UPDATE: Sunday May 14th @ 4:00 PM - SOLD OUT...AGAIN! UPDATE: Wednesday April 12th @ 11:00 AM - 2 spots just opened up! UPDATE: Thursday January 26th @ 1:30 PM - SOLD OUT UPDATE: Tuesday January 10th @ 11:10 AM - 2 of 20 spots remaining UPDATE: Sunday January 8th @ 9:15 AM - 4 of 20 spots remaining UPDATE: Friday January 6th @ 9:10 AM - 7 of 20 spots remaining
OUR 2023 GETAWAY IS OFFICIALLY SOLD OUT! GET ON OUR EMAIL LIST AND BE THE FIRST TO FIND OUT ABOUT OUR NEXT TRIP!
Everyone gets a lesson in school about the California Gold Rush. The teachers told us that only fools (like us!) hunt for gold – and that the smart folks “mine the miners.”
Some of us even learned about the Klondike Gold Rush. It had such an impact on the state that Alaskans still use words that originated in the Yukon like “cheechako” and “sourdough.”
But no one learned about the Nome Gold Rush.
The Nome Gold Rush was Alaska’s real gold rush. And it was really rich.
The early Nome prospectors in 1898 rocked 20 ounces of gold a day out of Anvil Creek with a simple wooden box.
Not even Google can tell you that Anvil Creek has produced 5 of Alaska’s 10 largest gold nuggets.
And the open secret is this: the Nome Gold Rush is still on at Anvil Creek.
Here’s the craziest part: you can mine gold there yourself. And you can keep it.
A mother and son own all those historic claims on Anvil Creek. Their names are Augie and Betty Krutzsch and they run AKAU Alaska Gold & Resort.
Augie and Betty are in the business of helping a few hundred lucky guests live the Nome Gold Rush each summer.
In the last 10 years of operation, guests at AKAU Gold & Resort have found nuggets that weighed at least 1 troy ounce each year. And that’s not including the countless smaller nuggets found, or the finer gold recovered in Augie’s top-of-the-line dredges and highbankers.
Emily’s known Augie since she first set foot in Nome a decade ago. We’ve met dozens of their guests over the years and have heard nothing but a chorus of reviews like these:
It’s made us take notice of the great work they’re doing up there, and led us to ask a series of questions like:
- How do we fulfill our mission at Bering Sea Paydirt of helping folks to “Know Your Miner, Know Your Gold”?
- What’s better than introducing folks to gold mining techniques on one of Alaska’s richest, most historic gold claims?
- Why not give people a chance to prospect gold with experienced miner and tv star Emily Riedel?
- And finally, why shouldn’t we call Augie right now and organize a trip?
The answer to those questions was clear. We needed to make this trip happen.
We’re excited to announce that Bering Sea Paydirt and Emily Riedel are teaming up with AKAU Alaska Gold & Resort to take 20 people on an all-inclusive expedition to the heart of the Nome Gold Rush in July 2023!
“All-inclusive” means we provide housing, local transportation, food, mining equipment, and activities. You’re only responsible for your plane ticket and beer.
AKAU is loaded with activities and provides guests with 4-wheelers, fishing excursions, and historic tours along with every piece of mining equipment you can imagine.
Oh, and we’re offering all 20 guests an exclusive inside look at the operation of the M/V Eroica, as seen on Discovery Channel’s Bering Sea Gold!
Now how much should this trip like this cost?
Well, look up any 7-day all-inclusive backcountry Alaskan lodge vacation package. You’ll get a price of at least $5,000.
But those trips don’t offer the chance to hang out with a tv star for a week.
And those trips don’t offer the chance to mine gold from rich ground with state-of-the-art mining equipment and keep it.
So we thought, in order to keep it fair, we’d price the trip at…
…$4,975.
Wait, what? Emily’s not charging people extra to “grace them with her presence?”
First of all, it surprises most people how down-to-earth and approachable Emily is for being a “reality tv star” for over a decade. You’ll learn that when you meet her.
And second, we have one simple ambition. We want our trip to be the best value offered in the entire state of Alaska.
There’s stiff competition here in this beautiful state, but we promise you this:
None of your friends taking a cruise, visiting the Kenai Fjords or taking the train to Denali are going to have half the experience, or the stories to tell, that you will on this one-of-a-kind trip.
They’ll get some nice pictures of whales, sure, but you’ll be teaching your friends and family how the dredge really works when you’re watching the next season of Bering Sea Gold, and telling them stories from your time hanging with Emily.
And you’ll be able to show them gold you mined with your own hands!
Unfortunately, with only 20 spots available, I am sure that not everyone who wants to come will be able to.
We’re booking people on a first-come-first-serve basis and a qualitative basis.
What does that mean?
That means if you’re reading this, you need to book today if you want a chance to join us.
We will also be choosing the people who we think are the best fit for our trip. So for the best chance of joining us take some time to read the booking instructions. Write us a blurb about the people in your party. And please include social media profiles if possible!
We want to feel like we know the people who are coming, because we only have a week to turn 20 strangers into friends. Help us get a head start. The more you can tell us about yourselves, the better!
Here are the details:
Amenities
Augie’s been building AKAU for 10 years now. He and his mom got started it in 2012, the exact same year Emily started dredging for gold in the Bering Sea.
The gold was always there, but they’ve grown a ton in terms of offering real comfort and value to guests.
Rooms have 2 people in each. If you come with a friend or a partner we will obviously put you together! Some rooms have 1 queen-sized bed and some have 2 twin beds.
If you come alone, you will be asked to share a room with someone. We will match you as well as we can based on our assessment of personality and interests.
There are communal bathrooms for everyone with hot showers and running, drinkable water at the camp.
There are also 2 separate cabin suites with their own restrooms. Those are $600 extra for the week. (Update 1/6/23: THESE CABIN SUITES HAVE BEEN BOOKED)
Read more about AKAU’s amenities in this PDF:
Itinerary
The itinerary is flexible to accommodate the desires of the group. The cool thing about AKAU is they have a ton of activity options, which I’ll cover in the next section.
The way it works is we’ll have a few pre-planned activities and then folks will basically vote on what we do for the week.
Emily will join the group in some capacity each day. Whether that’s for meals, mining, or a tour!
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served daily at 6:30am-7:30am, 12:00pm-1:00pm and 6:30pm-7:30pm.
| Friday, July 7th | Check-in Orientation/Meet & Greet Emily Riedel @ 5:30 pm Dinner @ 6:30 pm |
| Saturday, July 8th | Learn to use mining gear with Emily Riedel @ 9:00 am Group decides activities Talent show with Emily Riedel 7:30pm-9:00pm |
| Sunday, July 9th | Group decides activities |
| Monday, July 10th | Group decides activities |
| Tuesday, July 11th | Group decides activities |
| Wednesday, July 12th | Group decides activities |
| Thursday, July 13th | Check-out @ 12:00 pm |
Activity Options
During orientation on Friday we’ll have everyone sign-up for 3 or 4 activities they want to do, and then we’ll come up with a custom schedule for the week.
Special activities with Emily & Alex
- Tour of the Eroica dredge operation
Gold Prospecting
- Intro to gold panning
- Intro to Gold Cube
- Intro to highbanking
- Intro to metal detecting (**Emily’s Recommendation**)
- Stream gold dredging
- Slick plate
ATV/4-wheeler Tours
- Sledge Creek mining excursions
- Historical Tours: Anvil Mountain and Dredge 5
- Beach & Ocean Dredges (**Emily’s Recommendation**)
Road Trips
- Teller culture & historical
- Pilgrim Hot Springs
- Last Train to Nowhere, Safety Roadhouse, last check point for Iditarod (**Emily’s Recommendation**)
- Beach glass, town, museum, gift shop, restaurant/bars
Fishing
- Shore of Snake or Nome River
- Boat, upper Snake or Nome River (limited spots)
How much will I see Emily?
Emily here.
I’m committed to spending the week with the folks on this trip (already thinking about which song I’m going to sing at our talent show) and personally giving you each a tour of the Eroica operation.
An important thing to note is that we are still running a commercial dredging operation while you’re here. July is high time for mining gold, so Alex and the crew will be going out and mining gold as the weather permits. I will be stepping away from my gold mining responsibilities as much as possible for this week, but the dredge never sleeps, and gold must be found!
With that said, we’re going to ask you to be flexible concerning the Eroica tour. We may do our tour at odd hours or spontaneously.
I’m also committed to joining you to find gold at AKAU and attend organized activities! I will not be at all actvities, especially ones that are remote or take a full day. I have a small daughter at home and many activities around Nome will take me out of cell phone service!
Since there are 20 of you I will try to be deliberate about getting face time with everyone.
I’m committed to welcoming you to Nome, giving each guest a tour of the Eroica, spending time with guests at organized activities around the AKAU camp, and joining some meals throughout the week.
FAQs for Emily
Can I take a picture with you/will you sign this thing? Yes! I’m happy to take photos with guests and sign things.
Can you introduce me to other cast members of Bering Sea Gold or bring them to the camp? Unfortunately not – this is peak mining season, and they’re busy hunting that shiny G! But you might run into them around town. Nome is a small place!
Can I buy some gold from you? Yes! We will sell guests of on this trip gold from the Eroica at spot price if they want to buy some as a souvenir.
Can I see where you live/your cleanup shack? I’m sorry, but I can’t bring guests to tour either of these places for various reasons.
Will we get something to take home with us? Yes! Alex and I are designing custom Carhartt Rain Defender hoodies for this trip to give each guest at no extra cost. It’s what we wear to work each day because we think it’s the perfect hoodie for wrenching on a motor in the chilly Alaskan summer. We’ll give it to you on your first day!
FAQs for AKAU Gold & Resort
Can I keep the gold I find? Yes, all the gold you find is yours!
Can my kids come? We usually welcome kids 10 and up. However, for the younger ones (under 13) we like to have a discussion with guests about the realities and dangers of a trip to bush Alaska with children to make sure it’s a good fit for the family.
Rates, Dates & Terms
Cost: $4,975 per adult – 7 days/6 nights
Kids: If kids will be staying in your room, AKAU charges $1,700-$1,800 per child for the week. It’s up to Betty and Augie to determine the final rate!
Check-in: Friday, July 7th, 2023 (Fly in on morning or afternoon flight)
Check-out: Thursday, July 13th, 2023 12:00PM
Upgrade to Cabin Suite with dedicated bathrooms: +$600 to total cost (Update 1/6/23: THESE CABIN SUITES HAVE BEEN BOOKED)
Will I have to pay extra for certain activities? No! Besides the trip cost, you will only be responsible for airfare and beer!
Guests at AKAU normally have to pay extra for each activity. It’s $700 for a 4-wheeler. Oh, and it’s $200 for a metal detector. And $95 a day for a kayak. And the tours and fishing expeditions cost extra. And you have to buy your own hoodie (which we’re making custom-making for each one of you).
And the chance to hang out with Emily for a week and get a dedicated tour of the Eroica? That’s not on the menu for any AKAU guests that aren’t on this trip.
The chance to buy gold straight from the Eroica at spot price? That’s not even available to our families!
All the activities that normal AKAU guests have to pay extra for are included in the price of this trip. We’re giving you the run of all the fun activities AKAU Gold & Resort has to offer and then some!
Tax is included in the trip price. Prices are per person, based on double occupancy. Trip price includes all meals, accommodations and activities as noted. Trip price does not include airfare, alcoholic beverages, gratuities to staff, or items of a personal nature.
Payment Policies
All trip prices are based on double occupancy. We accept checks, cashier’s check or credit card. MasterCard, Visa and Discover. There is a 3% surcharge for credit cards.
| Payment Schedule: | Amount Due per Person: |
| 61+ days prior to departure (Before May 7th): | $2,000 |
| Within 60 days (May 7th): | 100% of total |
Reservations made within 60 days must be guaranteed with MasterCard, Visa or Discover. Late payments may result in releasing your reservation and rebooking will be subject to availability. Cancellation fees will apply.
We recommend that you purchase travel insurance.
Cancellation & Refund Policy
Our policies go into effect upon receipt of deposit. Non-appearance for program will result in no refund.
If trip is cancelled before March 1st, $1,000 (half of deposit) will be refunded.
No refunds will be made on individual features, activities or sightseeing voluntarily omitted by the participant. No refunds for unused services will be issued. Our tours operate rain or shine.
We recommend that you purchase a travel protection plan to help protect you and your travel investment against the unexpected. Travel protection plans can include coverage for Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption, Emergency Medical and Emergency Evacuation/Repatriation, Trip Delay, Baggage Delay and more.
Flight Info
Flights come into Nome twice a day from Anchorage. One lands around lunchtime and one lands around dinner. It’s a 737 jet, so you don’t have to take a bush plane to get here.
Book Your Trip
UPDATE: Sunday May 14th @ 4:00 PM - SOLD OUT...AGAIN! UPDATE: Wednesday April 12th @ 11:00 AM - 2 spots just opened up! UPDATE: Thursday January 26th @ 1:30 PM - SOLD OUT UPDATE: Tuesday January 10th @ 11:10 AM - 2 of 20 spots remaining UPDATE: Sunday January 8th @ 9:15 AM - 4 of 20 spots remaining UPDATE: Friday January 6th @ 9:10 AM - 7 of 20 spots remaining
OUR 2023 GETAWAY IS OFFICIALLY SOLD OUT! GET ON OUR EMAIL LIST AND BE THE FIRST TO FIND OUT ABOUT OUR NEXT TRIP!
Important – READ CAREFULLY: Due to the demand for this trip we may not be able to include everyone who wants to come. We are choosing folks for our getaway on a first come/first serve basis as well as making sure they’re a good match for the group.
This is not a Taylor Swift concert – you won’t miss your opportunity if you book 2 seconds after the next person! But you might miss it if you wait even a day or two to reach out!
It’s important to us to get to know the people who are coming on this trip a little bit before they land in Nome. The more you can tell us about yourself, the better chance you have of securing a spot. So please take a few minutes (you don’t have to write a novel) to tell us about yourselves include social media profiles of members of your party if possible!
Secure your trip by emailing info@AkAuGold.com and paying your $2,000 deposit. Please do NOT call AKAU Gold & Resort – the email is an important part of the process.
- Specify “Emily’s Trip” or “Gold Rush Getaway 2023” in the subject of your email
- Tell us the number of people in your party
- Tell us the names of people (First & Last) in your party
- Contact phone number
- Tell us a bit about your party, where you’re from, and why you want to come. Please include a Facebook or Instagram or Linkedin profiles if you can. You don’t have to write a novel! A paragraph would be fine!
- The men’s hoodie sizes of people in your party (for our special custom Carhartt Rain Defender hoodies we’re making for each guest!)
- Any allergies or special dietary requirements?
- Does anyone in your party have physical disabilities that would require special accommodations? i.e. wheelchairs
- Are there any children in your party? If so, how old are they?
Who do I call if I have a problem or a question?
Please call AKAU Gold & Resort at 1-760-500-1329 with any questions or issues. They will handle all booking, finances, activities, accommodations, and everything else. As the camp operators Augie and Betty have the knowledge and the staff to handle any issue or question that arises!
Please do not contact Emily or Bering Sea Paydirt with trip questions, concerns, or to book. She gets lots of messages, and may not even see yours!
Maps & Locations
Link to AKAU Gold & Resort on Google Maps
AKAU Gold & Resort is 6.5 miles from the Nome airport. It’s about a 15 minute car ride to get there passing through the heart of the Pomrenke Mining Compound!
Sign Up for our Newsletter for the Latest Guides, News and More!
- Tasmania’s Crazy Gold Law: You Can Find It, But The Government Keeps It - May 1, 2023
- ‘The next two days reshaped what I thought was possible with gold prospecting in Tasmania’ – Rob Parsons Finds $10,000 in Gold in Hours with “Lazy Technique” - April 16, 2023
- Lode, Placer, and Alluvial, oh my! Which type of gold should I mine? - March 7, 2023
I love watching your videos if I could afford to get to Alaska i would be there tomorrow I wish you al the best this year forever your friend Ricky Quillen
Love watching you on Bearing Sea Gold. Spent 3 weeks there in 2010 and had a great time.
Holy smokes that was a lot to read😂😂
You guys teach me how to mine gold!!
And I’ll teach you how to heavy haul on the Ice👍👍
Thanks Todd dewey from ICE ROAD TRUCKERS history !!
Good idea guys 👍👍
Hi Miss Riedel, sorry for bad English, i am from germany, and english not the speak that i everyday use…..
i am an german electrician, i see you a long time on tv and i realy want to work for you, have you a job?
when you have a job, fuck germany and so on, nome is a place to live, working and silence and nobody “auf deutsch: geht einem auf den sack”. Your Great business woman, with nice man and kid, you where boss of lifetime! Steve Riedel like a little bit crazy…..
This is an amazing opportunity!
Wish I had the opportunity to join you guys!
Wow Emily you have takin gold mining too a level unheard of. Well done. I hope too see you guys next year.
Mates,
Throughout my life, I had many many hobbies. Now as a senior citizen (a.k.a. old fart), and after some health-related twists and turns, I followed my late father’s legacy and discovered precious metals recovering and refining. The best place in the US to mine gold is here in South Florida (if you go dumpster diving or to landfills to scrap eWaste and others).
Watching Emily, Alex, and all the gang over the years, I was fascinated, then they created their eCommerce.
I ordered most of everything that contains gold from them, every form.
The paydirt is world-class, second to none. No other seller out there gets even closer because of the realistic experience: sand from the Bering Sea being the actual pay dirty the gang processes.
The packaging is PHENOMENAL, I collect all of them, everything inside and outside (even a handful of sand from each order).
WORSE: the family sent me signed pictures wishing my family happy holidays, which shows how much they care for their audience, fans, and customers. One time I ordered a package within the “buy in the next 30 min and receive an autographed picture) thing, mine came without an autograph. I mentioned this in social media, my next order came not with one, not with 2, but 3 pictures and a lot of stickers.
Guys, I do not know what you say, but all of you should be shouting out to everyone else who likes to buy fake pay dirty to go on and switch immediately to this beautiful trio that makes Em’s family.
THANK YOU GUYS!! As much as my older years’ budget permits, I will continue to be your customer ’till the day I day (possibly even further, who knows …. hehehehe)