alaska-gastineau mill and gold mine tour

Carol was our driver and she had a lot of information about the surrounding area and the history of Junea. John was our guide in the mine and was knowledgeable and friendly. He handled questions well (even if they were a little silly). We also has a great time panning for gold at the end of the tour and were able to warm up with coffee or hot chocolate in the store. A wonderful way to spend our afternoon in Junea.

We did the Underground Juneau Gold tour on our trip to Alaska this summer. John was great. I was impressed by his knowledge and his sense of humor. I also really enjoyed panning for gold and the help of all of the girls who taught us how to do it. Very fun experience! I highly recommend it

My husband and I took the A J Mine tour and thoroughly enjoyed it. Jerry was our guide in the mine and we felt that it was professionally done. He was informative and made the tour fun.He demonstrated some of the equipment in the mine and we learned a lot about mining.Great experience! After the mine, we learned about panning for gold. We would recommend this tour for everyone visiting Juneau.

This was an excursion offered on a cruise. It was not very expensive but fun and interesting to see. We sailed on Princess, however I will not travel with them again! This excursion was offered at a few different times, we went on the early time which I would recommend. It allowed enough time to walk the downtown area. Inside the mine is cool, so a jacket and some kind of gloves are nice to have.

Amazing trip, the mine is currently run by a nice family and even the employees that aren't family seem to fit right in! First you take the bus up to the mine where you meet John Hughes who gives you earplugs and hard helmets and gives you a short safety briefing. He then takes you up to the mine and shows you around and turns on some of the tools. He warns you when he operates these machines that you should plug your ears but the machines weren't as loud as I expected. When you get done the bus gives you a little time to chat and take pictures! Then the bus takes you back down towards the gift shop and panning tables and you go listen to a short yet knowledgeable presentation by Ursula after that Ursula lets you walk around, you can go into the gift shop and look around at their neat products, some are even hand made by John Hughes himself. You are given complimentary hot chocolate and/or coffee and you can go learn how to pan for gold with John and Sierra! They are very good at what they do and when they see you washing all of your gold out of your pan they are right there to step in and help you! You get to keep all of the gold and garnets that you find as well and they put it in a little vial with the AJ Mine logo! Overall really friendly people and a really good tour! Worth every penny! I love the squirrels!

My husband and I loved this excursion. Carol (the driver) and John (the mine guide) were wonderful, and both were extremely personable and knowledgeable. We found the tour fascinating and gave in depth local history, since mining is such a huge part of Juneau's history. My only criticism is that the tour really should be longer. We felt a little rushed at the end when we were walking around the mill, exploring and taking photos. Thirty minutes to an hour added on to the tour would make a huge difference. One of the biggest perks is how small the tour is. There were only 11 of us on it, and after being on a cruise ship with tons of other people such a small group was great. Panning for gold was fun and makes you realize how hard it was for the miners in 1898. It was hard for me in 2014 with heated water! There were no small children on our tour and I don't think this is an appropriate excursion for them, but is great for those interested in mining, engineering, or local history.

Although the staff is knowledgeable , it is a lame tour and a little on the expensive side for what you get. Don't buy souvenirs there, very expensive.

Booked the shore excursion via our cruise line, and knew it would be once in a life time experience. The visit to the mine was quite something memorable, and the first-hand experience panning gold was really interesting. The only regret was that there wasn't much of gold dust in that 2 big tailing troughs for us to pan. After an hour or so, most of us got 2-3 teeny tine bits of gold dust which were stored in a pinkie size bottle to bring home as Alaska souvenirs. Later in some local stores, we found nicely presented souvenir bottles containing 24 karat gold flakes at a price of $12 for 2! The $159/each tour was paid for the experience indeed rather than the gold!

...I did a cruise excursion to the AJ Mine/Gastineau Mill during our (too short) port stop in Juneau. Myself and about 10 other cruisers hopped onto our mini bus, and took the 10 minute ride up the steep (and scary looking!) wooded mountain side to reach the first part of our experience: the mine. We had to wear safety helmets to go inside (I mean, we are going inside of a mountain after all) and were escorted by John Hughes. He was really nice and seemed truly interested in not only the entire culture of mining, but in telling us about it and learning about what we did in our non-vacation lives. He told us that he was half Welsh and half Tlingit, and that he also carved masks that were sold in the gift shop we would see later (great self plug, I gotta admit- tell us about the stuff you make before you take us into a mine that could potentially be dangerous). What I expected was a ride in an old mine cart on a rickety railway a la every adventure movie involving mines and treasure ever. Instead, there were easily walkable wooden walkway covered in highly textured- stuff- to prevent slipping and falling. John stopped us at various points in the mine to show us different steps on how ore was actually marked, drilled, blasted, and hauled away.........You can read more on my travel blog www.fiftystates5years.blogspot.com.

We loved the whole deal. What an opportunity to see how a real gold mine operated. We loved to see the tools work and learn first hand what we had only been able to read about previously. Our guide John did a great job explaining about the history processes involved in mining. It was a real education given by real people who know what they are doing. It was entertaining and fun for all but it was not theatrical. My 9 year old loved to see the mine but his heart was really fixed on "striking it rich" panning for gold. We were not disappointed. Although I can't retire anytime soon, we are richer for the experience.

This was great and we learnt a lot of interesting things. Everyone was very nice. The gold panning was not what I had hoped for but it was fun anyway

This tour was a cruise ship excursion. Only about a dozen participants so we didn't feel crushed by a mob as you do on some shore excursions. They drive you to the mine in a small bus. You're supplied with hard hats and ear plugs. It is cool inside, around 40 degrees so we wore layers. We panned for gold after the tour and both of us came away with small pieces of gold. This was educational and fun and not too expensive as a shore excursion. Great photos of gold panning.

The people that have this tour made it worth our time. The part in the mine is interesting to see the way mining was and is now performed. We also had fun panning for gold! Friendliest people on the planet!

Enjoyed trip to GM. Learned about mining history up close and personal.

I booked this tour on a cruise ship. Our driver picked us up at the pier and after another pier stop we headed south and up the mountain side on a road that will only accomidate one vehicle at a time. The driver stops the bus at switch back turns and radios ahead to insure a clear road. When you get towards the top you are introduced to a guide who educates you on how gold is mined and the various methods. Then you drive up to the mine shaft and are introduced to a knowledgeable minor who briefs you on mine safety and then you get to enter a mine shaft. Explainations of mining practices and the type of equipment used for mining are discussed in addition to how mining equipment works. You get to see the gold in the rock and how it is removed and processed. After exiting the mine you descend down the mountain and view the remains of the entire mining facility. At the end of the tour your invited to pan for gold, how to perform this task and you will be suprised by the results of your panning methods. The tour I took lasted about 4 hours with trip time. There are ample opportunities to take photos and you really get the feeling of "gold fever" For the faint of heart the drive up the mountain can be scary as the road is gravel and is cut along the hillside with minimum clearances and of course you get the view of the downhill side of this mountain. The mine is lit but somewhat dark , the temp in the mine is about 40 degrees and it is damp. Dress accordingly and they provide you hard hats and ear plugs for the events that unfold as you walk in the mine shafts and are informed by your guide. If your a "roll the sleeves up type person" you will get a kick out of your guide because you feel like becoming a minor! I highly recommend this tour and it is well worth the price.