This season someone hits the motherlode. Todd doubles down with two claims, twice the crew and twice the gear. Dakota Fred’s glory hole is thought to contain millions in gold. Parker hires a new crew and sets his sights on new land.
Dave faces disaster when he finds his new claim is un-minable. Todd is thousands of dollars in the hole and the 1000 ounce goal looks impossible. The Dakota boys face the threat of historic floods and Parker desperately needs to secure new ground.
Todd does a deal on a new gold-rich claim to get Dave’s crew back in action.The Dakota boys hire new miners and one is quickly terminated. Todd junks his old washplant and Parker sets an unprecedented goal to get $40,000 worth of gold in his first week.
Todd’s chief investor arrives unannounced and threatens to pull the plug after he finds the mine at a standstill. Team Turin is plagued by melted permafrost and a broken dozer. Parker and the Dakota boys go to war over a bridge.
Todd’s chief investor demands to see 100 ounces of gold in the next three weeks. Parker’s crew goes into meltdown when he forces them to replace a bridge and Fred attempts to make a precision part for his vital excavator from a pile of scrap metal.
Todd finally takes delivery of the Turbo Trommel. Dave’s mine at Indian River could close if they can’t improve on their disastrous first clean up. The Dakota boys are forced to run second hand dirt and Parker sets a 50-ounce, $80,000 goal for the week.
Todd and his crew finally get to test the new Turbo Trommel. Dave pushes his crew to double their last clean out. The Dakota Boys receive a visit from an inspector with the power to shut down their mine and Parker brings in dynamite to blast a boulder.
Todd Hoffman faces closure if he fails to get 100 ounces of gold for his investor. The Dakota Boys believe they’ve finally found the elusive Glory Hole. Parker Schnabel uncovers the two-year mystery of Smith Creek just as his grandpa reveals bad news.
Parker finds out about the fate of his Grandpa. Todd has to rebuild his turbo trammel, Indian River faces a shutdown and the Dakota boys investigate whether the Glory Hole is truly an ancient waterfall.
Todd and Dave go to war over the dozer they both need to keep mining and Todd banks on finding virgin ground beneath a pile of dredge tailings. Parker faces a crew rebellion and Dakota Fred attacks the Glory Hole with his secret weapon- the bedrock shark.
Todd calls it quits on his turbo trommel and shuts down his Quartz Creek operation. Dave’s race to open a new cut leaves his dozer hanging over a cliff. Parker finally hits bedrock at Emerson Trench and two broken machines force Fred to go deeper in debt.
Todd forces his crew and Dave's crew to merge into one team. The Dakota Boys use their new equipment to get back down to the bottom of the Glory Hole. Parker risks his life to get paydirt from an abandoned mine site down a dangerous mountain road.
Tensions mount between the dayshift and nightshift as Todd pushes his men harder than ever. Parker battles his ancient washplant and the treacherous road from Discovery Claim while Dustin risks it all diving for hidden gold in the frozen glory hole water.
Todd pushes the Big Red washplant to near breaking point on his best ground yet. Fred and Dustin battle to save a broken down excavator as water floods the glory hole and Parker faces his worst nightmare as the dangerous mine road claims its first victim.
Out of Indian River paydirt, Todd comes up with a risky plan to hit his 1,000 ounce goal. A bad fall puts Fred out the game, leaving Dustin to dig the glory hole. Parker worries his season is over but his grandpa is convinced he’s near the motherlode.
Winter strikes and the miners wage the final battle for the mother lode. The Hoffmans pull out a secret weapon to thaw frozen gold-rich paydirt. Dustin plunges into the freezing waters of the Glory Hole and Parker mines the last ground at Big Nugget.