2025 · Clue Walkthrough
GNOMES!
01 The Silent Letter Times
Where you were
The hunt opened with a QR code that loaded a full gnome-kingdom newspaper front page — The Silent Letter Times, Vol. MDCCCXCVIII.
The clue
What does the silence say? (Ignore the vowels) _ _ _ _ _ _
How it worked
The article celebrated a gnome coup against their 'clawed rulers' (cats). Hidden in the prose were words carrying silent consonants — coup, castle, heir, debris. Reading carefully and collecting those silent letters in order spelled the six-letter answer. The bold p in 'coup' was the planted first hint.
Led to → The next gnome's riddle
02 Grumbo's Three Riddles
The clue
Oh, you want a riddle? Fine — you get three: (1) On the newspaper's opposite day, he's a skinny dog. (2) Potato, potahto — hash it out on the side. (3) Gnomes are small, but they're not a little.
03 The Gnome Musical Chairs
The clue
Before you stand fifteen chairs in a row. Each hides a letter the gnomes bestow. Hear their song and mind it well — it shows which seats the truth will tell. Benches one through fifteen, left to right, the melody will guide you to your next sight!
04 The Blue Dipper Envelope
The clue
Open the Blue Envelope with the big dipper found inside your Adventure Packet. When you get to your next location, take a selfie of your whole team.
05 G. Dot Nome's Rap
Where you were
G. Dot Nome delivered his clue as an absurdist rap, with the real riddle hidden in its last three lines — pointing to a secluded garden corner of Prospect Park. — Vale of Cashmere, Prospect Park
The clue
My goat is Cashmere and pale. My bathtub: granite. Come catch me bathing with the birds in the Vale.
Answer & payoff
The Vale of Cashmere — specifically the granite birdbath in that area of Prospect Park
06 Sir Countalot's Counting Puzzle
The clue
I am the Gnome Sir Countalot. I've scattered my 5 favorite numbers around the Vale and the Rose Garden. Fill these numbers in to be shown your next clue. Open your Green Envelope with a circle from your Adventurer Packet.
07 The Ancient Grove Chain Riddle
The clue
I am a riddle, gnomes like to say. The start of my answers will show you the way. The end of each word begins the next — follow the chain, don't get tangled in text.
Answer & payoff
FLATBUSH TRAIL — the first letters of the 13 answers (Fossil, Llama, Amulet, Thumb, Bayou, Ursus, Slush, Heart, Tinker, Rumba, Acai, Idol, Leaf) spell F-L-A-T-B-U-S-H-T-R-A-I-L
08 Donga and the Oak Marker
The clue
A clever little gnome named Donga felled an oak tree with a mighty kachonga'. There a marker now stands — open the Brown Envelope with a triangle and decode the runes hidden in the plaques.
09 The Midwood Acrostic
The clue
On your map, find the letter between the M & D — dare you seek out the gnome, in this spot he shall be.
Reveal answer
MIDWOOD — the first letters of each line spell M-I-D-W-O-O-D, a named forest section of Prospect Park. The 'letter between M & D' is I, pointing to the Midwood area on the park map.
10 Mister Troll's Toll
The clue
Pay him a visit, then pay him the toll. It's only a penny — you'll find it in your Adventurer Packet. Drop the coin in the basket, then scan for receipt. In a door, in a log, beneath a boulder's great span — find his toll booth waiting, where bridge tolls began.
Answer & payoff
Boulder Bridge — drop the penny from the Adventure Packet into Mr. Troll's basket, then scan the QR code inside for the receipt (Clue 11)
11 Mr. Troll's Receipt
The clue
Straight ahead to the Nethermead — there you find a series of benches lined up in a line. REF A: Near 'Thank you for your love.' REF B: 'Be grateful for all things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small.' A stone cover holds secrets — lift it discreetly, have a quick peek, then put it back.
12 The Split
Where you were
At a fork near Fallkill Falls Bridge — between the Nethermead and the Long Meadow — the team had to break its oath to stay together, just this once. — Nethermead / Fallkill Falls Bridge fork, Prospect Park (dog beach visible across pond)
The clue
One brave member of your party — and only one — must make the journey left toward the sandy shore to meet a gnome guide. The rest of your party should continue to the right with the Adventure Packet at hand. Open the Red Envelope with a square on the front when the dog beach comes into sight across the pond.
How it worked
One member went left toward the sandy shore to meet a live gnome guide; the rest continued right with the Adventure Packet, opening the Red Envelope with a square only when the dog beach came into view across the pond. Each half received different information that only made sense once the team reunited at the next location.
Stage by stage
- One team member broke off from the group to follow a separate thread.
- The rest of the team continued on the main trail.
- Neither side knew exactly what the other was doing.
- Both threads reunited at the final location.
13 The Tale of Gnitch
The clue
Find where the owl is perched. The clue is nearly in her field of vision. (Keep in mind that owls can turn their necks quite well.)
Answer & payoff
Litchfield Villa grounds, Prospect Park — 'Gneild the Litch' = Litchfield. The owl (likely a gnomeowl figure or marker on a tree trunk) watched over the final hidden clue somewhere on the villa's exterior grounds.