$25,000 is up for grabs as 6th annual Utah Treasure Hunt begins with first hint

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — It’s time to get outside and start the hunt, Utah! Another $25,000 is hidden somewhere in Utah’s beautiful landscape, and it’s up for grabs for the first person to crack the code and track it down.

The Utah Treasure Hunt, a beloved annual tradition organized by David Cline and John Maxim, kicked off on Sunday, July 6, with the first hint. That hint can be found below:

Begin your search where fabled words resound

Before the standing stairs and kings were crowned

Trace the steps of the lionhearted teams

Only outshone by a jewles unyielding gleam

If you get lost just follow the arrow

As you play peek-a-boo with the pharaoh

Store all these new memories inside the bank

But stay far from the edge when you walk the plank

Whistle with Pricess Peach this simple tune

While you listen to dark of the moon

The treasure is near now check if you’re alone

And discover the chest between two stones
Utah Treasure Hunt 2025 Hint #1

Astute hunters were quick to notice the misspelling of “Princess” in the ninth line of the opening poem for the hunt. One commenter on Instagram asked if it was purposefully misspelled, to which Maxim replied, “I’m so embarrassed.” He later added, “YES, ‘Pricess’ is supposed to be ‘Princess’ that was a typo that we caught and then forgot to edit.”

Maxim’s response, however, did not stop another commenter from theorizing that the treasure could be found in Price.

The Utah Treasure Hunt has become an annual summer tradition in the Beehive State. In 2024, the $25,000 prize was found by a father-and-son duo, who cracked the riddle to find the chest full of cash along Grove Creek Trail in Pleasant Grove.

The treasure hunting tradition started in the summer of 2020 with a modest prize of $5,000, and it has since grown every year with more money “buried” in Utah’s wilderness and even more hunters getting outside to track it down.

“When we started, it was just a fun, awesome thing to do during COVID to get people out. But then, as we’ve done it, it’s created a pretty unique community of treasure hunters, and it has a really positive impact on people,” Maxim previously told ABC4.com.

The treasure hunt is free and open to everyone of all ages. The only rules implemented by the event organizers are to be safe, have fun, and don’t trespass onto private property in search of the treasure. New hints will be dropped every Friday, as well as a few random hints dropped on Cline’s and Maxim’s Instagram pages.

Cline and Maxim said they picked this year’s location with safety in mind, meaning treasure hunters won’t be expected to rock climb, do any “mountain goating,” bushwacking, or digging. The two ask hunters to treat Utah’s mountains and trails with the utmost respect, be aware of wildlife, and pack plenty of water and sunscreen.