Welcome to Red Feather Treasure Hunt!
Red Feather Treasure Hunt
Adventure Awaits in the Great Outdoors
Discover hidden treasures and outdoor fun for everyone.
Starts May 22, 2026!
Red Feather Treasure Hunt Rules
- No digging or moving or destruction of any earthly materials or property will ever be necessary to find the Treasure.
- Have fun but be stealthy in your hunt when other hunters are present.
- If you find a Treasure Chest, take a picture with it to prove it is found, and fill out the form below.
Discover the Outdoors with Us
Our Mission
Red Feather Treasure Hunt is dedicated to fostering a love for the outdoors through engaging treasure hunts. We believe that nature is the ultimate playground, and our goal is to inspire adventure in people of all ages.
This Summer You can come spend a day hunting for HIDDEN TREASURE in the RED FEATHER LAKES AREA. Each weekend starting MEMORIAL WEEKEND and ending on LABOR DAY WEEKEND a new and different TREASURE will be hidden somewhere in or near RED FEATHER LAKES. CLUES will be Published... TREASURE CHESTS will contain Valuables such as SILVER DOLLAR COINS, CRYSTALS, GEODES, COSTUME JEWELRY, GIFT CERTIFICATES, and an assortment of other items. A FUN and EXCITING EXPERIENCE for ALL AGES. Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the great outdoors of RED FEATHER LAKES.
The Story behind Red Feather Treasure Hunt
Born of the Mountains: A Life Forged in Wild Country September 15, 1951
I took my first breath not in a hospital, but beneath a sky so vast it seemed to stretch into forever — near Swamp Creek, where the wind smells of pine and snowmelt and the land still belongs more to elk and eagle than to man. That clean, crisp mountain air filled my lungs for the first time, and something wild and enduring took root in me.
From the beginning, I was a curious spirit, a little boy with muddy boots and eyes always fixed on the next hill, the next mystery. When I was just three years old, that curiosity pulled me away from our log cabin and deep into the forest. I’d heard my father was cutting timber near Seven Mile Creek, and I was determined to find him. I wandered off — alone, small, and fearless.
By dusk, the search party feared the worst. My tiny boot prints led to the edge of a mine shaft, and hearts sank. But fate had other plans. Our family dog — my protector, my guardian angel with fur — caught my scent and tore through the underbrush until she found me, cold and crying, huddled beneath a tree. She lay across my legs to keep me warm and barked until the rescuers came. They found us together — a boy and his dog, bonded forever in the wilderness.
I went to school in an old weathered house up the hill from our mountain village. One teacher. Six grades. I remember how she'd have me read beside her desk, her voice gentle as snow as she corrected my words. I learned there that words had power — to transport, to inspire, to make sense of the world.
When I hit junior high age, my father moved us to the Cheyenne Indian Reservation in Montana. Life changed, but the land still spoke to me, just in a different dialect. After junior high, we returned to Colorado, and I finished high school in Johnstown. As soon as I could, I went to work — clearing trees, carving access roads into the forest for the Forest Service. It was hard work, but I loved it. It was me versus nature, and I felt alive.
The draft loomed large over my generation. I drew a high lottery number — safe from conscription. But my younger brother wasn’t so lucky. He got his notice, and the night before he shipped out, I sat at his kitchen table, breaking bread with him and his wife. We barely spoke of the war. The silence said enough.
Then, in a moment that would change everything, I asked if I could ride with him to the induction center. He nodded. We drove in silence, brother to brother. But when he checked in, I did something no one expected. I stepped onto the bus beside him. The sergeant stared in confusion — he had more men than he was supposed to. But I wouldn’t leave. I was going with my brother.
We did Basic Training together at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri — brothers in boots, side by side. After just four weeks, the Army fast-tracked me to Advanced Individual Training in California. One day, while standing in formation, I caught a glimpse of another familiar face — my cousin. And there we were: my uncle, my cousin, my brother, and me. Four family members in uniform, a proud and defiant unit of our own.
Later, after college, I returned to the only place that ever truly felt like home: Red Feather Lakes. I bought 80 acres of pristine wilderness — just me, my horse, and the silence of the mountains. I've lived most of my life here, under star-choked skies, surrounded by trees older than memory. It’s where I belong.
Some say the mountains are unforgiving. I say they raised me.
Red Feather Treasure Hunt was born from this fascination with experiencing the wilderness. I want others to fall in love with these hills as mush as I have. Thank you for coming along with us.
--- Wayne Hayden
Found Chests will be highlighted here! These are from 2025!
Final Find
Season 2026 Clues
Please be respectful of other hunters. If you find a Treasure Chest, we need to know. Document your find by submitting the form below or posting on Next Door!! Be sure to indicate the Treasure Box #.
Clues starting May 23 and running through August 29
Treasure Chest Week #1: May 23, 2026
Where tiny folk keep watch, and woodland fairies play.
If you find a Treasure Chest, we want to celebrate with you!
Use the form below to document your find and share photo proof.
Your email will not be used for any other purposes but for communication surrounding a treasure hunt. By sharing a photo, or photos, you give us permission to publish them on this site.
You may also document your find on Next Door.
If you have specific questions, click the Wayne Hayden button below to send an email,
or find Wayne on Next Door, Red Feather Lakes.
Eleven Eleven Solutions LLC
Red Feather Treasure Hunt Sponsors
The following have made this possible!
This website uses cookies.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.