Big Thunder Gold Mine

Cody Ehlers

2024-04

Visited in March. Tour was very informative, amazing to learn the slow processes back then, and about other mines of the time right here. Is a must stop for people interested in the history of the gold rush and seeing a real working mine and what all went into them. The kids loved finding real gold in the stream, and I loved the quick history. Recommend to everyone who is on the fence about going. Has something to offer for everyone.

Cameo McNeley

2023-08

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Cyndi Bricker

2023-08

Tour would have been better but maintenance guy filled in for regular guide and it was LONG!!! Too much talking, and about stuff that didn't pertain to the mine! We were in the mine itself for almost an hour and we had to miss the other part of the tour due to my husband's knees no longer able to take the standing. We also were not shown a demonstration by the Guide at the beginning of the tour how to pan but the tour right after ours did.

Beth Fuller

2023-11

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Cyndi Huffman

2022-05

Cool, kitschy old working mine to visit. Best part was the tour guide had lots of great info about how mining took place in that area back in the day before modern machinery. Very interesting. A good bit of walking and for us tall people the hard hats came in handy as some areas are a bit short. Fun place to check out. Temps are 50 in the cave which was nice on the hot day. We didn’t do the panning - but a lot of kids were having fun!

Ariel Vajda Baldini

2023-07

Big Thunder Gold Mine was an amazing experience for us and our two large dogs! The entire site is dog friendly, including the shop, on-site panning, claim mining, and mine tour. We had a great time doing all of it, especially claim mining with our guide Jake. We dug our own buckets of paydirt out, sluiced them, and then he panned them so we didn't lose anything. The claim mining also comes with on-site panning and the mine tour, so we got to spend half the day there for our two hours claim. We left with several flakes of gold and a TON of tiny garnets. I checked out both this and the Broken Boot Gold Mine in Deadwood and this one had a lot more to do and a better setup.

Jennifer

2024-04

Fun experience, but way too expensive for what you get, especially the panning for gold. I hoped they would let me pan in the stream out front, but instead it was only in the small bin on the porch - the same one that every single customer pans through. No excitement of possibly finding anything more than a speck. It feels very staged. The tour guide is very knowledgeable, but it is a pretty basic tour. The store has lots of selection, but lots of gimmicky stuff like colored rocks and toys that are unrelated. I was super psyched to go, but felt I wasted my money after doing it.

Cat Balloon

2024-04

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Allen Bartell

2023-08

We bought a group deal via Groupon. Great deal. Really nice they do that. We did the tour and on-site panning. It was great. WE also had one more in our party than the Groupon. The clerk made that one of the kids’ tickets (as opposed to adult) so that saved us more money. A very nice touch. I would not have thought twice if she had charged us adult rate for the extra ticket. The tour guide was kind of in memorized auto mode with his presentation. But happily answered questions and kept the tour on time. And we learned a LOT.The gold panning was awesome too. The first pan came seeded with 5-6 flakes. But we were able to find a bunch more in the gravel on the bottom.They also had people working the area and giving everyone individual attention. It was really good. We even got a couple of vial clasps that turned our vial of gold into pendants. We were going to pay for these but she just gave them to us as well. We also bought 5 gallons of paydirt to take home for our scout troop. At $55 I thought this was really reasonable too. They seed that too so it’s guaranteed to produce gold. They also have a fair selection of pans, sluices, and other mining equipment.Everyone was very very nice and accommodating. We stayed for lunch and ate at their restaurant next door and it was excellent too.Overall I was really impressed with the quantity of the experience and the hospitality of the employees.

Christi Koch

2021-05

We had so much fun! We booked a 4 hour panning trip and had no idea what to expect. We had done the mine tour 4 years earlier and had really enjoyed it, but thought let's try something different this time and we are so glad we did. Our guide Trent was amazing. It was hard work, but our family had so much fun. I would say this activity is better for groups of 4 or more. You do have a half mile walk to the dig site and there no bathrooms available.

Kanika Misra

2023-11

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Nichole

2023-05

the mine went further back than we thought. fun experience the kids enjoyed it. they have an old mining cart that you can sit in for photos inside the mine. tour guide gave great facts about the mine the entire tour. if someone needs to have a wheelchair it's easy to push through the mine as well.

L Hogie

2024-04

Awesome experience learning about local history and how to process for gold. Spent the morning with our very friendly and knowledgeable guide, Jake. Thanks again for a memorable experience. We enjoyed your talks! We will swing by again when we pass through!

Nikki Germain

2023-08

We had an great tour of the mine. It was a perfect day for it as it was extremely hot and the mines are refreshingly cool. Brian, who is the maintenance man, did the tour and he was informative and funny. We chose this particular tour as it is dog friendly. Our dogs were welcomed warmly and enjoyed trotting through the cool mine. Would definitely recommend.

Paul Kern

2022-05

We had a great time here. We did the four hour claim pan as well as the tour of the mine. Trenton was our guide on the claim and we found gold that we dug from the black hills. We found a "picker". That's a piece big enough to pick up with your fingers. It's a nice little hike down to the claim. Then we went back and took the tour of the mine. Crazy how long those guys mined for gold and what they ended up with. The kids enjoyed more panning after the tour.

Jeremiah Baumann

2023-07

We had a great time. My only advice is if you have small children ages 5-10 for example, manage their expectations ahead of time. You get a lesson on panning from a guide, they give you a pan with dirt already in it, and if you have small kids they will probably dump it out and you don't get more. You are there for the novelty of it, the gold you get are small specs, if any. You can try scrapping the wash to see if you can find any other prices others missed, but while we had a good time my son who is 9 at the time left frustrated.

Megan Schemensky

2023-07

We had a good time, just my son and I. Our tour guide was wonderful (I can’t remember his name but he is a Marine and his mother in law owns the mine)…the tour is not super long, but he made the most of the tour and really added to the story with his ability to compare it to the ease of things today.My son “panned” for gold after the tour, it would have been nice if the lesson was more than just a quick 2 minute tutorial. But it was something he really wanted to do on this trip. He left with a few flakes of gold…a cute souvenir.This is not a working mine and in the end it was a successful mine…other than the gold mine tour business the current owners have set up 😀

Michael Sprague

2023-10

This was an interesting spot. As you come down from Mt. Rushmore it’s a great place to stop. My family had a great time sifting through dirt to find gold. We did do the mine but we did pan at the stations. We found some flakes and had a great time. No nuggets but for $16 per person it was a lot of fun and the kids really enjoyed finding the gold. There is a creek that runs in front of the building. My daughter and i took the opportunity to do some pictures and they were perfect. Overall was a great place to stop. You may meet some interesting people, we did lol

Ginger Langreck

2022-05

This was a highlight of our trip for the family. A real old gold mine claim. Our guide was amazing. Very knowledgeable and kept it really fun. We did the panning after, and my family loved it! Also super dog friendly all throughout, even in the gold mine! Loved it!

Sarah T

2022-05

Our family did the 4 hour claim mining and had a great time! It was definitely hard work but loads of fun! Trenton and Mitchell were great guides and gave us a solid history on mining in the area and an overall genuine experience. We found a few small gold pieces and quite a bit of garnet - the kids will remember this experience forever!

Mitch P

2023-07

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Blythe Robbins

2023-05

What a fun experience for our family! Our gold panning tutor and guide, Daniel, was fun and knowledgeable. We learned a lot of new things about how the gold seekers mined for gold back in the day. The mine itself was a marvel. To think these guys dug out this tunnel with just a few hand tools, black powder, and candles. Our seven-year-old was convinced it was impossible. Everyone was so kind and full of interesting facts about the mine and the area. Would definitely recommend.

Ed and Ashley Axley

2021-05

We loved the mine. Our tour guide, Chris was great! He told a wonderful story, and kept the experience engaging. The yellow helmets we actually totally necessary. We each bumped our head at least once. Also, the panning was a total win for our younger children. They each found a few pieces of gold, and walked away with a great memory. Thank you, Big Thunder Gold Mine!

Justin Olive

2021-05

We took the 4 hour panning adventure with Trenton as our guide. He was great from start to finish. Three kids aged 8, 6 and 4 all kept busy digging, sifting and panning for gold. The 4 hours flew by and it was a success by all measures. (Including the gold that was found) Would certainly recommend for anyone who enjoys a little work outdoors that pays in excitement and anticipation.

Timmothy Casey

2023-05

Amazing experience…. We got the half day claim package on Groupon. The lady behind the counter who runs it was happy to walk me around the shop and show me local stones I can find around the area.Trent the tour guide is amazing amazing! Very passionate, very knowledgeable. Could probably be a geologist anywhere, and does an amazing job teaching and making it fun!!

Jon Schroeder

2023-05

It was an okay tour would not recommend going unless you are unsure if you can handle tight or enclosed spaces as this is an in and out mine so good for those that don't deal well with those. Or those who have small kids. Try to get with a small group as they do not limit the amount of people on the tour at once and we were with a bigger group which was hard to get the full experience of the tour and the cave.

nashuan

2023-10

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Mike Abrams

2021-05

I really liked this tour. Was an active gold mine for many years before becoming a tourist attraction. There is a large parking area and the tour guides were fabulous. You even got a certificate after the tour. Fun for the entire family.

Megan Brueck

2021-05

The kids had a blast. Our tour guide was Derrick, who was very knowledgeable and he made the tour really fun. Panning for gold was cool, and we found some gold flakes to put in our little bottle.

Christopher Miller

2018-05

9/18/17. Very nice tour of an old gold mine. Tour was reasonably priced and lasted about 45 minutes. Our guide Alana was both entertaining and knowledgeable of it's history. We were the last tour of the day and she stayed with us talking of the surrounding area and of where we were from until we left. Lots to do around the grounds including panning for gold and an old mill with tools and machines from the time period.