Puzzle trail
made to measure
In a puzzle trail the work is in the stations and not in the kilometres. That means everyone can take part, including anyone who isn't steady on their feet.
A trail where distance is secondary
A puzzle trail consists of stations that follow each other closely, with a puzzle at each station that the team solves together. The distances are small. Someone who is out for an hour may have walked eight hundred metres in that time and cracked six puzzles.
That makes this format usable for groups where an ordinary trail falls apart. A family day with grandad along, a club with a wide age range, or a team with someone on crutches. Everyone ends up at the same station and nobody has to wait for the rest to get back.
What kind of puzzles they are
We deliberately mix four kinds of thinking, so that every team is good at something somewhere and nobody watches for an hour.
- Language: word riddles, hidden sentences, codes you have to decipher
- Numbers: figures that only add up once you count something in the surroundings
- Spatial: maps, sightlines, shapes that fit together
- Logic: ruling out what can't be until one answer is left
How a puzzle trail runs with us
We lay out the stations before the group arrives and make sure each station has a solution to collect that leads to the final lock. Usually each station yields a letter, a number or a puzzle piece, and only at the end does everything come together. That final piece is where the group gathers again, and it is built that way on purpose.
We don't time teams for a ranking. There's no winner on speed, because then teams start running and exactly the conversation that matters disappears. Anyone who wants can have a points system based on the number of stations solved.
The difference from the other trails
At a scavenger hunt the solved clue points the way to the next point, so there you really do walk a route. In a puzzle trail the stations are already fixed and all the energy goes into the solving itself.
If you want something sportier where the clock counts, an orienteering run suits better. If you want the group to go around the whole city, see the city game. And if it all has to stay indoors, you will find the options at indoor activities.
Frequently asked questions
How much do you have to walk on a puzzle trail?
On a puzzle trail you usually walk no more than a kilometre in total. The stations are close together and the emphasis is on solving. That makes the format suitable for groups in which not everyone is steady on their feet, without having to set anyone apart.
Does a puzzle trail also work indoors?
A puzzle trail works just as well indoors as outdoors. In a hall, an office building or a clubhouse we set the stations up in different rooms. That is also the reason many groups choose this format for winter, because no part of it depends on the weather.
Are the puzzles doable for a mixed group?
The puzzles are built so that different kinds of thinking come into play. A language puzzle, a number puzzle, something spatial and something with logic, so that every team excels somewhere. With a mixed group that includes children and adults, we give two versions per station, with the same outcome.
What does a puzzle trail cost?
A puzzle trail with stations, equipment and hosting starts at €195. How many stations there are and whether we set them up indoors or outdoors determines the rest. After the first conversation you get a concrete price.
Tell us about your plan
Interested in a puzzle trail? Fill in the short form and we'll send a price estimate within 1 working day.
A puzzle trail for your group
Let us know how many participants, which ages and whether it should be indoors or outdoors, and we'll send a proposal.