Last Chance Mining Museum
Last Chance Mining Museum
4
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Monday
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Friday
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
About
A collection of unique artifacts in a building original to the era that explores the history of the region's gold mining industry. Visit does not include entering a mine or gold panning. Attraction open seasonally, mid-May to mid-Sept., 2-5 pm. Thursday through Monday. $5, cash only. Requires a short walk across a bridge and up a hill.
Duration: < 1 hour
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
96 reviews
Excellent
31
Very good
31
Average
21
Poor
6
Terrible
7
Craig B
Sarasota, FL59 contributions
Jul 2022 • Friends
A hidden gem in Juneau. This was a wonderful experience to se and learn about mining in Juneau. The $5 admission fee is beyond reasonable for the return of value. If you are looking for something to do for a family, this is a great option, including the opportunity to pan for gold in the stream on the property.
Written 10 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Scott Griest
Manhattan Beach, CA563 contributions
Aug 2022 • Family
Cool little museum that appears to be family run. Emery for adults in $5 and we’re not charged for an 11 year old. Takes about 15 minutes to get through the museum.
Best part was purchasing a plastic gold pan kit for $8 and then actually panning and finding gold flakes in the river below.
Tip: Take taxi / ride share up to the mine and then walk back to town about 30 minutes, it’s beautiful.
Best part was purchasing a plastic gold pan kit for $8 and then actually panning and finding gold flakes in the river below.
Tip: Take taxi / ride share up to the mine and then walk back to town about 30 minutes, it’s beautiful.
Written 14 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dutch_Travel-R
San Diego, CA340 contributions
Jul 2011
The last chance museum is situated in the Last Chance Basin Historical District about a mile and a half up the hill from downtown Juneau. In fact you might want to skip the museum altogether and simply snoop around the area up and around the museum. The museum itself is relatively small. Quickly look around if this your thing, before you hand over your 4 dollars per person. Exploring outside is free. The terrain is steep, but you are awarded with great views. You will see ruins and old and rusty mining artefacts including a mining train and tracks just above the museum. Then hike the perseverance trail, which presumably runs along Alaska's first road. Not only of great historical significance, but also very scenic. Avoid the tours and gold panning demonstrations. You will enjoy it alot more as an independent traveler.
Written 21 July 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
crabapple58
Avon, CT190 contributions
Aug 2012 • Family
With two teens in tow, the hike from town to the mining museum was enchanting. The road is lined with water falls, wildflowers, trailheads, and views. The museum has some ancient machinery and good descriptions of mining life, geology, and Alaska. A little something for everyone. The 'keeper' is a former teacher and offers guidance and info freely. She sells simple gold mining pans and we spent 2 hours on the property' waters mining for gold in the warm sunshine. It is a prisitine location to spend a leisurely outdoor afternoon. The kids were thrilled they actually found some gold flecks!!
Written 1 September 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CaliforniaMomEncino
Encino, CA18 contributions
Instead of booking the expensive cruise ship excursions for our party of 6, we rented a mini-van from Rent-a-Wreck, drove to Mendenhall Glacier, and then over to this gem of a a little museum....saving 100s of $$. The artifacts were interesting , but my kids' ages 5 and 11) favorite part was buying $8 gold pans and taking them down to the river to look for gold. Their grandpa surreptitiously purchased a couple of $4 bottles of gold leaf flecks at the Mining Museum and poured them into their pans when they weren't looking....very exciting
Written 11 August 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RLRaceGirl
Sutter Creek, CA293 contributions
Extremely knowledgeable staff that debunked a lot of the rumor and "stories" that you hear on the Mt Roberts Tram or the other "Mining" tours. This the original mine, all the rest are the remains of this mine. We stayed on Basin on the way to the mine, and the cruise ships must sell a tour where you can pan for gold....because this is where all the little tour buses came for panning. Skip the panning for gold, donate the $4 and see all of the real history of that area.
Written 13 June 2008
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sandy T
Tampa, FL22 contributions
Sept 2016 • Couples
We arrived in Juneau by cruise ship and booked an excursion that left in the afternoon. We had time to kill so we went to the visitor center to inquire about things to see. We were told the Last Chance Mining Museum was good, but we would have to find a tour bus that would graciously allow us to ride with them. We figured there was no chance of that, so simply walked out and asked one of the cab drivers in the parking lot. No problem. We took an inexpensive cab ride up to the mountain, walked a very easy trail to the mining museum, paid a very low price to get in, and looked around and learned a lot about mining. It was very well done. The keeper of the mining museum told us a lot, answered all of our many questions.
My only disappointment was that we had to leave to get back for our excursion. Wish we didn't book one because we could have spent a lot of time at the mining museum. At the bottom of the hill is a parking lot and on the other side of the parking lot is a trail that leads to a beautiful waterfall. The walk is about 45 minutes. Due to time restraints, I only walked part of it, but it looked well worth it.
If you take a cab to the museum, make sure you arrange for a pick-up time. Cell phone coverage is iffy when trying to call for a return pick-up.
My only disappointment was that we had to leave to get back for our excursion. Wish we didn't book one because we could have spent a lot of time at the mining museum. At the bottom of the hill is a parking lot and on the other side of the parking lot is a trail that leads to a beautiful waterfall. The walk is about 45 minutes. Due to time restraints, I only walked part of it, but it looked well worth it.
If you take a cab to the museum, make sure you arrange for a pick-up time. Cell phone coverage is iffy when trying to call for a return pick-up.
Written 12 September 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TXJones
Dallas, TX30 contributions
We visited here with our 2 children ages 9 and 7. It was a great way to learn about the mining history in the area. We were able to buy a gold pan for $8 and go down and pan for gold at the same area the cruise ships take passengers. The area is beautiful and there are many hiking trails in the area as well.
Written 1 July 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
nxholbrook
Westerville, OH81 contributions
Aug 2018 • Friends
I saw the museum...it was over the bridge. That is not, however, why I went. I went for the gold panning. You should go for the gold panning.
Don't go here to learn about what the gold rushers did back in the 19th century - go to DO what the gold rushers did back in the 19th century - find gold.
I went there with a small selection of gold panning instruments and within minutes of getting my Eddie Bauer boots up to the ankles in frigid water I found gold.
Not a lot of gold, of course...but it is there. When was the last time you had an expedition where you could stick your hands into the water and pull out gold?
I wish I'd known about the gold panning before I'd planned my day. I would have planned instead to spend the entire day panning for gold.
I recommend tall boots, waterproof gloves, a small gold panning kit and a few towels. Maybe hip-high waders if you want to be adventurous.
Don't go here to learn about what the gold rushers did back in the 19th century - go to DO what the gold rushers did back in the 19th century - find gold.
I went there with a small selection of gold panning instruments and within minutes of getting my Eddie Bauer boots up to the ankles in frigid water I found gold.
Not a lot of gold, of course...but it is there. When was the last time you had an expedition where you could stick your hands into the water and pull out gold?
I wish I'd known about the gold panning before I'd planned my day. I would have planned instead to spend the entire day panning for gold.
I recommend tall boots, waterproof gloves, a small gold panning kit and a few towels. Maybe hip-high waders if you want to be adventurous.
Written 9 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JimFinPortland
Seattle, WA163 contributions
Sept 2014 • Couples
This museum is in the last remaining building of an old mine. I believe it was also the largest of the buildings of the mine.
PLEASE BE WARNED... the museum keeps strange hours. I think the hours during our visit were 9:30am-12:30pm and 3:00pm-6:30pm. We didn't know that and hiked up to the museum from old town and they weren't yet open for the afternoon. Please also be warned that access would be difficult for anyone with impaired mobility.
It's a couple of miles walk up Basin Road from old Juneau (take Gold Street to Basin Road) and the last few blocks in the city are quite steep. Then the road becomes unpaved and goes up a canyon. It's a beautiful walk, whether or not you go to the museum. You can drive the road if you have a car.
I think most people visit as part of a tour.
The inexpensive ($4) admission is well worth the price, but I didn't find the museum to be presented very well. There's a lot of stuff, but not a lot of information about the stuff.
PLEASE BE WARNED... the museum keeps strange hours. I think the hours during our visit were 9:30am-12:30pm and 3:00pm-6:30pm. We didn't know that and hiked up to the museum from old town and they weren't yet open for the afternoon. Please also be warned that access would be difficult for anyone with impaired mobility.
It's a couple of miles walk up Basin Road from old Juneau (take Gold Street to Basin Road) and the last few blocks in the city are quite steep. Then the road becomes unpaved and goes up a canyon. It's a beautiful walk, whether or not you go to the museum. You can drive the road if you have a car.
I think most people visit as part of a tour.
The inexpensive ($4) admission is well worth the price, but I didn't find the museum to be presented very well. There's a lot of stuff, but not a lot of information about the stuff.
Written 5 October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi! Do you happen to know if the museum rents gold panning equipment? One less thing we would have to bring. There are 7 of us. Thank you!
Written 11 March 2019
No. I did not see nor notice any rental of gold panning equipment at museum.
Written 12 March 2019
What does it cost to enter?
Is there a phone number one can call for info?
Thanks
Written 27 March 2017
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