How to Plan a Scavenger Hunt: A Step-by-Step Guide
Updated September 5, 2026 10 min read
Most scavenger hunts fail for the same boring reasons: too many clues, no clear ending, and a scoring system that lives in one person's head. This guide covers the decisions that matter, in the order you need to make them.
Run this list as a live hunt
One click loads every clue below into the hunt builder. Edit what you like, share one link, and every team competes on a real-time leaderboard. Free for up to 20 players.
1. Choose the format
There are three basic formats. A list hunt gives every team the same clues and the most points wins. A sequential hunt reveals clues one at a time, so teams follow a path and the first to finish wins. A hybrid gives a shared list plus a few sequential "story" clues.
List hunts are easiest to run and best for groups over 30. Sequential hunts feel more like an adventure and work well for small groups. Trail of Hints supports both: set the win condition to "most points" or "first to finish".
2. Set the boundaries
Decide the area (one floor, one building, six blocks, the whole city), the time limit, and the team size. Sixty to ninety minutes and teams of four to six are the defaults for a reason. Announce the end time up front and stick to it.
3. Write the clues
Plan about 3 to 4 minutes per clue plus travel. For a 60-minute hunt in one building, that is 15 to 18 clues. For a city hunt, 12 to 15.
Use a mix of clue types. Text and trivia clues are fast and auto-graded. Photo and video clues take longer and produce the memories. GPS and QR clues make teams physically go somewhere. A rough split of 40% quick, 40% photo, 20% location works for most groups.
- 1.Every clue should be answerable by someone who has never been to the location before, or clearly marked as insider trivia.
- 2.Write the acceptance criteria into photo clues: "all team members visible" or "sign must be readable".
- 3.Test three clues on someone who did not write them.
4. Assign points
Points are how you steer behavior. Quick clues get 25, standard photo challenges get 50 to 75, and two or three hard challenges get 150 or more so a trailing team can still win. Avoid making every clue worth the same; it flattens the strategy.
5. Set up the tech
Paper works for eight people. Beyond that, you want a platform that handles team sign-up, collects photo submissions, and keeps the leaderboard current without a human tallying. Create the hunt, add the clues, and generate the join link a day ahead so you can test on your own phone.
6. Brief the players
Five minutes, max. Cover the boundary, the end time, safety rules (no running in the street, ask before photographing strangers), and how to submit. Then show the leaderboard on a screen and start.
7. Judge fairly
Assign one judge per 5 to 8 teams. Judges approve submissions as they arrive; do not let them pile up until the end. Reject anything that misses the stated criteria and award partial credit for effort when the clue allows it. Trail of Hints puts every submission in a judge panel with a timestamp and one-tap approve or reject.
8. End well
Bring everyone back with a final all-teams clue worth big points. Put the leaderboard on the biggest screen you have, count down the last minute, and hand out prizes for first place, last place, and best photo. Share the photo album within a day while people still care.
Planning checklist
- 1.Format chosen (list, sequential, hybrid)
- 2.Boundary, time limit and team size announced
- 3.Clues written and tested (15 to 25)
- 4.Points assigned with 2 or 3 high-value challenges
- 5.Hunt created and join link tested on a phone
- 6.Judges assigned and briefed
- 7.Leaderboard screen ready
- 8.Prizes for first, last and best photo