Let’s be real for a second. Arthur Morgan is always broke at the start of the game. You’re out there hunting deer for a few bucks, or maybe robbing a stagecoach and getting a $50 bounty for a $20 take. It’s a bad way to live. But the game basically hands you a "get rich quick" button if you know where to look. We’re talking about rdr2 treasure map locations—the actual ticket to thousands of dollars in gold bars.
Most people stumble upon one map, get confused by the drawing, and then forget it’s sitting in their satchel. Don't do that. Honestly, these hunts are some of the best content in the game because they force you to actually look at the world Rockstar built instead of just following a GPS line.
The Jack Hall Gang: Your First Real Payday
This is usually the first one you'll find. You meet a guy named Maximo on a ridge near the Dakota River (northwest of Flatneck Station). He’s a "collector" who’s remarkably eager to sell you a map for $10. Just buy it. Or rob him. He’s kinda annoying anyway.
The First Clue: Caliban's Seat
You’ve probably ridden past this a dozen times. It’s that massive rock formation south of Valentine. You have to climb up the eastern slope, find the narrow ledge on the cliffside, and shimmy along it. Careful, though. Arthur has the footwork of a drunk mule sometimes, and it's a long drop. You’ll find the next map in a small hole in the rock.
The Second Clue: Cotorra Springs
Head up north, past Fort Wallace. You’re looking for a bunch of yellow, sulfurous pools and stone stacks. There’s a specific stone pile with a flat rock on top right in the middle of the area. Reach inside. Boom. Next map.
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The Payday: O'Creagh's Run
This is one of the prettiest spots in the game. In the middle of the lake, there’s a small rocky island. Swim your horse out there (watch your stamina!) and look under a loose rock on the south side of the island. You’ll pull out two gold bars. That’s $1,000 at any fence. Not bad for a morning's work.
Poisonous Trail: The Cave of Wonders
If you want more than just a couple of bars, the Poisonous Trail is the one. It’s longer, weirder, and ends in a cave that is a total nightmare to navigate if you don’t have a lantern.
- Cairn Lake: Start way up in the snow. There’s a cabin at Cairn Lake (northeast of Colter). Look under the bed for a lockbox.
- Face Rock: This is in Lemoyne, west of Ringneck Creek. There’s a hill with a rock that looks—unsurprisingly—like a face. Look for a hollow tree trunk nearby.
- The Serpent Mound: West of Van Horn, there’s a giant earthwork shaped like a snake. Search the "eye" of the snake (a pile of stones).
The final destination is the Elysian Pool. There’s a waterfall. Walk straight through it. It’s dark as a tomb in there, so pull out your lantern. You’ll have to duck through a tiny crawlspace on the right, navigate some ledges, and eventually find a chamber with four gold bars. That’s $2,000. It's enough to buy the best horse in the game and still have plenty left for customized revolvers.
High Stakes: The "Missable" Map
The High Stakes hunt is a bit different. You don't find it in a cabin; it finds you. Sometime after Chapter 3, you’ll see an old man with binoculars on a cliff near Wallace Station or Riggs Station. He’s muttering to himself. If you approach, he gets defensive and tries to bolt.
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Pro Tip: Don't just stand there. Lasso him. If you let him escape three times, you have to buy the map from a fence later.
Once you have it, it takes you to Cumberland Falls. You actually have to walk behind the waterfall on a log. It’s classic adventure movie stuff. From there, you go to Barrow Lagoon (look for a log bridge between the island and the shore) and finally to a terrifying ledge walk near Bacchus Station. The reward? Three gold bars.
Landmarks of Riches: The 2026 Strategy
This was originally a PC-exclusive hunt, but it’s available for everyone now. It’s basically a tour of the weirdest statues and landmarks in the game. It starts at the Obelisk, way out west in Big Valley.
- The Tiny Church: After the Obelisk, you're heading to the swamp. There’s a miniature church (literally for tiny people, it seems) near Lakay. Climb the roof.
- The Mysterious Hill Home: This looks like a Hobbit hole. It’s north of Bacchus Bridge. Check the window.
- Bolger Glade: Head to the Civil War battlefield south of Rhodes. Look for a hollow tree stump near the trenches.
- Mount Shann: The final stop is the sundial at the peak of Mount Shann.
The payoff here is the biggest in the game: six gold bars. That’s $3,000. If you do this and the Poisonous Trail, Arthur is basically the richest man in the territory.
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The Weird Ones: Mended Maps and Trinkets
Not all rdr2 treasure map locations lead to gold. Some lead to history. The "Torn Maps" are held by two different hermits. One lives in a shack at the far north end of Little Creek River (she has three dogs, be ready). The other lives in Manito Glade, north of Annesburg.
If you kill or rob both, you get the Mended Map. This leads to a cave near Twin Rocks in the epilogue. The prize isn't money—it's Otis Miller’s Revolver, a gold-plated Schofield, and some... uh... "erotic" photographs from the 1890s.
Then there's the Elemental Trail, which you can only finish as John. It’s out in New Austin and ends at Coot's Chapel. You get a gold bar, but the real prize is the Crow Beak Trinket, which permanently boosts the amount of ammo you find.
Why Bother with All This?
You might think, "I'll just do missions for money." Bad move. Story missions pay okay, but they also rack up bounties and force you into expensive gunfights. Finding these treasures early—especially the Jack Hall and Landmarks sets—gives you total freedom. You can upgrade the camp's Dutch’s lodging (to unlock fast travel) immediately. You can buy the Springfield Rifle for clean hunting kills.
Honestly, the best part isn't even the gold. It's the fact that these maps take you to places you'd otherwise never see. You’ll find weird carvings, hidden caves, and bizarre NPCs that make the world feel alive.
Actionable Next Steps for Aspiring Treasure Hunters:
- Buy a Lantern and a Varmint Rifle: You'll need the light for caves and the rifle to keep yourself fed while traveling across the map.
- Head to Maximo first: He's the easiest to find and the Jack Hall quest is a perfect "training" hunt.
- Unlock the Fence: You can't sell gold bars to general stores. You need to complete the Chapter 2 mission "The Spines of America" to unlock the fence at Emerald Ranch, or just ride down to the one in Saint Denis early.
- Check your Satchel: If you’ve been playing for a while, you probably already have a map you forgot about. Open the 'Documents' tab and take a look.
Don't overthink the drawings. They usually highlight one major geological feature—like a weird-shaped rock or a specific bend in a river. If you're stuck, look at the horizon. The game's draw distance is incredible, and you can often see the landmarks from miles away.