Forrest Fenn Treasure Location

Background

In 2010, Forrest Fenn published a poem in his memoir The Thrill of the Chase, which included clues to the location of a million-dollar treasure. The hunt ended approximately 10 years later, on June 5, 2020, when Jack Stuef alerted Forrest of the find. In December 2022, the chest contents were sold at auction. Jack has still not described where the chest was found, and sadly, Forrest has passed away.

Evidence of the location has been uncovered from tangential lawsuits, FOIAs, and recovered message board archives (described in detail below). This evidence supports the conclusion that the chest was found in Yellowstone National Park at Forrest's favorite fishing hole, Nine Mile Hole.

This page aims to provide those who heard about Forrest Fenn's hunt with peace of mind regarding the end of the hunt. Visiting this location yourself is not a good idea. The river is wild and can be dangerous to cross, hazardous animals frequent the area, and too many visitors to any location in the woods can cause damage. The precise location is unremarkable and difficult to recognize, and visiting it might even be against park rules (it is not clear).

The area's best views can be had right from the parking pullout. Forrest liked this location because of the fishing hole, not because of this place in the woods nearby. Instead of attempting to visit the site yourself, enjoy the photos (1, 2, 3) and videos (1, 2, 3, 4) already available online.

The Solution

1. Where Warm Waters Halt

Nearly all rivers begin in distant headwaters, but not the Madison River. It begins mid-course as an already large river. Thermal springs create the warm water of the Firehole, which halts as it mixes with the cool water of the Gibbon to form the Madison River.

2. Take it in the Canyon Down

Drive downstream through Madison Canyon

3. Too far to Walk

The four-mile journey was too far to walk for an 80-year-old Forrest.

4. Below the Home of Brown

Stop at Nine Mile Hole, a famous home of brown trout. Forrest's family would joke about the elusive fish they could hook but never reel in, Mr. Brown.

Put into the water just below the fishing hole.

5. No Place for the Meek

Crossing the river is not for the meek.

6. End is Drawing Nigh

You are nearing the end of your journey, where the treasure lies.

7. Up Your Creek

One feature of Nine Mile Hole that attracts trout and makes it a world-class fishing hole is the creek that enters the river just upstream.

8. Heavy Loads and Water High

The treasure is certainly a heavy load that Forrest carried across wading with the water high up to his knees.

9. The Blaze

Now, look for the blaze, a notch carved on a tree.

From Jack's account, the blaze was damaged and barely recognizable.

Proof of The Location

The chest was dug out (1, 2), then placed in a second position (3, 4). These photos are compared in detail below.

Additional Solve Support

Information from Jack

The finder frequently posted their thoughts on Reddit¹ during the years they were searching for the treasure. He posted several of his direct thoughts about the poem's lines to Reddit. He also sent Forrest emails describing some details of his solution. After the find, Jack confirmed with Forrest that he had all the clues figured out.

Here are some of the details from those posts and emails:

• Regarding "where warm waters halt":

Madison Junction, where two endings meet one another ("ΩΩ", or the Firehole and Gibbon) and become a beginning ("turning Alpha", the start of the Madison).

• Regarding "take it in the canyon down":

Drive through it

• Regarding "too far to walk"

A relative distance

• Regarding "home of brown"

My home of brown was the actual hole at nine mile hole

• Regarding the next stanza, Jack commented on someone else's interpretation saying,
  this is the right interpretation of those clues

  • • • Regarding "no place for the meek"

“Obviously a river crossing is no place for the meek.“

• Regarding "no paddle up you creek"

“You won’t be going up river, but rather directly across.”

• Regarding "heavy loads and water high"

“If anyone’s ever tried crossing a river in waders, this is an excellent way to describe the heavy loads of water pushing you as the water climbs higher up your body the deeper you get.”

• Regarding "wise and found the blaze"

The search you have to do for the blaze

Convergent Solves

Several treasure hunters had searched the same area where the treasure was eventually found. Some publicly provided their solutions, which align in large part. Although ending in the correct location does not prove their solutions correct, it provides a strong contender for the solution, as at least several searchers could agree on the interpretation before finding it.

Hints and Slip-ups

There were a few hints and slip-ups that Jack is rumored to have used:

• Forrest said, "Look at the pictures and drawings" in the New Mexico Tourism Video. 

• In the California Sunday Magazine interview, Forrest said he wanted to "die at my favorite...," and Jack considered the completion "fishing hole."

• A sticky note that was visible on Forrest's laptop in the Great Big Story interview said, "INDULGENCE 59758".

• A few chapters in The Thrill of the Chase describe fishing, Yellowstone, and the photo of Forrest's father in front of the rock at Nine-Mile Hole holding several fish.

Additional Confirmation

Cynthia Meachum, a close friend of Forrest and his family, confirmed important details of this solution.

This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by Forrest Fenn, the Fenn Estate, the Fenn Family, or Jack Stuef. The creators of this site have no first-hand knowledge of facts related to this hunt. The conclusions are solely based on the evidence presented.