Yes—the treasure Forrest Fenn hid was found in June 2020, ending a hunt that had lasted more than a decade. Fenn said it was found in Wyoming; finder Jack Stuef later identified himself publicly. The exact hiding place has not been disclosed in the sources cited here, and no definitive clue-by-clue solution has been established.
Was Forrest Fenn’s treasure really found?
Yes. Fenn announced the discovery in June 2020 after the finder sent him photographs. According to Fenn’s court-filed declaration, the finder then brought the chest to New Mexico for his inspection. Contemporaneous reporting described the finder as anonymous at first, while Fenn said the photographs confirmed the discovery.
Fenn said the poem had led the finder to the spot. In a statement quoted by CBS/AP reporting, he described the chest as being “under a canopy of stars in the lush, forested vegetation of the Rocky Mountains.” That evocative description does not identify a specific site.
Who found the Fenn treasure?
Jonathan “Jack” Stuef publicly identified himself as the finder in December 2020. ABC News reported at the time that Stuef was a 32-year-old medical student. His identity became public after a court order threatened to disclose it.
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Where was the treasure found?
Wyoming is the state Fenn named. His declaration, reproduced in the Fenns Treasure hunt-history account, says the finder told him on June 5, 2020, that he had found the chest in Wyoming at the location where Fenn hid it. On June 22, Fenn confirmed the state publicly and said the finder controlled whether to reveal the exact place.
The precise hiding spot remains undisclosed in the sources cited here. Early coverage also described the location as private. Claims naming Yellowstone or particular landmarks should not be treated as verified; the available statements do not establish them.
What were the clues, and is there a verified solution?
The hunt began with a poem in Forrest Fenn’s 2010 memoir, The Thrill of the Chase. Associated Press reporting published by CBS News described it as a 24-line poem. Fenn’s memoir is the book containing the original puzzle; the hunt itself is over.
There is no definitive, publicly verified, clue-by-clue explanation endorsed by the finder in the sources cited here. Fenn said the poem led Stuef to the chest, but that does not make every later interpretation of its lines reliable. Without the exact site or a complete, authenticated solution, proposed routes and landmark identifications remain speculation.
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How long did the search take?
The poem launched the hunt in 2010, and Fenn announced the discovery in June 2020—more than a decade later. The hunt-history page says Stuef’s account described 25 days searching the relevant area. That figure is the finder’s reported account, not an independently audited count.
The chest contained gold, jewels and other valuables. Netflix’s 2025 retrospective describes approximately 476 gold pieces, coins, jewelry and other artifacts; that is the documentary’s description of the contents, not a separate appraisal or valuation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the hunt is now a documentary story, not an open search
Netflix’s three-part series Gold & Greed: The Hunt for Fenn’s Treasure looks back at the hunt and its consequences. Its Tudum retrospective describes how ambiguous clues drew searchers into rugged terrain and discusses deaths associated with the hunt. The chest has been recovered; searching for a supposed remaining location is not a way to claim it and can expose people to real hazards.
For readers interested in the puzzle’s origins, The Thrill of the Chase is the memoir that contains the poem. The Netflix series is a later documentary account of the search. They serve different purposes: the book presents the source puzzle, while the series revisits the people and events surrounding the hunt.
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