Pacific Ridge Drilling at Mariposa Starts in White Gold District

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - June 21, 2011) - Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:PEX) (the "Company") reports that diamond drilling is now underway on the Pacific Ridge Mariposa Gold Property located in the Yukon's White Gold District. This 4,000 metre diamond drilling program comprises a significant part of Pacific Ridge's $3 million Phase 1 exploration budget. There is no history of previous drilling at Mariposa.

Diamond drilling will test the Skookum Jim and Hackly zones, two of five gold-in soils geochemical anomalies defined in 2010 within the 262 square kilometre Mariposa Property. It is currently estimated that the initial drill program will be comprised of 20 to 25 drill holes.

Initial drilling will be directed to the 3500 metre by 600 metre Skookum Jim target containing gold-in-soil anomalies ranging from 100 to 1,570 ppb (parts per billion) gold that are coincident with magnetic and electromagnetic geophysical anomalies interpreted to represent underlying structures. The Skookum Jim target is in a favorable geological setting that hosts coincident geochemical and geophysical signatures that are also associated with gold mineralization recently discovered elsewhere within the White Gold District. Trenching conducted by Pacific Ridge in 2010, within the anomaly further confirmed the presence of gold with composite rock sample results of up to 1.25 g/t gold over 30 metres of strongly fractured, brecciated and oxidized rock. A strongly oxidized hematitic rock sample in the trenching area also returned 8.1 g/t gold.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

John S. Brock, President and CEO

Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd.

Forward-Looking Information

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address exploration drilling and other activities and events or developments that Pacific Ridge Exploration Ltd. ("Pacific Ridge") expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the placements and future exploration plans and expenditures. Although Pacific Ridge believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include market prices, exploration successes, and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. These statements are based on a number of assumptions including, among other things, assumptions regarding general business and economic conditions, the timing and receipt of regulatory and governmental approvals for the transactions described herein, the ability of Pacific Ridge and other parties to satisfy stock exchange and other regulatory requirements in a timely manner, the availability of financing for Pacific Ridge's proposed transactions and programs on reasonable terms, and the ability of third party service providers to deliver services in a timely manner. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Pacific Ridge does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.