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Stardew Valleyis a game that loves its secrets. From Easter eggs to other games, hidden lore, and secret items to unlockable areas and hidden paths, there’s so much to discover and explore in Stardew Valley.
While exploring the map and overturning every trash lid in sight can be an exciting and rewarding experience, it isn’t always easy to uncover all of Pelican Town’s secrets. To help you on your sleuthing adventure, we donned our Sherlock Holmes hats and took a magnifying glass to the map to bring you every hidden path and trail you can travel on your journey.
Updated on June 04, 2025, by Eva Csaki:One of the best things about Stardew Valley is how many times you can revisit the game and still discover something new. With three main areas to explore and a plethora of hidden paths and secret locations, there’s no end to the fun you can have roaming the world. We know it can be a little hard to remember where you’ve been and where you’ve yet to go, so we’ve revisited this guide to keep you up to date on every hidden path we know of. Happy exploring, farmers!
Tips For Finding Hidden Paths
Before we dive into Stardew’s hidden paths, let’s dig into somesimple tricksto help youdiscover new pathson your own.
One way to check what areas may be accessible is tolook for large logs, stumps, and rock clusters. Oftentimes, unlockable areas are guarded by a difficult-to-destroy structure. To uncover these paths, you will need aPickaxe or Axe of Copper qualityor greater.
Finally, for those of you who have purchasedRobin’sFurniture Catalogue, you canbuy a step stooland use it to get to hard-to-reach areas. This method doesn’t unlock secret paths per se, but it does give youaccess to farmable landand shortcuts that would otherwise be inaccessible to you.
Try using thestep-stoolaround the map to get to areas of higher elevation.
Pelican Town
Pelican Town doesn’t hold many secret areas, but there arefour hidden pathsfor you to explore.
Qi’s Bus Tunnel Puzzle
While theBus Stopisn’t technically inside Pelican Town’s borders, there isone secret pathhere that doesn’t quite fit anywhere else.
If youwalk up past the bus stop and follow the road left, you will find that you canenter the Bus Tunnel. Inside the Bus Tunnel is thestart ofQi’s questline.
If you want tomeet Qi or unlock his casino in the desert,then you need to interact with theelectricity panelon the wall by inserting abattery packto power it.
This will start Qi’s quest.
The Alleyway Buffet
If you’re aiming forfull game completion, you will want to fill out yourSpecial Items and Powers tab. The powers tab is where allspecial abilities and useful itemswill accumulate.
To get powers, you first need to acquireBooks of Power. One of these Books of Power —the Alleyway Buffet— can be found on thehidden path by Clint’s shop.
To collect the Alleyway Buffet, head to thefirst tree above the minecarttrack. Enter the path where thetree overhangs the fence. From here, you will need touse a Copper AxeandPickaxe(or a tool of better quality) todestroy the stumps, logs, and boulderson the path.
Once you’ve cleared the path and followed it to the end, you will find atrashcanhidden behind a tree. Opening the trashcan will reward you with the Alleyway Buffet, a magic book thatincreases the chancethat you willfind itemsin the trashcans that you search.
You have tointeract with the bookin your hot bar to add the power to your Powers tab.
A Hidden Present
In the same area as the Alleyway Buffet, you may also find aprize tickethidden in a wrapped present box. To find the prize ticket, headnorth from Clint’s shopand Joja Mart to where the Book Seller sets up shop.
Using aCopper or better Axe, cut down thestumpblocking the fenced area by the tree. Once inside,destroy the Fiber nodesuntil you can get behind the tree. Here, you will find a wrapped blue present. Opening the present will reward you with aprize ticketforLewis’s Prize Machine.
The Spirit’s Eve Maze
While this pathisn’t a permanent fixturein Pelican Town, the Spirit’s Eve Maze is one of themost usefulpaths in the game.
During theSpirit’s Eve festival,you can earn acovetedGolden Pumpkinby solving the spooky hedge maze. Unlike a regular maze, you won’t be able to solve this puzzle with just an aerial view.
To solve the Spirit’s Eve maze, follow the maze to the verytop left corner with the red question mark sign.It will look like you’ve hit a dead end, but if youstand in front of the sign and start walking left,you’ll discover that there is a break in the hedges that takes you out beside the tree.
From beside the tree,head to the cave entranceon the cliffside. You canenter the cave, butwon’t be able to seeyourself walking around inside it. Although blind, you can stillwalk to the far rightof the cave,moving up and downas needed if you think you’re stuck.
Eventually, the cave will spit you out by the chest, holding theGolden Pumpkin.
The Golden Pumpkin is auniversally loved gift, so it’s a good item to have on hand.
When you’ve collected the Golden Pumpkin, you canuse the minecartto your right to teleport you back down into the main festival area.
Cindersap Forest
Cindersap forest, like Pelican Town, doesn’t have very many hidden paths. However, thetwo hidden areasyou can uncover here are two of the most useful areas in the game.
The Secret Woods
Heading to thefar northwestern cornerof Cindersap Forest will bring you to alarge log that blocks the pathto the Secret Woods. You need aCopper or better quality Axeto destroy the log and gain entry to the Secret Woods.
Inside the Secret Woods, you cancollect mushrooms and other forageables, killSlimes, fish forWoodskip, and give aSweet Gem Berryto the orangutan statuefor aStar Drop. At one point, you will also find a sleeping bear. You canbring him the itemshe requests for rewards.
There is also asecondary hidden areain the Secret Woods. At thebottom of the Secret Woods, you will see several large stumps. To get to these stumps, line yourself up with the stump on thefarthest leftandhead straight down.From here, you may enter the area where the stumps spawn.
The Secret Woods is a great place toharvestHardwoodas the stumps respawndaily. You can alsofindFiddlehead Fernhere in the summertime.
The Sewer
Between Pelican Town and Cindersap Forest is the Sewer. You can find the entrance to the Sewer in both thesoutheastern corner of Cindersap Forestand by using theManhole by Sam’s house.
To unlock thesewer, you need todonate 60 items to the museum’scollection. After donating your 60th item,Guntherwill reward you with aRusty Key. Use this key tounlock the Sewerentrance inCindersap Forest.
Inside the Sewer, you canmeet and shop withKrobus,use theStatue of Uncertaintyto change your profession, fish for theMutantandRadioactive Carp, and enter theMutant Bug Lair,where you may find theDark Talisman. Krobus will open the Mutant Bug Lair during theDark Talisman quest.
You need to fish in the Mutant Bug Lair to catch theSlimejack.
Ginger Island
Ginger Island has the most hidden areas by far. You will uncover most of Ginger Island’s secrets while on your hunt for the130Golden Walnutsscattered around the island.
The Gem Bird Puzzle
One of the first secret paths you can find on Ginger Island is the path to theGem Bird Puzzle altar. To get to this path, follow the paving stones that lead to theright of the Parrot Express station.
To complete the Gem Bird Puzzle, visit Ginger Island onfour rainy days. Each day, you will find acolored birdin one of Ginger Island’sfour main areas. These birds willdrop gemsfor you to place on the altars. Place the dropped gem on the altar thatcorresponds to the quadrantof Ginger Island where you found the Gem Bird.
The birds willstill appearand drop gems every rainy day after you have already completed the puzzle. This is a great way to get free gems togift to NPCs.
The Ship Wreck
Once you’vecleared the barrierblocking the Ginger Island Farm area, you can head to the beach and enter the second hidden area, theshipwreck.
To enter the shipwreck,follow the sandy stonesinto the ship’s back end. Inside, you will find aGolden Walnut bush.
The Hidden Walnut Path
On your Ginger Island Farm, you can find another secret area by heading to theParrot Express stationand heading to thefar left. Inside the darkened treeline, you will see a fewtufts of lighter greentreetops.Follow the treetopsuntil you get to the very end. Here, you will find yet anotherGolden Walnut.
In the same area, you can head down to theleft edge of the treeline(the portion that creates the canopy for the staircase) and headaround the tree grove.Here, you will be able toretrieve a Golden Walnut.
The Music Cave
Head to Ginger Island Farm’s Parrot Express station and thenhead left across the rope bridge.
On thefirst tileat the end of the rope bridge,turn rightso that you are headedstraight upto the path on theedge of the cliff.
Here,underneath the curved palm tree, you will find theMusic Puzzle Cave.
The Tiger Slime Path
After entering theTiger Slime Grove, head to yourright. Follow the edge of thecliff to the right. Destroying any obstacles in your way, you will be able to follow the cliff to a curved palm tree. There is aGolden Walnut underneath this palm.
Qi’s Walnut Room Path
At the veryfar leftof your Island Farm, a littlebit above the Pirate’s Wife’s hut,isQi’s Walnut Room. While his room may be secret, we wouldn’t consider it a secret path. However, there is a hidden pathalongside the cliffwhere Qi’s Walnut Room is situated.
To find the path,line your character upwith thewall that Qi’s door is on. Next,head lefttowards the water until you areunable to moveanymore. There is asingle-tile-wide paththat headsstraight upfrom this spot.
Head up, and you will find yet anotherhidden Golden Walnutto harvest.
While you are in this area,talk to Qiby interacting with his door. Qi will tell youhow many walnuts you haveprocured so far. This is a great way tomeasure your progressas you explore the rest of Ginger Island.
The Joja Parrot Path
you may find another hidden walnut path to theleft of the Ginger Island Volcano. Head towards the Golden Joja Parrot andwalk along the treeline.At thebottom of the L-shaped treeline, you will be able toenter a secret areaand collect the Golden Walnut there.
Once you are in the area with the Golden walnut,head to the bottom left cornerof the small square-shaped clearing.Head leftand you will find a second secret path. This path leads youalong the cliff’s edgeto a second Golden Walnut.
The Hidden Volcano Path
Headinto the Volcanoand walk up to the lava river. While it may seem impossible to cross the lava river, you cancross by using your watering canto turn the lava rocks into stone.
To get to the hidden area by the lava river, use your watering can to create a path through the lava to thefar left end of the river.Here, you will find asmaller lava pooland a staircase leading outside. Follow the path outside and you will find two Golden Walnuts.
The Hidden Bridge Tunnel
In the middle of Ginger Island is arope bridgespanning the walking path by theArchaeologist’s Tent. After entering (and opening, if necessary) the Dig Site,head up the stairsnext to the Mushroom Cave.
Line yourself up on thesame latitude as the rope bridgeon the right side, thenwalk directly left, into the mountainside. You will pass through ahidden tunneland come out on the side of the cliff with the rope bridge, where you will be able to harvest two Golden Walnuts.
VineTree Path
Also, in the middle of the island, there is a hidden pathunderneath the vine tree.
Afterclimbing the stairsto the area with the Island Shop,take a rightuntil you are standing underneath the vine tree.Walk underneath the vine tree,and you will come out on the cliff overlooking the beach.
You will finda Golden Walnut on the cliff.
The Palm Tree Path
One of the easier paths to find is the path to the Golden Walnut by the Ginger Island Shop. To get to the Golden Walnut by the shop stall, walkinto the treeline underneath the curved palm treeon the left.
The Pirate Cove
Afterbuilding theIsland Resort, you will gain access to the hidden path to thePirate Cove. To get to the Pirate Cove,follow the edge of the beachto theright. Here, there is a path that follows the cliffside.
Following the cliffleads you to a sandy beach.
On thefar right of the beachis a set ofwooden planksalong the cliff wall.Head into the areathe planks indicate and you will enter the Pirate Cove.
Unlockable Areas
There are a few hidden areas and paths in Stardew Valley that can be unlocked either throughquests, story progressionor byunlocking upgrades.
The Quarry Mine
While not technically a hidden path, theQuarry Mineis a hidden area that can only be unlockedafter opening the Quarry. To get to the Quarry Mine, turnleft from the Quarry Bridgeand remove obstacles in your path until you are able to enter thecave mouth.
Inside the Quarry Mine, you will find severalmineable nodesandmonsters to slay. At the very back of the Quarry Mine is aGrim Reaper statue. You can claim theGolden Scythefrom the reaper’s hands.
Robin’s Secret Paths
The final hidden paths in the game are unlockable bypaying Robin to open up shortcutsaround Stardew Valley.
To get this option, you first need tofully upgrade your houseandbuild a house for Pam and Penny. Once these requirements are met,Robin will offer to open shortcuts for you.
