Treasure maps are some of Red Dead Redemption 2's best excuses to leave the road. A sketch sends Arthur toward a strange rock, a frozen lake, or a landmark that has probably been sitting in the background for hours. The clues are fair once you recognize the place, but the final hiding spots can be painfully small.
There are five major hunts in current versions of Story Mode, plus a few smaller or edition-specific maps. Most of the early rewards are gold bars, so a player in Chapter 2 can turn a few quiet rides into enough money for camp upgrades, weapons, clothes, and a horse. None of the main hunts are permanently missable.
Jack Hall Gang Treasure Map
Find Maximo on a bluff west of Flatneck Station, overlooking the Dakota River. He asks $10 for the first map. Refuse once and he lowers the price to $5. If the encounter ends without a purchase, the map can later appear at a Fence.
- Map 1: Ride to Caliban's Seat, climb onto the long ridge, and follow the narrow ledges along its side. Search the gap in the rock near the end.
- Map 2: Go to Cotorra Springs in Ambarino. Inspect the pile of stones inside the group of steaming pools.
- Treasure: At O'Creagh's Run, swim or use a boat to reach the small island. Look beneath a loose rock for two gold bars worth $1,000 together.
This is the easiest full chain to finish early. Caliban's Seat is close to Horseshoe Overlook, and the final island is safe once Arthur reaches the lake. Bring warm clothing before riding into Ambarino for the second clue.
High Stakes Treasure Map
The first High Stakes map belongs to a roaming treasure hunter who appears at several cliffs and overlooks, often around the Wallace Station and Riggs Station side of the map. Use binoculars when a stranger is studying a map, then rob or chase him before he escapes. If repeated encounters are missed, the map can eventually be bought from a Fence.
- Map 1: Walk behind Cumberland Falls and search the ledge inside the waterfall.
- Map 2: At Barrow Lagoon, climb the fallen tree that bridges the frozen water and search the hollow in its trunk.
- Treasure: Follow the cliff ledges southwest of Bacchus Station, near Fort Wallace. The route narrows and drops more than once. The final crevice holds three gold bars worth $1,500.
Save before the last climb. Arthur can survive the puzzle and still lose the money to one bad step on the way down. Return along the same ledges instead of trying to slide directly to the road.
Poisonous Trail Treasure Map
The Poisonous Trail begins at Cairn Lake, in the snowy cabin visited during Flaco Hernandez's gunslinger mission. Search the lockbox under the bed. The map can be collected even if Arthur reaches the cabin before or after the duel.
- Map 1: Go to Face Rock, north of Rhodes, and search the hollow tree beside the rock formation.
- Map 2: Ride west of Van Horn to the large snake-shaped mound. The clue is hidden in the eye of the coiled serpent.
- Treasure: Enter the cave behind the waterfall at Elysian Pool. Use the lantern, move carefully through the tunnels, and search the final rock pile for four gold bars worth $2,000.
The cave is the hard part. Several drops look like paths but lead to a fall, and the darkness hides the narrow ledge that continues deeper inside. Make a manual save outside the waterfall and watch Arthur's footing instead of sprinting toward the marker.
Landmarks of Riches Treasure Map
Landmarks of Riches was added to Story Mode after the original console launch and is now part of current versions of the game. It can be started in Chapter 2. Inspect the obelisk on the hill northwest of Owanjila to take the first map from the plaque.
- Map 1: Climb onto the roof of the Tiny Church in Lakay and search the bell.
- Map 2: Visit the Mysterious Hill Home northeast of Fort Wallace and inspect the broken roof window.
- Map 3: At Bolger Glade, search the old tree marked by the clue.
- Treasure: Climb Mount Shann and inspect the stone sundial at the top. The cache contains six gold bars worth $3,000.
Six bars make this the richest normal treasure hunt in the game. It also uses landmarks spread across the whole map, so it fits naturally between story missions rather than one long trip. The final climb is much easier in daylight.
Elemental Trail Treasure Map
Elemental Trail takes place in New Austin and is meant for the epilogue. Start near the Sea of Coronado, southwest of Tumbleweed, where a body hangs above the trail. Shoot the rope and search the corpse for the first map.
- Map 1: Search the standing chimney in the ruined house east of Lake Don Julio.
- Map 2: At Benedict Point, climb the wooden water structure and inspect its channel.
- Treasure: Go to Coot's Chapel southeast of Armadillo and inspect the marked grave. The reward includes one gold bar, the Crow Beak Trinket, and horse-related supplies.
The Crow Beak Trinket permanently increases the amount of ammunition Arthur or John loots by 10 percent. The cash is smaller than the other hunts, but the perk gives this route a reason to exist after money is no longer a problem.
The Other Maps You May Find
Le Tresor des Morts is tied to eligible preorder and special-edition access. Its short chain leads through Limpany and Saint Denis before paying out five gold bars. Players without that entitlement will not find the starting map, so its absence does not mean the save is broken.
The Torn Treasure Map is split between two hostile hermits: a woman near Little Creek River and a man at Manito Glade north of Annesburg. Join the halves in the satchel, then visit a cave west of Twin Rocks during the epilogue. The cache holds Otis Miller's Revolver and five photographs rather than gold.
Chick Matthews also leaves a map during the Chapter 2 debt mission Money Lending and Other Sins. It points to money hidden in a tree near Heartland Overflow. That $35 belongs to the camp debt, not a larger treasure chain. The three killer clue pieces work the same way: they lead to the American Dreams stranger mission, not a gold cache.
What Counts Toward 100 Percent
The Total Completion tracker asks Arthur or John to finish one Treasure Hunter strand. Any full major chain can cover that line. The Explorer challenges also advance through treasure discoveries and eventually award the reinforced equipment needed for maximum stats.
Players who only want the official 100 percent can stop once the tracker and Explorer work are satisfied. Players who want the money should prioritize Jack Hall Gang, Poisonous Trail, and Landmarks of Riches early. Together, those three hunts can pay for nearly every practical upgrade while the gang still acts impressed by a few dollars in the donation box.
