I had a nice time at the place though I didn't get a lot of gold when I did the panning. Instructor gave me good directions on how to do. Then went inside the cave tour with some history of the place, low beams and some walking. Guide was nice. Also a nice gift shop and a restaurant across which I had ice cream. read more

Big Thunder Gold Mine - Me panning for gold - Tours Near Me - Keystone, South Dakota

We stopped at this mine while driving through South Dakota to try our hand at gold panning, and it turned out to be a fantastic experience. The guide did an excellent job explaining the process and was both knowledgeable and patient, making it easy for first-timers to get started. To our surprise, we found seven small flakes of gold! The experience was especially memorable for our two young boys, ages 4 and 5, who had an absolute blast searching for treasure. If you're traveling with kids or just looking for a fun, hands-on activity, this is definitely worth a stop. read more

The staff was super friendly and our guide, Joe, was great with the kids, knowledgeable and funny. My 9 year old said it was his favorite part of our trip and my 6 and 3 year old enjoyed it as well. It was a little chilly inside the mine, so I'd recommend a sweatshirt if you get cold easily. We mined for gold at the end (you have to pay extra for it) and my 9 and 6 year old loved it. It's definitely tiny flakes, but that didn't bother them. read more

Big Thunder Gold Mine - Tours Near Me - Keystone, South Dakota

I was in the area and decided why not? I only signed up for the tour but you can also pan for gold. I came on a slow day because it was just me for the tour. But my tour guide was great, very knowledgeable about the tale of Big Thunder and how it came to be. It was fascinating going through the mine and getting a glimpse of what it's like actually mining for gold. If you have children I think this is something they would truly enjoy. read more

Big Thunder Gold Mine - Tours Near Me - Keystone, South Dakota

This place was fun, we only did panning for gold, but enjoyed the experience! The young man who did our intro lesson was funny and informative. Definitely would be a fun stop with kids, but takes a bit of patience! You of course don't end up with much gold, and there are rattle snake warnings lol (they may be legit) read more

Mike, our tour guide was amazing. He was full of information, answered all questions, and was fun too!!! This was not on our itinerary, but we are SO GLAD we stopped! read more

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We visited the mine with 8 kids (ages 6-15) during an end-of-March spring break trip. While most of the attractions and eateries in the area were not yet open for the season, we were pleased to learn that Big Thunder had hours Thursday-Sunday when we called for information. The kids--especially the older ones!--had a lot of fun panning for gold, and lasted much longer than we expected. My 13-year old son and husband both said they wished we could have stayed all day. It was a little pricey for the group, but is definitely something we would like to try again someday. My only regret is that I didn't think to check Groupon for a discount before our trip. It would have been fun to do the gold mine tour and the panning, and we could have done both had I found the Groupon promo...! Be sure to ask for recommendations for helping kids under age 8 to have as much fun as the older kids do! read more

We had a really disappointing experience during our visit. I brought my four-year-old, who was very excited to see the mine, as most kids his age would be. During the tour, he was talking out of excitement, which is completely normal behavior for a young child. Instead of handling it with patience, the tour guide became visibly upset, paused the tour, and later yelled at him, "Hey!, you need to be quiet and listen!" At that point, we felt uncomfortable and decided to leave. That is simply not an appropriate way to speak to a young child. If this is meant to be a family-friendly experience, there needs to be more understanding and flexibility when it comes to small children. Expecting a four-year-old to remain perfectly quiet for the duration of a tour is unrealistic. If the environment isn't suitable for young kids, then there should be a clear age recommendation or policy in place. Don't advertise as family-friendly if normal child behavior isn't tolerated. We ended up requesting a refund and leaving early. Overall, extremely disappointing experience and not how a tour guide should treat guests--especially children. read more

Did the tour and panning combo. We took along our 4 yo, 2yo, and 5 mo baby. The kids all did well for the tour. It is about 45 minutes long and the portion inside the actual mine was maybe about 20-25 minutes. The rest is outside and in the room with all the gold processing equipment. The panning would probably be better suited for older kids as It was still a little tall for my 4yo and he couldn't see the gold well when we got It sorted out. Still a fun day though! read more

Our tour guide spoke so fast, we couldn't understand him. He was unenthusiastic, never smiled, and seemed like he was being forced to do the tour (said he was the maintenance man and was voluntold to do it). When I asked him to slow his speaking, he did slightly. Then the kids were so excited to pan for gold and we were given literally 25 seconds of instruction and told we could stay as long as we want. Panning for small flakes is very hard and we had no guidance. I was hoping for more history about the gold rush also. Perhaps the formal tour guides would have done that? Overall, $150 of disappointment. read more

Fun experience! I found this place on Groupon. I'm glad we were up in the area during a slower season. The tour of the mine was fun. We only got a little bit of gold while panning. Tour guide Jake was friendly. read more

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During my time in South Dakota, Big Thunder Gold Mine was one of the few places that I'd enjoyed. It was fun trying to find pieces of gold and the little boy was a handful in showing us how to do it. We venture into the mine and I never knew that it can be chilly the farther you go and I was wearing shorts that day. The safety helmet was useful because parts of the mine was getting smaller and I even had to duck my head some. It was nice knowing the history of Big Thunder Gold Mine and the tour guide was awesome as well as the employees there. read more

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Was visiting with family for a wedding, we decided to stop around and find some things to do as a family. We came here for the gold panning and tour of the cave. We had a big group which lead to some of the group not being able to hear the first time of the tour, but our tour guide was AMAZING, and made sure everyone got equal information of the tour. The tour guide was very informative and did a great job of giving us a good experience of what the cave and mining experience was like back then. Our family had a great time learning stuff and ending the day with some gold panning and checking out their shop! So much cute stuff you can't resist leaving without getting a souvenir. read more

Big Thunder Gold Mine - Tours Near Me - Keystone, South Dakota

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The tour was pretty cool and educational. A bit hard for older folks to walk. We bought the tour plus one panning for gold. Lost all the specks but the people who worked there were kind enough to help us find them! Overall fun experience. read more

Big Thunder Gold Mine - Tours Near Me - Keystone, South Dakota

What a great place! Take the cave tour and pan for gold. Cool gift shop, great staff and tour guide. Don't pass this one by, I almost did. Go check it out! read more

Big Thunder Gold Mine - Four specks of gold from panning... cool! - Tours Near Me - Keystone, South Dakota

Big Thunder Gold Mine was a 5! Our guide for the tour Alex was fantasic (left her a review in the little wooden box )! What a smart girl! I loved seeing the youth that was employeed by the Mine. The education and history behind this place is amazing. It really gets you thinking about the many things we take for granite and how hard life was even 100 years ago. The gift shop is just the right size and I even got a beautiful Himalayan Salt Lamp. The biggest one I own now! They also offer Gold Panning. My family didn't do this but there was ALOT of others. The mine is located in Keystone, South Dakota. Thank you all for the great tour! read more

Big Thunder Gold Mine - Tours Near Me - Keystone, South Dakota

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Fun place with a gold mine tour, gold panning activity, and souvenir. I really enjoyed spending time here, mostly the gold panning experience. If you find any gold, you get to keep it! The tour was interesting too, but I had a hard time understanding the tour guide. She seems really nice, but I had a hard time understanding her accent. I think I got the jest of the information, but on several occasions, I had to ask her to clarify the content . read more

What a fun and educational experience. The mine tour was great. Our tour guide had great stories to tell throughout. He not only told us about the history and the mining methods but he also showed us how things would be as a miner. The gold panning was one of the better ones I've experienced or tried. They included actual gold flakes in each pan. That really made it fun for the kids. Even though it was just a few specs of gold, the kids had a mission and knew that with perseverance, they could get a little vial of gold. read more

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Great place to visit. The gold Mine tour was fun and easy to walk. Staff was very friendly. read more

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The tour was a lot fun, educational, and the tour guide was really friendly. The shop was really cute and the gold panning was fun too as we found 2 gold flakes. Sad that the sun was really hot but overall great place! read more

Big Thunder Gold Mine - Part of the gold tour - Tours Near Me - Keystone, South Dakota

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Kind of false advertisement. You no longer can sluce for gold here. You stay at the main site and just pan for gold. In the past they didn't follow government protocol and sluce for gold the correct way. Long story short they added all the dirt to the creek and didn't take it out so the creek rose higher. We found the tickets on Groupon and paid 25 each person. I'm sure the history of the gold mine and the black hills is cool but we didn't stay. read more

Great little tour of a once active mine. Tour guide was interesting and you go pretty deep into the mine. Even a wheel chair was accessible. Children enjoyed panning for gold and found a few flecks. Enjoy. read more

Nice tour of an original mine. Panning for gold netted a few flakes. Joe, the tour guide, was great.

The story behind the mine it's a bit sad but very interesting. I really enjoyed this passage and my girls loved it the gift shop had very nice rocks We did find a little bit of gold flakes and was very happy read more

Big Thunder Gold Mine - Tours Near Me - Keystone, South Dakota

Our tour guide was excellent. He definitely knew his stuff about the geology and history of the area. Unfortunately they no longer take folks to their mining claim and allow them to process material for the 4 or 8 hour window of time. We purchased the 1/2 day (4 hour) gold mining experience and 3 hours of our time was a tour, history, and rock hunting. read more

We really enjoyed the tour of the mine and we also really liked the gift shop. I don't recall the name of our guide but he was really nice and friendly, he also knew his stuff! It's definitely worth stopping in to do the tour and check out the gift shop. We didn't try the gold panning but it looked interesting, just not something we cared to do ourselves. read more

What a tourist trap scam! The lady 'helping' pan for gold went so quickly nobody could understand her. I get it, this isn't going to get you gold to sell but a tiny piece would have been nice. Unfortunate that other families will lose their money to such a disappointment. read more

We took the tour with Evan. He did a good job keeping the group entertained and had some insightful knowledge. It was a fun tour and worth the time. Great job folks read more

We took our 2 and 5 year old sons along with our 6 and 14 year old nephews to the Big Thunder Mine on Tuesday and they all agreed it was the best thing ever. Our guide, Amberleigh, was awesome and interacted nicely with my 5 year old who has a ton of questions about anything and everything. To top off the awesome mine tour, panning for gold was a blast. My son found four flakes and thinks he is rich. Definitely some great memories were made. Thanks again Amberleigh and Big Thunder! read more

We had to learn how to Pan for gold while visiting Keystone and this was a fantastic place to do it! This was our first time visiting a place like this but we really wanted a full tourist immersion while visiting Rushmore. Rattlesnake Randy and Atlanta were excellent teachers and your guides! This place is great for families and we loved touring the mine! We even found a few flecks of gold to take home. Thanks y'all! read more

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We did the 4 hour gold panning with Trenton, which was great. The kids enjoyed digging and screening, and Trenton was very knowledgeable as a guide. It was a fun time in the sun. I would make sure to bring water, a snack, and shoes/clothes that can get wet/dirty. read more

We gad a GREAT time on the tour and mining with Trenton as our guide! We would recommend a trip to Big Thunder Mining to anyone passing through this cute town! We also enjoyed an amazing view on the way in while their maintenance guy was painting the floor. Totally unexpected and we didn't even have to pay extra! (See photo) Seriously, though, it was a great time! read more

Big Thunder Gold Mine - Mining under a full moon is the best! - Tours Near Me - Keystone, South Dakota

Quite a fun experience for our family. We panned for gold, toured the mine, and made several purchases in the gift store. The kids loved panning, we all thought the tour fascinating, and the tour guide was phenomenal! The woman working the checkout was so sweet and helpful, explaining so many things. The two young gentlemen who did the tour and panning with us were funny and friendly. The only thing bringing down to four stars was the older female employee (owner?) who lectured my husband on the mask he was wearing and that it wouldn't do anything to protect him. For someone to lecture paying customers was a little over the top and unnecessary. read more

This was great! The tour through the mine and out was about an hour. Very interesting and informative. Also fun for the kids. The tour guide was sure to keep it fun for them too. My LOs are 7 and 4 and they loved it. After the tour we panned for about an hour. Found a bit of gold and great time for the whole family. read more

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The folks working were super nice and accommodating to our group, even altering parts of the mine tour to ensure everyone was comfortable. Interesting mining facts and panning for a few bits of gold was fun. Beware of the .25 horse ride - that is the most violent kiddie ride I've ever been on in my life. It did however make for an epic YouTube video. Not a bad way to kill an hour or so in Hill City. #BeAwesome ~ chase read more

Loved this tour and gold mining. Took a tour with jake and he was funny, informant, and let the tourist be hands on. I loved panning for gold as an adult and would have stayed for another 3 hours of hubby hadn't pulled me away. Even found gold so that was a nice souvenir read more

Big Thunder Gold Mine - Tours Near Me - Keystone, South Dakota

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First of all, let's give a big shoutout to my favorite tour guide: Draven. He knew every question that was asked, and he had a great sense of humor. Did I also mention that he was very cute?? He showed all the kids in our family how to find gold with the gold pans, too! The tour was very informative and it really painted a picture of how gold mining worked. We had an unforgettable time at Big Thunder Gold Mine and hope to go again soon! P.s. #GiveDravenARaise read more

These folks do a very nice job here. You should not be disappointed. We went here because a youngster in our party loves rocks and minerals and really, really, really wanted to pan for gold. So pan for gold we did! Be aware, they are pretty small flakes. When you buy a tray you will have some gold in the tray. We also found gold in the trough down below. Yes, it is kind of set up for you but in reality that's what makes it fun because in a relatively short period of time you will have some gold and also learn how to pan. We were there on a beautiful, mild sunny day which helped make the time there that much better with the stream running by as you pan for gold. The staff was really nice and helpful. There is a mine? or something like that, that you can have a tour of but we didn't do that. Check it out. It was a lot of fun for all of us. read more

We are from Illinois and we had a great time! Trenton was our guide and ge was very helpful in all that we did, we did the half day tour and we did find gold, not enough to make us rich lol but my kids age 11 and 8 had fun climbing and sifting through the dirt! Defiantly a must if you like the outdoors! Thank you Trenton!!! read more

We did the half day panning for gold at a creek. I tried to book the day off online. The website said to call. I called and the clerk said I needed to make reservations 24 hours in advance. I told him I looked online and there said there was an available spot. He took my number and said the owner would call me back. She called and I booked a spot (same day). I think I was lucky. I would call 24hrs + to make reservations. My wife and boys went (9 and 12). You drive out of town 4 miles, park and walk .5 miles to the site. Trenton then got us going. Trenton is very knowledgeable and willing to help. I walked about 100 feet up a hill and dug two 5 gallon buckets of dirt. You are digging the tailings from previous miners. I brought the buckets down, washed rocks/dirt and the kids/mom ran the dirt through the sluce box. In about 3 hours we found about 20 small flakes of gold. No your not going to get Rich. It was a neat experience and everyone enjoyed it. read more

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