It was during her third trip to Utah that Chelsea Gotta finally found what she was looking for: a treasure chest containing $25,000. Gotta, who is the first out-of-state winner of the annual treasure hunt, found the chest in Bountiful on the Mueller Park Trail. 

It took a record 51 days for the treasure to be found and hundreds of people scoured Utah’s historic sites, looking for clues. This is the fourth year Utah Treasure Hunt has held the competition which started in 2020 as a way to get people outside during COVID.

“It just exploded and took off,” said John Maxim, co-founder of Utah Treasure Hunt. “We’ve seen the major positive impact it has on people. We’ve continued to do it and every year it gets a little bit more popular.”

After her second trip to Salt Lake, Gotta knew she was getting close to solving the puzzle. She took time off work to drive 16 hours from Pella, Iowa, to Utah to look for the treasure one last time.

She first thought it was in Hyrum at the Cache County Bank, and then thought it might be at Ensign Peak. When she realized Ensign Peak has a number 43 on its historic marker, she went 43 degrees from the peak which ran right across Mueller Park Trail. 

Studying a reference from a “Lord of the Rings” film, Gotta found the chest covered in debris at the base of a tree just off the trail. 

“I was crying like a big baby,” Gotta said in an Instagram interview with Maxim and his business partner David Cline. “I was so happy.”

Gotta has plans for the money, including giving some to a Fruit Heights family who helped her scour Ensign Peak. Then she’ll use some of the prize money to cover expenses she incurred during her trips to Utah. She also wants to use the money to hold her own treasure hunts in the hope that people who need the money will find it. 

This year’s hunt included a 12-line poem that took Maxim and Cline three months to put together. They released new clues every Friday but it was the most difficult hunt they’ve organized so far. 

The annual hunt is free for anyone to participate. Most of the prize money comes from the two men and Maxim said it’s getting a little expensive as they’ve increased the prize money each year. The treasure has grown from $5,000 in 2020 to this year’s $25,000. 

Maxim, a real estate mogul, and Cline, an author and investor, are looking for ways to raise money for future hunts. In August, they’ll hold a treasure trip at Zion National Park and in 2024, they’ll host a treasure hunt in Costa Rica. Visit www.utahtreasurehunts.com for more information. 

Even with the expense, the annual treasure hunt will continue because the organizers have heard such positive stories and experiences from the hunters. In fact, one couple met on a previous hunt and are expecting their first child. 

“It just kind of blows you away how much impact it has,” Maxim said. “We need to figure out a way for this to pay for itself because we can't really stop at this point. It’s been so powerful.”