The search is on for this year’s Utah Treasure Hunt, which has a prize of $25,000 for the first person to find it. To help adventurers in the hunt, organizers have been dropping hints on social media. 

The Utah Treasure Hunt has become a beloved event for treasure hunters since the first one in 2020, with a prize of $5,000. Each summer since, organizers David Cline and John Maxim release a riddle for hunters to solve – leading them to a treasure chest with a QR code inside to claim the winnings. Whoever solves all the clues and finds the chest this year will win the $25,000 prize.

Cline and Maxim dropped this year’s riddle on June 15 – with a twist. It’s in Spanish, making it the first time it’s been in another language. It reads: 

“Si sufres dolor que se cura con oro

Busca el atajo donde canta el coro

Encuentra el lugar por el cual se nombra

Dale la vuelta y sigue la sombra

¿dónde aprendes a oler el helado?

¿O comimos langostas en el pasado?

Cuando vuelves a mirar el amanecer

Sigue derecho, lo puede hacer

Mira los números como si fueras un cuervo

La edad cuando el llegó es lo que observo

Ahora estás cerca, una última pista

Muévete al lugar con la mejor vista”

— Utah Treasure Hunt

Each Friday that the treasure is still at large, new clues are released via email. In addition to clues, Cline and Maxim also noted in this Friday’s email that they’re seeing progress being made.

“Over the last few weeks we have seen some great solves. The poem hunt is like a big puzzle. You can only find the chest when each correct piece is fit all together. The difficult part is distinguishing between the correct and incorrect pieces. The good news is we are beginning to see a lot of correct pieces out there,” they wrote.

Hint #1:

“At an average pace, the treasure chest is between a 0-90 minute hike from where you leave the car. There is no need to venture too far.” 

Hint #2: 

“The only pop culture reference in the poem is to The Goonies.” 

Hint #3: 

“Captain Sparrow, Long John Silver and Indiana Jones all needed ways to measure distance. In order to know exactly where to step off the trail, you will need to measure distance too. And although you could pace it off, we recommend something more modern. Google Maps has one built into the app (It’s the one we used when we hid it). Remember line 9 in the poem about the crow. The photo below is just an example of what it looks like.” 

Cline and Maxim also included a few tips they’d like hunters to remember: 

• Remember that we will never hide the chest anywhere you would need to pay to access. 

• We’ve been reminding everyone since the beginning, but the most dangerous part of this hunt is the heat. So stay hydrated and plan accordingly.

While the treasure is still out there, you can sign up for future clues through the Utah Treasure Hunt website and follow @the.cline.fam and @onthejohn on Instagram.