![yankee fork dredge yankee fork dredge](https://cdn.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/5271405429_c089457f56_b-700x525.jpg)
The Bonanza Ghost town is actually before the Yankee Fork Gold Dredge when heading north. Overall, I would totally recommend the gold dredge tour. Only the manager of the dredge had access to the gold sluice room. There were large gold sluice boxes where the material would collect and then be sold to the US government. The entire purpose of the gold dredge was to find gold within the material it was churning and sifting. The entire gold dredge was powered by large diesel engines that powered numerous electrical motors found throughout the rig. Once it had completed a swing, it would move up the river. The entire machine was anchored to the river bed with a large spike and would swoop back and forth churning up the ground as it went. The machine itself was pretty impressive and you can tour it in the summer. The Yankee Fork Gold Dredge dug about 35 feet into the ground and required about 11 feet of water to float. It digs deep in the group in front of it, processing the material and spitting it out the back as tailings. It mostly looks like large piles of rocks on either side of the road.Ī gold dredge works by floating in a self-made pond and working its way up a river. There are tailings from the mining operation for about 6 miles. It was active during the middle of the last century and destroyed a large portion of the Yankee Fork of the Salmon River valley. The road wasn’t paved but was in very good shape and our Subaru made it up there with no problem. The gold dredge was about 5 miles from our camp ground. We decided to visit the Yankee Gold Dredge on our second day. The view from Lower Stanley always takes my breath away. We were also close enough to Stanley for me to run in and get some essentials while Sarah mountain biked. It was quiet at night and even had a pit toilet and stream across the road. Our campground had no privacy and was right on the road that led to the gold dredge, Bonanza and Custer. There is a little cafe and some hot springs near by. We checked several camp grounds but finally picked Flat Rock campground north of Sunbeam, Idaho. It’s popular this time of year but it seemed more popular than ever. There were more RVs, campers and tents than I have ever seen in and around Stanley. Finding a Camping SpotĪfter a couple months of lockdown, it seemed like the entire area came out to the Stanley Basin. Our goal was to head up past Stanley to camp near the Bonanza and Custer Ghost towns. It’s one of the busiest weekends in our area as everyone heads out to the Wood River Valley and Stanely Basin. We decided to head north for our extended 4th of July weekend.