Sumpter Oregon Gold Mining! Mining Operations at Cracker Creek Mining Camp! Chances are you haven't seen a gold mine quite like ours here in Sumpter! In fact, most folks have never seen a real gold mine! Don't worry though, you won't have to be a seasoned gold prospector to find gold here because we designed our gold mining camp to make things easier without sacrificing the true gold mining experience! Our gold mining site was originally designed and intended strictly for recreational gold mining! At Cracker Creek Mining Camp, you will discover people just like you enjoying a day in the mountains with their families just looking for gold! Our staff take the pressure out of gold mining making it possible for folks just like you to make recreational gold mining a whole lot of fun! When you arrive at the camp, you will purchase a gold mining package. We have several mining packages available ranging from one hour to a whole weekend! For instance, greenhorns may choose to concentrate on gold panning until they get the hang of things. Gold panning is a great way to become familiar with the world of recreational gold mining! We will also customize a mining package for you and your group! Once you purchase your package, we will issue your gear and you will be assigned to a gold mining station with the mining equipment you need already installed and ready to operate! We will then provide you with some basic gold mining instructions and tips to maximize your efforts. How much gold you find will depend on how much work you are willing to invest in your mining experience. Gold mining does require concentration, effort, and muscle to be successful. We also want you to enjoy your gold mining experience and will be available at all times to give you a helping hand! Our helpful staff will even help you learn the differance between "fools gold" and real gold! And when you're all done, we will help you retrieve and package your gold for the trip home. The best part of gold mining with us at Cracker Creek Mining Camp in Sumpter, Oregon (beside taking home the gold stuff) is..... when you're all done, we even let you clean up your machine to be sure you get every last flake!

Gold Mining has gone high tech these days and we have modernized our mining camp with gold recovery equipment to maximize your success! Our most important equipment is the Highbanker Sluice similar to the one pictured on the right. This modern day version of the old wooden cradle sluice has a hopper box which contains a high pressure spray bar with a gate valve to regulate water flow which comes from a pond which feeds all the machines. Both the hopper box and sluice box have expanded metal and a gold grabbing ribbed carpet. With this equipment, gold panning is made easy! Are you ready to see our gold panning packages? Click Here! Each day we sample our material to ensure gold content at the mine site before our staff fills the "hopper" or bin at your station. You then will use your shovel or a bucket to move a small amount of material to your sluice. Don't worry, if you happen to run out of material, our staff will fill it up again for you! We also have large tubs at the mining camp for those who wish to do a little gold panning the old fashioned way with minimal effort! This is a great way for kids or beginners to be introduced to the art of gold panning!