along beautiful manicured trails! Be prepared to trudge through the woods and really enjoy the Alaskan wilderness. John and his staff are down to earth and truly enjoyable folks to spend time with. His knowledge of the area and expertise in his field are vast. My wife and I were able to gain first hand experience in the art of digging for gold. With John's help, WE WERE VERY SUCCESSFUL! John's explanations and descriptions of the vegetation and animal life were nothing short of wonderful. It's not for everyone but for those wishing a unique experience, don't miss John!

This amazing 1/2 day trip started in picturesque Cooper Landing, just a 1 1/2 hour drive from Anchorage at the mouth of Kenai Lake as it enters the Upper Kenai! The rafting company was knowledgeable both in the river, and in area history. John is a colorful character, a confident outdoorsman and an experienced prospector. We rafted a portion of the Kenai River, then were dropped at a gravel bar, where our adventure took us hiking through the woods along a stream! John covered outdoor safety rules, and made sure the group traveled together, even as we rested for those who needed to take the hike slowly. It was exciting to see the use of the sluice boxes, and John and his assistant Jen spent time setting each of us up and digging the dirt for the prospecting! A small campfire was a finishing touch - and we enjoyed a brown bag lunch around it, listening to the stream as it ran by our spot! When we hiked back out, we were all abuzz with stories, and showing off our flakes of gold! The raft met us and we enjoyed the vista of the Kenai River, seeing eagles flying in pairs, and one flying to its nest with a fish in it's talons! We were met at the take-out spot by the friendly Alaska Raft Company, and a warm, cozy van that transported us back to Johns shop. All the gear was provided. I would recommend this for families, or couples or just anybody wanting to experience Alaska and the gold-rush fever of prospecting!

We almost passed Prospector John's as it appeared to be kind of a tourist trap. However, our experience was memorable. We had fun learning about the sluice boxes and picking out our gold and gems. It was definitely worth the $25 for the memories and pictures, and would have been fun to share with kids.

Just returned from our alaskan adventure and oh my what fun. Spent a lot of time in Seward and then was heading to Homer when we passed by this place. we decided to take a little break from driving and went into the shop. found the cutest pair of earrings that was made by a friend of the proprietor and they are REAL alaskan made. no china made thank god. I tried my hand at the sluice box and very fun. would like to try it on the river once i get the hang of it. John was so helpful and patient with me and my husband (well husband had a knack for it) in teaching me what each part of the sluicing i was doing. i got my vial to take home. hopefully sometime in the future can make a trip again when money isnt such an issue. thanks to john and judi for all their welcoming and helpfulness. i highly recommend at least stopping in.

Thanks for the kind words.....the part of my job I like the best is to see young ones get excited about gold gems and fosils. The credit goes to you and your daughter....your excitement spurs mine and that always means greater fun and good times....hope to see you again...and thank you

Host was very helpful and informative. Gold is for souvenir. Can'[t really find a place to sell it.

Thanks for the review....That was one exciting trip I keep talking about it. Curious if you got some pics of the baby eagles making their first flight that we saw prior to Mama bear. I would love to have some pics of that trip if you have them. Hope to see you in Cooper landing again, John