School Field Trips at Sutter Gold Mine

STATION 1: Mine Tour School groups must reserve their field trip in advance by calling 209-736-2709. Groups must arrive at least 15 minutes before their first scheduled tour to allow for checking in, restroom use and assembling for the trip. Groups that arrive after their first scheduled tour time run the risk of being bumped to the next tour time. 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. Tours leave every hour on the hour each day of the week. On busy days, tours may run every half-hour. For safety reasons, everyone going underground must wear a provided hard hat for the entire tour. Students waiting their turn for a tour can rotate through gemstone mining, gold panning, and watching a free movie on the Gold Rush or hard rock mining in our Gold Theatre. Be sure to make reservations for group gemstone mining and gold panning when you book your tour times. For another great field trip in the area that could be booked for the same day, we recommend Black Chasm, National Landmark which is only about 30 minutes drive from Sutter Gold Mine. Combining the two in one day gives a great contrasting experience of manmade versus nature made underground environments. For more information, ask about Black Chasm when you call. SCHEDULING: Allow 1 hour per group of 26 students.	QUICK SCHEDULING FACTS: STATION 1: WALK TOUR Allow 1 hour per group of 26 students. STATION 2: GEM MINING/JR. PROSPECTOR Allow 20 minutes per group of 26 students. STATION 3: GOLD THEATER Allow 22 minutes for 26 students. STATION 4: COMPANY STORE Allow 1 hour for 26 students. STATION 5: GEODE CRACKING Allow 5 minutes per person. STATION 6: GOLD PANNING Allow 30 minutes for 26 students. Don't forget lunch! We have outside picnic tables under shady trees where you are welcome to eat your lunch, making for another station through which your students can rotate. All stations are optional. More stations allow time for hands on activities by larger numbers of students as they rotate through each activity. Please call us. We will be happy to assist you in determining the very best configuration of activities for your school group. Locally our number is 209-736-2708, or out of area, toll free 866-762-2837.
STATION 2: Gem Mining/Jr. Prospector At the nearly 200-foot long flume system, students start with their own bag of mining "rough" that is guaranteed to contain lots of gemstones and minerals if you purchase the gem mining back, or gold plated and copper nuggets if you purchase the Junior Prospector bag. Pouring it into a screen bottomed box, flowing water sifts out the dirt leaving the goodies behind. A display with samples of the 20 possible gemstones that can be found in the gem mining bags is available for students to compare and identify their finds. Each student gets a free postcard showing the same display. (Junior Prospector bags can also be panned out, using a gold pan.) SCHEDULING: Allow 20 minutes per group of 26 students.
STATION 3: Gold Theater Our theater with large screen and tiered seats, has a 32 person capacity and makes a perfect addition to your field trip. Two movies are available: 1: An engaging and informative 22-minute movie set in a real hard rock gold mine. This kid-friendly documentary shows the modern mining and milling process from blasting through refining. 2: An award winning documentary on the California Gold Rush. This station is a great, condensed education on gold mining in a fun location and it's FREE! SCHEDULING: Allow 22 minutes per group of 26 students.
STATION 4: The Company Store The Company Store is filled with gold mining treasures and science and nature merchandise. Stock up on gold panning supplies, books on the best places to prospect, gold mining history and California's geology. Find beautiful gold jewelry, science kits, gold ornaments, souvenir and prospecting merchandise. There's something here for every student and teacher. In fact, you may just find yourself coming back for holiday shopping! SCHEDULING: Allow 30 minutes per group of 26 students.
STATION 5: Geode Cracking Geodes are naturally occurring, volcanically generated hollow rocks containing crystals. Students pick out their own small geode to crack using our special machine operated by a trained guide. The student gets to pull the lever for the final crack - when they hear a loud "pop." The inside crystals are a mystery until the two halves are carefully separated - and then eureka! The unique and glittering interior can now be seen. This makes a great, inexpensive, and hands-on, souvenir for a field trip. However, it is time consuming, so it is only recommended for small school groups. SCHEDULING: Allow 5 minutes per person.
STATION 6: Gold Panning For school groups we generally do not recommend gold panning because it takes some practice to acquire the necessary skills, and the gold flakes that are panned out can be somewhat disappointing to children. This is why we recommend the Gold Prospector bag instead, which contains nice, chunky goodies like quartz with gold leaf and gold covered copper nuggets, which can either be panned or screened just like the gem mining bags. However, gold panning is available for more mature students! SCHEDULING: Allow 30 minutes per group of 26 students.