Gold Bug Park & Mine

Brendan Kiely

2022-05

A nice smaller historic park with a few short trails to hike, an old stamp mill, and a smaller mine you can explore for $10 for a self guided audio tour. The rest of the park is free except for the mine, which is really the main attraction. The mine is a cool feature to see, and is worth doing the audio tour, however I wish it wasn't $10 per person. A $5 fee for the self guided tour seems more reasonable, or even a $5 fee for anyone to tour the park seems fair. Worth a visit if in Placerville, and if you have children.

Maksim Smelchak

2023-07

It's a small mine, but has a phone narrator, and plenty of cramptness, poor light, low ceilings, and the like. It also has some beautiful mineral formations. It's unlikely to interest many children, unless they're very curious. I enjoyed the veteran's discount. It's also has a stamping mill and blacksmith right across the way.

Filip Zakrzewski

2022-05

Really nice placeIt's open for self guided tours - you get a helmet and prerecorded audio on a phone, and off you go to the mine!It's until the very end of the tunnel - which is rare for all the gold mines I've had a chance to tour so farA few of the lights didn't work - so you may need to use the flashlight in your phone to look at the spots you are supposed to be looking at (otherwise it's very well lit)They also have a full size stamper mill 5 minutes walk away - in the price of the mine ticket - it's a bit uphill, but it's good enough for a short walk (there is trail which leads directly to the parking in front of the stamper mill)Behind the mill there's blacksmith workshop - it's really nice. The blacksmith can teach you real skills if you're interested!

Shaddoe

2022-05

Amazing experience. My favorite part was going into the mine tunnel. It was chilled, dark, and dripping with water. IT WAS GREAT.Tour guides (Stamp Mill/Black Smith Shop) were excellent too! I definitely recommend visiting this location. The fee is $12 per adult, $10 for veterans.

Abbie Woodruff

2024-02

The tour of the mine itself was okay. We had followed a family in to the mine and it was hard to listen to our audio guide with another audio guide playing nearby. It would have been nice to have a transcript of the audio to read instead. Maybe there was an option we missed.What we really enjoyed was the second part visiting the stamping mill and blacksmith area. Mike at the stamping mill was very helpful and informative sharing lots of interesting facts and demonstrating how the stamping mill worked.The park and trails looked well-kept but we did not have time to stay and enjoy those areas. It's conveniently located near downtown Placerville making it an easy stop.

Adam Nelms

2023-05

Not a huge park, but bring a lunch and you can spend about 2 - 3 hours here. The actual mine your walk down was an awesome experience (bring a sweatshirt, even on the hottest day), I would say for all ages 5+ highly recommend. Light hiking in the area and a small gift shop and museum. Blacksmith open on select days.

Amanda

2023-12

Quiet place for hikes. My kids enjoyed the self-guided mine tour, stamping mill, blacksmith and panning for rocks and gold. Nice small gift shop, nice people. Bring lunch, there is a nice covered area with picnic tables.

Catherine Sandoval

2020-05

We had a great time with my grandson. The mine is cool and a little wet in spots. The self guided tour was neat to listen to. Kinda small but what do you expect? We bought souvenirs, had a picnic and hiked. What a day.

Meghan K

2022-05

Currently only open on weekends! We followed the open times online but alas the physical sign at the mine says otherwise so plan ahead!The trails are really fun and go into the forested area, there is also a blacksmith on site who is working.Keep your eyes out for turkeys, they like to waddle around this area too.

Raybies Flynn

2023-08

Fun for everyone! The mine, stamp mill and gift shop are all really neat to check out. My fiancé and I did everything, including the easier trails at the park. We had a great time and learned a lot about local history.

Tina D Corter

2023-07

We enjoyed the mine tour thoroughly! Friendly people, awesome historical facts and demonstrations made this stop fantastic! Fun walking trails too!

Steve Ries

2021-05

Took my son w/ disabilities here because I think it's the only mine shaft I have ever seen that's wheelchair accessible. The whole family had a blast. With the new COVID restrictions only one group is allowed in the mine at a time so that gave me free reign to take some really cool photos on BW Film posted below. Staff is friendly and very accommodating. Again if you have someone wheelchair bound that would like to do some simple spelunking this is the place to be because it's pretty ADA setup compared to any other places we have been. Very happy fun little place. It's good for 1 or two hours with kids and that's about it :)Check out the blacksmiths up the hill, that's also a really cool little setup they have up there.Highly recommended if you;re looking for a low key easy 1 or 2 hour trip with or without the family... :)

Sarah Bane

2023-11

Loved it. Going through the caves and learning great history was pretty sweet. Don't forget to visit and see the blacksmith- absolutely impressive.

enrique verduzco

2023-05

Ok. So we were originally headed to coloma to see the spot where the the gold rush kicked up in California. I saw this place last second after arriving in placerville. You park, which is free. The tour was $12 for an adult and $8 a kid, so $20 for both. You download and app and it is basically an audio tour while you are in the mine. It's actually informative and the your takes about 30 minutes. I would recommend if your a history buff or enjoy mining stories and the sort.

Diana Mian

2017-05

It was a nice drive up. Very interesting place, they have a self walk tour in the mine. You hook up to their app and internet to listen to it. They also have a blacksmith and mill there, they gave a tour and explained how it was all done. The gift shop was very affordable. Very friendly and a great learning experience

Pattabhi Rama Rao Yeleswarapu

2020-05

Nice place to visit with family.. it’s like a quick tour. Also loved the black smith place on the top of the hill. He was very nice and explained everything to kids with lots of patience and interest. Over good experience👍🏻

Victor Berchet

2023-06

Awesome experience for kids. They can do some gem panning, visit the mine, hear stories of the blacksmith.

Edward May

2023-05

Nice mine. Liked the narrated self guided tour. Be sure to see the blacksmith shop and stamp mill.

Amanda Leach

2018-05

This place is great! The staff are very friendly and helpful. The mine was really neat to explore. My 6 year old who is obsessed with Minecraft thought it was "awesome".

Brian Truitt

2023-05

A rare and unique experience allowing visitors to take a personal audio-guided tour of a real gold mine. Very cool. Recommended!

G. Tappan

2018-05

Easy to find, fun tours, nice walking trail around the park. Not stroller friendly around the upper trail.

M C

2019-05

I love this place because it's very spread out and there's a picnic area where you can go to the river, which is beautiful. Also the public restrooms are very nice for a public bathroom. The only real downfall is that it is really really hot.

Anne Garner

2020-05

Fun family time. Self-guided tour of the mine, blacksmith shop (gave my nephew the salt spoon we watched him make), and stamper mill. Very interesting!

Jason Carmichael

2020-05

The audio tour of the mine is solid... Lots of details and plenty to see. We even found a little lizard hanging out. The mine is cool even on a hot day and the path is easy to walk. The highlight of the trip was Pat in the stamper mill and blacksmith shop. Great guy with lots of knowledge. I could have stayed and chatted with him all day.

mar go

2023-05

At $55 for a 15 minute, self guided tour for 5, I'd say it's pricey. The ladies at the gift shop and ticket desk were also pretty cranky and didn't seem to want to be there. The mine was very cool though, and the guys at the blacksmith area were really enthusiastic and informative which made for a really great learning experience about this interesting part of history.

David Hulse

2017-05

Blacksmith and tamp machine were staffed with wonderful volunteers. The cave tour was also interesting. The grounds are wonderful, and is a must visit if you have kids.

Orly Liba

2022-05

Lots to see and learn in this mine. The volunteers tell the amazing stories of miners, blacksmiths and robbers.

Checked Cabbage

2023-05

Super recommended! If you're looking for some interesting historical areas in NorCal definitely stop by here. $12 for an adult, less for seniors, children, ect.The concise and interesting tour is worth the admission and even if drive is out of your way, the hills are beautiful and enjoyable to travel through on their own.The mine is cool, so bring a sweater even when the weather is warm, especially if you're prone to be chilly.

Dave Daley

2023-10

Awesome experience, would go again...

W W

2018-05

What a fantastic field trip!!! The staff was so organized, helpful, knowledgeable and loved what they did!!! I can't wait to take my family for a day hike!