An Epic Treasure Map With Hidden Clues!

An epic treasure hunt demands an equally cool map. One tactic that really resonates with me is hiding clues in plain sight, so this treasure map is built from that idea. The map has 3 different reveals that will eventually lead some excited kids to buried treasure. Here's how to put it together.

1. LUXPaper 8.5" x 14" Natural Linen 80lb Text Paper
2. Sakura Gelly Roll UV Invisible Ink Pens
3. UV/blacklight source — This is optional. The UV invisible ink pens include a little UV light, but a nicer one would add to the experience.
4. Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad — Vintage Photo
5. Ranger Glossy Accents Precision Tip
6. Renfio Thermochromic Pigment — Gray Black to Colorless, 82°F / 28°C

These are affiliate links to the exact things I used in the map I put together, so you can get the parts you think turned out nicely and mix it up if any aren't your jam.

This tutorial is moreso about creating a cool map with hidden clues, rather than the art of the map itself. Briefly, though, since this is just for my family's enjoyment, as opposed to some enterprise project or something, I just had chatgpt make the basic image and then I iterated on it in Photoshop.

As far as the paper goes, the one I linked is 8.5x14" which means that it's too long for most printers. However, this isn't a problem at all unless your printer closes too tightly for it to let the longer paper flow through. As you can see in the images, I simply put the paper in and closed the tray. It sticks out a bit, but I printed it out as a legal paper (8.5x14") and it printed it out perfectly. As far as printers go, you can just use any normal printer. I used a color printer so I could get some fun details.

A normal size paper just feels small and underwhelming but I didn't want to tape or glue together multiple pages or get it printed professionally, so this felt like the best compromise. It also has a fun texture. I printed on the less textured side so that the other side feels more interesting and map-like and so that the printing works more smoothly.

It almost feels like a finishing touch, but it's easier done before adding the clues. I added "distress ink" with a vintage photo style for making the map feel a bit more authentic. What I found with this particular combination of paper, printer ink, and applying the distressed ink with a paper towel, was that the paper towel slightly removed some of the actual color from the map. This created even more of a distressed look, so I did a very quick coat along some of the border. This made it feel like the map really filled the page nicely. An alternative would be to just use a pair of scissors to get rid of the white border, but this turned out pretty nicely for what I was going for.

The first clue is the most straightforward. The gloss is super hard to read unless it's reflecting light, but as you turn the page a bit you can start to make out the letters and figure out what it says. As will make sense in the next step, my clue says "try heat".

Though a very simple clue, it's a good mix between being subtle enough to be clever while being easy enough to figure out that the treasure hunters can figure out the next clue.

This one turned out to be a bit tricky. Even after doing some tests before trying this out on my map, I had to do a few iterations of the map just to get this one part right.

At a certain heat it goes from a grey black to colorless. I found that it's pretty tricky to find the right balance of actually covering the clue while also successfully revealing the clue when heat was applied. I found that applying too much causes a sort of white covering as opposed to becoming clear.

With that in mind, the goal to make this work is to have something hidden beneath the Thermochromic Pigment that is approximately the same color as the pigment. That way, when it's heated, all the sudden the part you added sticks out and the clue is revealed.

For mine, I have arrows pointing to a building. This will be where the treasure hunters find what they need for the final clue to be revealed. What I found worked best in my case was just hand drawn arrows with a pencil. The reflectiveness of the pencil helped make it visible enough to show through, and I think on that particular map I also happened to do a better job of adding a thin but effective layer of the pigment. I also intentionally covered the fire on the map, so that when the map is heated the fire shows through, which felt cool.

So, long story short, draw your clue with the pigments color, cover with the pigment, and apply heat to see the clue. Now, onto the final piece!

This is definitely a moment of saving the best for last, and this clue definitely feels magical and exciting. Once drawn, the ink dries invisibly and you need to use a UV flashlight or a black light to see what's there. This also means it's incredibly easy to add to the map. You simply draw your clue on with the special ink and that's that.

With the map I put together, the heated pigment reveal takes them to a building where the UV flashlight will be hidden. As is, I'm planning to just use the one that came with the pens. It almost feels cooler to me that it's small and won't reveal much at once so the clue gets revealed a bit at a time.

The invisible ink shows a clear path toward the X marking the spot where the treasure will get buried.

With that, we have a full fledged treasure map with actual hidden clues and actual buried treasure. For mine, I plan to also include having finding the map be part of the adventure as well.

I hope you enjoyed the ride and got some ideas if you're making your own map. Have a good one.