Steam Gardens is a weird place. One minute you're walking through a high-tech greenhouse with lo-fi beats playing, and the next, you’re falling off a cliff into a prehistoric jungle where a T-Rex is just hanging out. If you’re hunting for wooded kingdom power moons, you already know the vibe is uniquely stressful. It’s dense. There’s verticality everywhere. Honestly, it’s one of the hardest kingdoms in Super Mario Odyssey to 100% because so many moons are tucked behind tiny pieces of geometry or require you to possess a specific Uproot at just the right time.
You've probably spent twenty minutes circling the Iron Mountain Path. We all have.
The Wooded Kingdom (Steam Gardens) features a staggering number of moons—76 in total if you count the post-game additions. But here’s the thing: most players get stuck because they forget about the "Deep Woods." It’s that terrifying abyss below the main map. If you fall off the edge in most places, you don't die. You land in a dark, foggy forest where a giant dinosaur wants to eat you. There are several wooded kingdom power moons hidden down there that don't even show up on the main map's compass.
The Verticality Problem in Steam Gardens
Most people approach Mario games horizontally. You go from left to right. In the Wooded Kingdom, that logic fails. You have to think in layers. The Uproot capture is your best friend here. By stretching your legs, you can reach blocks and hidden alcoves that seem impossible.
Take "Moon 03: Path to the Secret Flower Field." It sounds simple. It’s basically just following the main objective. But then you get to things like "Moon 18: Nice View, Iron Mountain Path." You have to find a specific spot to use the Uproot to get high enough to see a nut. Breaking the nuts is a core mechanic here. If you see a giant metal nut, hit it. That’s almost always a moon.
I’ve seen people spend hours looking for "Moon 54: Any-Glider in the Skies." You need the Glydon. You find him way up high, near the Observation Deck. If you don’t take the time to look down while gliding, you’ll miss the tiny floating platform in the distance. It’s easy to get tunnel vision when you’re focused on the platforms right in front of your face.
Those Frustrating "Hidden" Wooded Kingdom Power Moons
Let's talk about the Deep Woods. To get there, just jump off the cliff near the Odyssey. It feels wrong. Your gamer instincts tell you "falling is death," but here, it’s a portal.
Once you’re down there, look for a pile of dirt. No, seriously. "Moon 28: Tucked in the Iron Turf" requires you to find a specific breakable spot. And then there's the Treasure Chest. "Moon 26: Deep Woods Treasure Trap." There are three chests. If you hit them in the wrong order, you get enemies. Hit them right? Moon.
The Secret Path moon is another one that trips people up. This one involves the painting warp system. Depending on which kingdom you visited first (Wooded or Lake), the painting location changes. If you’re looking for a moon and the guide says it's in the Wooded Kingdom, but you can’t find the painting, it’s probably because you haven't opened the connection from the Luncheon Kingdom or Bowser's Kingdom yet.
Captures are the Key
You can't get these moons as just Mario.
- Uproots: Essential for reaching high places and breaking nuts.
- Sherms: Those little tanks. Use them to blow up the glowing spots on the walls.
- Fire Bros: Use them to light torches.
- T-Rex: Mostly just for smashing things in the Deep Woods to find hidden spots.
One of the most annoying moons is "Moon 48: A Tourist in the Wooded Kingdom." This is a multi-kingdom quest. You have to talk to the Tostarenan from the Sand Kingdom. He’s traveling in a taxi. You find him in the Metro Kingdom, then the Cascades, then finally he shows up here. If he’s not there, you haven't progressed his dialogue in the previous location. It’s a massive chore, but necessary for that 100% completion mark.
Why the Music Note Moons are the Worst
We have to mention the music notes. They appear in almost every kingdom, but the ones in the Wooded Kingdom are particularly jerky because of the terrain. "Moon 40: Wooded Kingdom Timer Challenge 3" is a nightmare of precision jumping. You have to be fast. You have to be perfect. If you miss one note, the whole thing disappears and you have to start over.
Try using the roll move ($ZL + Y$) to gain speed on the flat surfaces. Most players try to just run, but Mario’s base speed isn't quite enough for the tighter timers.
The Post-Game Moon Rock
After you beat Bowser, you can return to Steam Gardens and hit the Moon Rock. This releases a second "set" of moons (numbers 55 through 76). These are much harder.
"Moon 70: I Met an Uproot!" is a favorite of mine because it’s a bit meta. You have to capture an Uproot and walk it all the way back to a specific NPC (a Bonneton) who wants to see one. It’s a slow, tedious walk, but it’s a clever use of the capture mechanic. Then there are the "Master Cup" races. The Koopa Freerunning races in this kingdom are brutal because the AI knows the shortcuts. If you aren't using the long jump and the hat-throw-dive-jump combo, you will lose. Every time.
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The trick to winning the Master Cup is to ignore the intended path. Don't follow the ramps. Jump off the side. Use the hat-dive to clear gaps that the Koopas are trying to run around. It’s all about momentum.
Specific Moon Locations People Often Miss
- Moon 13: The Nut in the Red Maze. Everyone finds the first few, but this one is hidden behind a breakable wall you can only reach by stretching an Uproot while inside the maze.
- Moon 34: Beneath the Roots. You have to drop down near the Iron Road Entrance and look for a small hole. It’s barely visible.
- Moon 45: Past the Peculiar Pipes. This is a sub-area moon. Most people grab the main moon and leave. Don't. There’s almost always a second, "hidden" moon in every pipe or door sub-area. For this one, you have to look behind you at the very end.
Steam Gardens is beautiful, but it's a labyrinth. The developers at Nintendo really leaned into the idea of "overgrowth" covering up secrets. If a wall looks slightly different, hit it. If a robot looks lonely, talk to it.
Actionable Next Steps for Collectors
If you’re sitting at 40 moons and can't find the rest, stop wandering aimlessly. First, head to the Deep Woods and clear out the dinosaur-related moons; getting those out of the way makes the rest of the kingdom feel much more manageable. Second, talk to Talkatoo (the bird) or Hint Toad. There is no shame in getting a map marker. Some of these nuts are tucked into corners of the map that have no business having a collectible.
Check your list for "Moon 52: Good Luck! Wooded Kingdom." This is a Hint Art moon. You find the art in the Wooded Kingdom, but the moon is actually in the Sand Kingdom. Look at the picture in the Wooded Kingdom near the Odyssey. It shows a Koopa in the desert. Go to the Sand Kingdom, find that exact spot, and ground pound.
Finally, make sure you’ve bought the shop moon. Every kingdom has one for 100 coins. It’s the easiest one to get, yet the easiest to forget when you’re preoccupied with "Moon 65: Wooded Kingdom Regular Cup." Once you’ve cleared the Moon Rock and finished the tourist quest, you’ll be much closer to that golden sail. Keep stretching those Uproot legs—you’re gonna need them.