Breckenridge: Country Boy Mine Tour, Gold Panning & Burros

Summary

Explore Breckenridge’s historic mine tunnels pan for gold meet burros

You’ll walk deep inside an original Breckenridge gold mine with a local guide, try your luck at gold panning (and keep what you find), meet friendly burros roaming around the site, and maybe even take a dusty ride down an old ore chute. Expect some laughs, cold hands, and stories you’ll remember long after.

What’s the experience like?

We were already halfway into the mountain before I realized how quiet it got — just our boots crunching on gravel and the low voice of our guide echoing off the damp walls. He’d been working at Country Boy Mine for years, knew every weird creak and draft in those tunnels. The air was cool and smelled faintly metallic, which I guess makes sense underground. Sometimes he’d stop to point out old drill marks or a rusty cart, and you could almost picture what it must’ve been like here in 1887. I kept touching the rough wooden beams overhead without really thinking — they felt cold and solid, like they’d last another hundred years.

After we came back up blinking in the sunlight, there was this battered tin pan waiting for me by the creek. Gold panning isn’t as easy as it looks — my hands kept getting numb from the water (which was freezing even in summer), but when I finally saw a tiny fleck glittering at the bottom of my pan, I got way too excited. Our guide laughed and said most people do. You get to keep whatever you find, which is honestly pretty fun even if you’re just taking home a speck or two. There was a family next to us whose little girl shrieked every time she found “gold” — I think she ended up with more mud than anything else.

The burros wandered around near the edge of things, kind of ignoring us unless someone had snacks. One of them tried to nudge my backpack open while I was distracted (they’re smarter than they look). I didn’t expect to end up petting donkeys on a day trip to a gold mine near Breckenridge, but that’s how it goes sometimes. And yeah — sliding down the old ore chute was faster than I thought; my jeans were full of dust after but it made us all laugh.

I still think about that moment underground when everything went quiet except for our breathing and the drip-drip somewhere deeper in the tunnel. It’s not something you can really photograph — just one of those odd memories that sticks around longer than you expect.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Explore Country Boy Mine and activities

• Join underground gold mine tour
• Gold pan for real gold
• Slide down 55 foot ore chute
• Pet and feed friendly burros
• Explore historic mine site exhibits
• Visit the general store

Top questions

How far is Country Boy Mine from downtown Breckenridge?

It’s about 2 miles from downtown Breckenridge in Summit County.

Is gold panning included in the tour?

Yes, hands-on gold panning is included and you keep any gold you find.

Are there animals at Country Boy Mine?

Yes, there are friendly burros (miniature donkeys) on site during summer months.

How long is the underground mine tour?

The guided underground portion covers about 1,000 feet inside the mine.

Is pickup included for this day trip to Country Boy Mine?

No hotel pickup is mentioned; public transportation options are nearby.

Can children participate in this tour?

The tour is family-friendly but not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries or poor cardiovascular health.

What’s included

Your visit includes entry fees for Country Boy Mine, an expert local guide leading your underground tour through historic tunnels, hands-on gold panning where you keep what you find, access to meet and pet burros during summer months, plus time to explore exhibits and try sliding down the ore chute before heading back toward Breckenridge.