Lemmenjoki Lapland gold

Above the Arctic Circle in the wilderness of Finnish Lapland, the Lemmenjoki and Ivalojoki rivers had a real gold rush in the 1870s, and, remarkably, you can still pan them, Finland hosts the world gold-panning championships, and a few hardy prospectors still work the remote creeks each brief summer. The gold is coarse enough that Lapland has produced some famous nuggets. PUBLIC national park, but panning inside it is only permitted in the gold panning areas that comply with the Mining Act, not on any creek you fancy; this is deep, roadless, mosquito-thick country reached on foot or by boat.