SUMMER Mid-May - Mid-September
First tour leaves at 9 am, last tour leaves at 5 pm every day.
WINTER October 21st - mid-February weekends, first tour leaves at 10 am, last tour leaves at 5 pm. Mondays and Fridays, first tour leaves at 10 am, last tour leaves at 4 pm.
Tuesdays - Thursdays CLOSED except for pre-scheduled school & scout groups.
MAP & DIRECTIONS To find Sutter Gold Mine, click on the map below.
ABOVE GROUND ACTIVITIES
& AMENITIES
Gemstone mining
Gold Panning
Geode cracking
Free movies in the Gold Theatre, Picnic tables
The Gold Store
Restrooms
Click HERE for prices.
SUTTER GOLD MINE Guided underground tours available year round. IMPORTANT NOTES:
NEW HOURS: beginning October 21st, Sutter Gold Mine will continue to be open every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday to walk in traffic. It will be closed to all but pre-scheduled groups Tuesdays through Thursdays until mid-February. Meanwhile, Black Chasm Cavern, just 20 minutes away, will continue to be open daily.
Provided hardhats must be worn underground for the entire underground tour. For this reason, the tour is NOT recommended for children under the age of 4.
See ourmap & directionspage for help on navigating around the new Highway 49 bypass.
Sutter Gold Mine is a modern hard rock mine located on historic Highway 49 just north of Sutter Creek, south of Amador City at the site of several historic mines. These include the Lincoln Mine from which Leland Stanford made his fortune enabling him to found Stanford University and to partner in financing the Central Pacific Railroad.
Although originally developed for gold extraction in the late 1980s, the mine is now open exclusively for one hour underground tours deep into the heart of the Motherlode.
Sutter Gold Mine offers a comprehensive look into the gold mining process and its historical progression from gold panning and hydraulic mining to hard rock techniques. Besides that, it’s just plain fun to go underground and see what’s usually only seen by miners: the inside of the Earth.
Above ground, kids love our gemstone mining at our mining flumes right outside the Gold Store. Everyone is guaranteed to find some real gemstones; the perfect start to a rock collection! You can also try our NEW geode cracking which has proved incredibly popular.
View the video below to see a little of our tour at Sutter Gold Mine, given by our lovely manager: Christine Boitano. This piece is from RV today and also features RV resources in Amador County:
The 1 hour Walk Tour is a great lesson on gold mining from the earliest days to the present time. This real mine experience begins with gearing up in hard-hats and tagging in, then stepping aboard the Boss Buggy Shuttle for a historic journey deep underground. Learn about Gold Country geology and mining technology as you traverse beneath thousands of tons of native rock, viewing mining equipment from the smallest drills to the massive 15-yard haul truck. See beautiful crystals and learn how to distinguish between real gold deposits and pyrite (“Fools Gold”) in the quartz of the Comet Vein.
This tour makes a perfect school field trip or scouting activity. Please call for our special group discount prices.
FACTS AT A GLANCE: Walk Tour
Adventure Scale: 1
Availability
Every day, year round
Restrictions
Only those able to wear provided hardhats underground are admitted to the tour. For this reason, the tour is NOT recommended for children under the age of 4.
Regular cost per person
$17.50 adult, $11.50 child (ages 4 - 12)
Length of trip
1 hour
Group size
Up to 25 people
Underground temperature
64°F year round
Making reservations
Reservations necessary for GROUPS ONLY: call toll free any day of the week: 866-762-2837. Group discounts available.
SUTTER GOLD MINE
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