It’s On!

A treasure chest worth $21,000 lies buried somewhere in San Francisco for its intrepid adventurers to find…

[15 September 2025 — FINAL UPDATE] IT’S BEEN FOUND!!!!! Congratulations San Francisco, well done!!! Please see solution below.

A Moment of Your Attention

We’d like to thank SF Recreation & Parks for absolutely crushing it and giving us the city’s best amenities. From our beautiful parks, to all the tennis and pickleball courts, golf courses, pools, clubhouses, urban agriculture and gardening, and even photo centers — Stern Grove, weekly concerts in the Music Concourse, and our summer movie nights!

Without them, SF wouldn’t have the spaces or places to be so weird and wonderful. If you have even a cent to spare, please consider donating to our favorite organization.

We’d also like to thank and give kudos to SF City Guides, one of our other favorites. Originally a program for visiting diplomats created by Feinstein, then run as part of SFPL programming, SF City Guides is now an independent registered 501(c)3 nonprofit that gives 70+ historical walking tours in the city, with tours every day.

Guides love to share their knowledge and passion for our city, and undergo months-long comprehensive training (and even have access to an extensive continuing education program!). A lot of guides are lifetime residents who have lived and contributed to the tapestry that is San Francisco.

All tours are FREE (yes, really, totally, no catch, for everyone) and entirely volunteer-lead. It is by no means mandatory, but over 80% of their budget comes from walker donations. So if you do go, and you enjoy their work, please consider contributing.

Updates:

Update #1 (as of 2 September 2025):

1. Treasure has not yet been found. I’ll post and update status every few days until/when it’s found.
2. Don’t be naughty, or Santa will give you coal. Yes, it is buried. No, you do not need an excavator. No, do not commit crimes or destroy property. Try to exercise good judgment and respect the hard work that SF Recreation & Parks does for us to enjoy the city. If you’ve solved the riddle, you should have pretty high conviction about where it’s hidden.
3. I can’t tell you what to look for, other than what we’ve given you via clues already.
4. We have some bonus treasure! This may be a rolling update. See website for details.
5. I am so, so happy to see you guys enjoying this. Thanks to everyone who’s emailed or commented a sweet note. Love that people are learning about SF’s history and getting out and about. It’s cool to see people making new friends and finding teammates along the way. Bringing (at least some) of the city a little closer together is the primary goal here, so thanks to you and all of our amazing treasure-makers for playing.

Update #2 (as of 6 September 2025):

1. Treasure has not yet been found.
2. Don’t be naughty. If you investigate anything, leave no trace. Please note it is illegal to dig on federal land. See above “do not commit crimes.” 
3. Any clues that we’ve placed in the wild are well up and safe. We are checking on them periodically to make sure they’re still there and have not been tampered with. One had some signs of attempted and unsuccessful tampering, so we moved it nearby. This will make no difference if you have or have not found it. Clues are freely accessible, there is no fee or purchase required to find or otherwise access them.
4. We have some more bonus treasure! Please see list.
5. If it hasn’t been solved by the two-week mark, we will release the structure of the puzzle to help things along. In the meantime, keep making good progress. 
6. Reddit /r/sanfrancisco mods dislike the treasure hunt updates, apparently it is “promotion” for local small businesses. Original update post was removed. Wait and see if they allow update posts, but feel free to message them a request to allow the posts to go up in the meantime.

Update #3 (as of 9 September 2025):

1. Treasure has not yet been found.
2. Don’t be naughty. You know what this means by now. As a meta note, we don’t take stalking lightly, and it is not an appropriate topic to joke about. Please do not suggest this flippantly. If we notice any serious action taken along these lines, we will not be shy to react.
3. Clues in the wild are still in place and freely accessible.
4. We have some more bonus treasure! Please see list.
5. Reddit /r/sanfrancisco mods still dislike the update posts, or I would also post updates to reddit.

Update #4 (as of 12 September 2025):

1. Treasure has not yet been found, and don’t be naughty.
2. Clues in the wild are still in place and freely accessible. They’re designed to give you an “aha” moment when you find them.
3. We are unlikely to release the structure of the puzzle or give additional clues at this time, based on the amount of requests and feedback to not.

Update #5 FINAL (as of 15 September 2025):

1. Treasure has been FOUND!

The Victors’ Tale:

Hi y’all, we are the neighbors who found the treasure. The two of us didn’t really hang out together before this treasure hunt (our families got together for meals and garage sales every now and then), but we bonded over the challenge that this one presented.

For the first 1-1/2 weeks, we didn’t know what we were looking for. It took a lot of work: Collectively, we hiked Mount Sutro 4 times, Sutro Heights Park twice, and the Baker Beach Sand Ladder twice. We went to the Treasure Island skatepark, and the Safe Passage headquarters in the Tenderloin. Like carb-seeking burglars, we went under the cover of darkness to shine our flashlights into bakery windows, searching for scones. No question, this was a hard treasure hunt.

But we got a lot out of this wild ride. We enjoyed talking to all the vendors, fellow treasure hunters that we met, and our friends that helped us along the way. And the two of us became closer as friends. After we found our first clue at Lazy Bear, we finished the treasure hunt in a matter of days through willpower, luck, and the kindness of others.

We want to thank the treasure hunt organizers who put together this experience, the amazing sponsors that we are looking forward to visiting, and finally, our respective families and spouses that put up with the early mornings and late nights.

We love you, San Francisco!

YuYu and Jed

The Clues (& Solution):

A Love Letter to San Francisco

Enjoy the hunt, and the copper-colored sunsets this time of year

Puzzle Structure:

Each stanza leads you to a clue in the physical world. You could not have solved this from your desk.

The goal of all this is to get you out and about, learning about the city as you go. We wanted people to feel a sense of connection and stewardship toward the city and the spaces and subcultures that make it so special. The puzzle is deliberately long and difficult, so that you have to work together with friends (new and/or old) to have a shot at solving it.

Stanzas are themed, nodding to places and subcultures that make the city special. The main body of the stanza should give you some history and context for each theme, while the last lines should reference where to look relative to the theme. There may be some red herrings thrown in here and there.

Each clue is a digit in the coordinates to where the treasure is located. I was going to put the stanzas in random order (because only a few unscrambled permutations lead to viable coordinates for treasure) – our puzzle writer put them in direct order, so all coordinates for longitude, then all coordinates for latitude. Thank them for the more merciful approach!

I am the architect of your misery, Sean helpfully supplied so much historical context to the city, and our puzzle writer translated everything into pure poetry.

Puzzle & Solution:

Unlucky under 101, or plaza after market’s move;
Unlucky = 13, under 101 freeway skate park
Plaza after market's move = UN skate plaza
Blind vision paved a wall into a concrete haven from reprove.
Blind vision / wall = Zion Skate Park (formerly Waller Skate Park)
A former hub of rocks and grit ground to a halt, capped at the knees,
"Hub of" = Hubba, rocks/grift = slang for something, ground = grind, caps = skate stoppers
So ride the rail across the state, observe where green and glass can meet.
Follow cable car rail down California, Observe = word on plaque at St Mary's Church across from the park, Green and glass = corner of park and where the modernist building sits (won award for midcentury architecture) (this points to the hubbas ~654 California, which points you to DLX)

A weekend’s joust with westward hills begins with wiggling in the green
West Hills = Tamalpais in Coast Miwok 
Wiggling in green = the Wiggle
To golden swells, no fear of elevation on a kitchen steed. 
A mouse’s roar belies a paragon of speed that can’t be bought;
Swell, Elevation (RIP), Kitchen, Roaring Mouse, Paragon = bike or gear shops
On road or mountain, climb or coast, emblazoned with a house or not. 
Ornot

A vacant arch belies deep roots that fed a city while it grew;
Columbo Market
A site revived served neighbors past to help the simple dreams come true.
Former BofA building
No more content with brush and paint to mask over a boarded face:
A nod to the paint the void and various boarded up mural projects during the pandemic
Bring vibrant flavors, sound delights, and art to rouse the hollow space.
Vacant-to-vibrant reference
Then venture south. A golden statue bids farewell with palms of spice;
Udupi Palace starting path
Five bikers’ cones in line before paired heads that watch imported ice.
Hila Gelato bike racks (former Xanath space), Testes de Mori and Italian gelato inside 
Heed not the bin of books, pursue beyond the records. To get there,
Dog-Eared Books to 20 Spot
Stay out of school; the piece you seek is north, beneath a resting bear.
Stop at DJ school at San Carlos, go north to Lazy Bear

The lifeblood of a city flows along the asphalt arteries,
MUNI 
Trod underfoot or drawn en masse up rolling hills and winding streets.
MUNI
Lines overhead that cut the skies, or carriages with pine wood brakes:
MUNI & cable cars (which we should bring back and have more of and frequently, vs the incessant car traffic / pollution / noise)
Release the coasts, set loose the dunes, like central folly freed by quake.
Coasts = Embarcadero, Sunset Dunes
Central Folly = Central Freeway
And though contention rears its head, all roads admit the bold who mean
JFK
To reimagine transit serving all in ways we don’t yet dream.
Please support public transit initiatives
The eighteen sights a clearing with the brave in all their forms preserved —
18 Muni line runs to Legion of Honor
An honest letter marks the spot; a long road ends in peace observed.
L for Lincoln, the end of the Lincoln highway
Peace observed = Pax Jerusalem statue in the background

An all-girls gaggle, roses, tulips, dahlias, and corpse (of course)
All girls = bison are all female
Roses, tulips, dahlias, and corpse = all flower gardens in GGP
Adorn the outside lands where bard plays second fiddle near concourse.
Outside Lands = GGP
Bard = Shakespeare
Concourse = Music Concourse
Beware the beasts of myth, the sentries guarding gentle watercourse —
Beasts of myth = the sphinxes and little lion guarding De Young
Gentle watercourse = tranquil pond by De Young
Seek higher ground, then gaze below to find a sculpted tour de force.
Higher ground = observation tower
Tour de Force = Beethoven

What once built vessels now still holds a space for art and metal joint;
Box Shop, former shipyard and now artist space for art and metal (soon to move)
On burial ground, a cross begins near time as told by shadow point.
Burial ground = Hunter's Point holds the former Ramaytush Ohlone shell mound burial grounds
Cross begins = Crosstown trail starts here near sundial park
Alongside rail, an opera sings; a roux plays page for heart’s conceit:
Rail, opera = Bayview Opera House is along the MUNI KT line
Roux = Gumbo Social
At open doors, find clarity uncovered from dark sand by heat.
Public Glass

The icons for the mission, like the Giants blasting through their sport,
For the mission = Para La Mission on Santana, b&w mural
Giants blasting = home run mural down the street on 19th/San Carlos
Are guiding eyes of women who have fought like lawyers at the courts.
Women's Building murals & Dolores Park Cafe mural, commissioned by SF community law collective
Along the palms to oldest walls where native hands made painted stone,
Up Dolores to the Mission San Francisco de Asís (oldest building in SF), with murals painted by indigenous people under Spanish colonization
An uphill trek to bark and swing, then round the corner for a scone.
Dog on a swing mural across from the  Orthodox  church on 15th between Church/Market
Round the corner to Thoroughbread

A glass eye watches sand and water, sculpted hull long overgrown.
Glass eye, sand, water = Oculus at SFMOMA (and a nod to Camera Obscura and the beach)
Tread not to jagged cliffs and sage; round paper reeds up checked stone. 
Turn away from the sage garden before rough and jagged granite, follow papyrus garden up checkered granite ramp to upper terrace
Past arc of sisters’ blooms from whence two pair and spare crossed double skies,
Sister city garden, with Shaking Man (two pairs of feet plus one extra foot) at the end
The world’s a stage to sit or stand, leaves left in hand on exit right.
Go down to Urge to Stand sculpture
Exit right, and clue is in the plaza on the right hand side 

To spy across the waves, an aid to morning’s bleary eyes in hand,
Spy = Sightglass
Waves = coffee waves
A snowy plover’s flight embarks a ritual with spreading fans.
Snowy plover = Andytown
Ritual = Ritual
Fans = Abanico
A tool to help you navigate laguna’s bank near sorrow’s creek
Navigation tool = Sextant
Laguna's bank / sorrow's creek = former Dolores Lake and Dolores creek under 16th and Mission/Valencia
Sows seeds to line a flow from birds to bones that guard the tie you seek.
Sows seeds = coffee and cacao beans (pass Dandelion)
Line a = Linea
Birds = hummingbirds mural at 18th/Valencia
Bones = Paxton Gate mural
Tie = Fellow 

A tale spun out of Macondray spilled not far from truth, where down the hill
Macondray Lane inspired Barbary Lane (fictional San Francisco street in Armistead Maupin's "Tales of the City" series)
The prideful stripes and tanned straps reflect the bonds held steadfast still.
Reference to Pride and leather subculture
Though elders’ memory rests in grove, a gaze reveals the stage they set
Elders' memory rests in grove = AIDS memorial grove
Across the city, in its heart, for open love without regret.
The eagle spreads its wings, the midnight sun casts light on Moby Dick;
Eagle / Midnight Sun / Moby Dick = beloved bars
The redhead with the emerald eyes and mother visit mothership.
Redhead = Jolene, Mother = Mother, Mothership = Mothership
Start from the center, seek safe passage; far beyond the lookout joint
Center = SF LGBT center on Market/Octavia
Safe passage = go past Safeway
Beyond the Lookout = past Lookout
Stands tall a beacon, built by many hands to serve as rallying point.
Tall = Twin Peaks / Sutro
Rallying point = collaborative volunteer effort to install the pink triangle every year for Pride
Points you to the Pink Triangle Memorial at Market/17th

Despite the city of the dead, we are a city built from bones
Colma became the city of the dead after we shipped all our bodies there
Dislodged from sleep in briny depths, paved and protected by their stones.
Bones of ships are buried below, headstones repurposed as pavers and as part of seawalls/batteries
Their dreams, too, buoy our buildings still: the arcing nave of ports long closed,
Arcing nave = Ferry Building no longer used as port of SF
A whaler’s harpoon piercing sky, saloons with punch cards undisclosed.
Transamerica standing atop a whaling ship, Pisco punch recipe lost to time
A house of passion, peddling little deaths, fell too upon black shoals:
House of Grand Passions reference
Passed o’er and under, cheating, crashing, each new decade taking tolls.
With a storied history
Escape by navy, down poetic steps towards the bay once more,
Escape by navy = former Naval Officer's club on Taylor st
Poetic steps = Ina Coolbrith Park to the east
Then follow tug of steel and sisal, winding into wheelhouse core.
Cable car museum

While on the road, in days of yore, to meet some gentle people there,
On The Road = Kerouac
Gentle people = Mamas and Papas
Create free clinics, stores, and speech, all with a rush to go nowhere.
Diggers' contributions to the summer of love / hippie movement
Free speech = Berkeley counterculture nod
“Turn on, tune in, drop out,” resounded through a haze of summer heat;
Famous hippie catchphrase
Commune with friends, make love, not war, drop art and acid with a beat.
Drop art = guerrilla art movement
With a beat = hippies linking up with beatniks to do acid tests
To wander with the grateful tied iconoclasts of legacy,
Grateful Dead 
Some bound together by two legs, or sliced beside booksmithery.
Bound Together and Booksmith bookstores
The oracle once proclaimed a loving place to be in. Now be here:
At portals past, where families seeking rain received a treat to hear.
Grateful Dead family seeking acid, reference to '73 concert at Kezar Stadium (clue by entrance) (Portal is a reference to the entrance, and also a red herring to Portals of the Past. Be-In/Families is a red herring to Polo Fields)

To tread a victory lap, suppose: ascend and climb, abandon fears
A nod to the previous treasure's location
And follow a slow spiral up from earth to land on golden spears. 
Slow spiral = snail at Hidden Garden Steps
Golden spears = wheat spears at top of steps
Awash in soil, buried under view from high on mountain top,
Awash in soil = garden reference (to be confused with Grandview)
Springs forth a line of sight from prior treasure’s erstwhile hiding spot.
Hidden Garden Steps

This former fortress guards a fragrant path for those who clasp their hands,
Former fortress = Presidio batteries
Fragrant path = eucalyptus, cypress for lovers lane
Entrusted to the public over those who rest beneath the land.
Nod to San Francisco National Cemetery
In sailor’s sight from northern heights, connected by the golden strands:
Lost sailor statue in Marin that looks out over the Golden Gate Bridge to Presidio
Throw wide the gates to all the world that welcome steps upon the sand.
"Gates to All the World" is a quote at Immigration Point
Steps on sand = sand ladder

The heart beats time on snare and bronze, with thundering brass and thrumming strings.
A nod to SF Jazz and SF Symphony
A blue note rings with feline grace to share a tipple with a queen.
Feline = Black Cat Jazz Bar
Tipple = Mr. Tipple's 
Queen = Sheba
Where peace is found and satin shoes return alongside notes to sing:
SF peace treaty ending WWII was signed in the Memorial Opera House
Satin shoes, notes to sing = ballet and opera share space
A tree-lined clearing buried between busy grove and chamber green.
War Memorial Grove (and a nod to Stern Grove)

The Treasure

BONUS PRIZES

Thank You For Playing

Special thanks to Sean, Erik, our immensely talented puzzle writer, every single vendor participating, and so many other absolutely brilliant minds. And most of all, to San Francisco – we could not love you more.
— TJ

For all comments or inquiries, email sftreasure@protonmail.com.

Note: Despite the similar domain name, this site is not affiliated with Walk SF.