Gold panning, or simply panning, is a form of placer mining and traditional mining that extracts gold from a placer deposit using a pan. The process is one of the simplest ways to extract gold, and is popular with geology enthusiasts especially because of its low cost and relative simplicity. Panning for gold in streams and rivers is a fun and exciting hobby that can result in occasional gold nuggets. Many people may think that it is a myth that there is gold in streams and rivers, but it is not a myth; there is gold there.

The best gold panning tools include differently-sized gold pans for the different stages of prospecting, classifiers, magnifying tweezers, a black sand magnet, crevice tools, picks, snuffer bottles, and vials to store the gold. Accessories include a backpack, a mesh bag, and a first-aid kit.