Get ready for X Marks NJ, a quest designed for the whole family — an adventure that brings together puzzling, exploring, and a chance to uncover some of New Jersey’s best kept secrets.

The quest unfolds over five weeks, with a new clue in the form of a puzzle, map, or riddle revealed each week. This steady pace allows hunters time to collaborate, solve each clue, and explore the destination it leads to.  If the treasure box remains undiscovered after the fifth week, hints will be provided and will continue until it is finally found.

Each solved puzzle leads you to a place of historic, scientific, geological, or cultural significance. At each location, you’ll gather the essential information needed to unlock the fifth and final clue. While some details may be found online, we strongly encourage visiting each site in person—because that’s where the experience truly comes alive. The real treasure isn’t just where the path leads, but the moments, memories, and growth found along the way. 

The  entrance fee is $20. You’re welcome to team up with as many people as you wish — just remember: the registered participant is the only person eligible to receive the cash prize. 

For this hunt, the current bounty is $500. Proceeds from this hunt will be used to significantly increase the bounty for the second hunt. We plan to run the X-Marks NJ Treasure Hunt at least twice a year, with the bounty increasing each time. 

Each clue leads to a specific public location where you’ll gather the information needed to solve the fifth and final challenge. If you correctly solve the first four clues, you’ll have everything you need to crack the fifth and final clue—the one that reveals the location of our treasure box. 

Please note: All locations are on public property and open to visitors. You will never be required to enter private property during the hunt.   Please remember, at no time are you allowed to enter areas that are off-limits or restricted during certain hours. You must follow all laws, rules, and regulations throughout the hunt. Failure to do so will disqualify and eliminate you from the hunt without a refund.  

You’ll have one week between puzzles 1 through 4, so there’s no need to rush or try to reach the locations ahead of others. The only time speed truly matters is with the fifth and final clue, which leads to the Hearthbright’s location.

The hunt is hosted by Hux Soul, a character from the Foul Rift series who will make his full appearance in the upcoming fourth installment, Foul Rift: Forsaken (not yet published). Hux speaks in an old, almost ancient way—not because he’s from a distant era, but because the events that unfolded in Foul Rift left him a little... unhinged. His mind wanders the past, colored by the shadows of what happened many years ago. Throughout the adventure, Hux will be the one sending you your weekly puzzles, guiding you deeper into the quest.

You do not need to read or purchase any of the Foul Rift novels to succeed in the hunt—none of the puzzles contain clues from the books. However, if you’d like to experience the series, it’s available on Amazon.

The treasure box doesn’t contain cash or jewels. Instead, it holds a commemorative coin called the Hearthbright—a symbol of your achievement. To claim the grand prize, the registered participant must present the Hearthbright as proof they found the final location.

The coin is yours to keep as a trophy, but only a registered participant can redeem it for the prize. Anyone who happens to stumble upon it without being registered will not be eligible to win.

While the ultimate prize might be a cash jackpot and commemorative coin, the true treasure lies in the experience itself — the stories made, the sights you discover, the friendships you'll forge, and the time you get to connect with your friends and family.

The intent is to make this quest a recurring tradition — hopefully at twice a year, and possibly more — allowing players to collect additional coins while adding new chapters to their adventure.

The hunt begins on May 1, 2026. Don't wait to join. Register on the following tab.

The quest awaits.