Hidden Bottle Hunt
Follow the clues and get outside.
June 25 – 28, 2026
What is the Hidden Bottle Hunt?
The Hidden Bottle Hunt is an annual celebration of the anniversary of Oregon’s first-in-the-nation Bottle Bill. Commemorative bottles are hidden across the state in special places that the Bottle Bill helps keep litter-free. Participants solve clues that will lead them to each of the six hidden bottles’ locations.
How it works:
- Each bottle is hidden in a different geographic zone of Oregon (map below)
- New clues for each zone are released each day of the hunt (or until the bottles are all found)
- Sign up to be notified by email when the clues are live each day
- The lucky finder of each hidden bottle gets to keep the bottle (it’s like a trophy!) and direct a $1,000 donation to the BottleDrop Give nonprofit of their choice
Sign up to receive Clue Notifications
All the bottles from this year's Hunt have been FOUND! No additional clue notification emails will be sent.
When is the Hidden Bottle Hunt?
The 2026 Hidden Bottle Hunt will take place from Thursday, June 25 through Sunday, June 28 (or until all bottles are found, whichever occurs first!).
Where are the bottles hidden?
OBRC and the BottleDrop network conduct statewide container redemption operations through a series of five operational “zones,” which we’ve used to break up the state geographically, and we’re hiding one bottle in each zone. Due to the population of Zone 1, we’ve further divided it into Zone 1E and Zone 1W, and we have hidden a bottle in each for a total of 6 hidden bottles across the state. Bottles are hidden in parks, trails or lands that are open to the public.
What do the bottles look like?
We have taken six of our unique BottleDrop Refillable bottles – used for our Refillable beverage program – and had them specially painted by an Oregon professional. The bottles include a unique label and a metal emblem honoring Oregon’s Bottle Bill, which has produced outstanding recycling and litter-remediation outcomes for the past 55 years (and counting)! The bottles will be wrapped to prevent breakage and covered in a burlap sack to protect them from the elements while they wait for you to find them.
This year’s hidden bottle design celebrates SOLVE, founded by Governor Tom McCall, who signed the Bottle Bill into law and believed every Oregonian shared an inherent right to enjoy and take responsibility for the places where we live, work and play. SOLVE’s volunteer-driven work brings communities together to care for our environment and waterways. We are proud to partner with them for our Community Cleanup and Recycling Event Series and encourage this year’s Hidden Bottle Hunt participants to pick up any litter they find while searching for this year’s hidden bottles. Let’s help keep Oregon beautiful, together.
How do I participate?
Participation is simple! Just follow the clues and hunt for the bottles. It’s even more fun to team up and hunt with your friends and family. Sign up if you’d like to be notified by email when the clues are live each day. Once you sign up – you’re all set to receive all the clues. If you sign up during the hunt, please note that you must sign up at least 30 minutes before the next clue drop to receive the emails moving forward.
Clues will be released as follows (or until all bottles are found):
Clue 1 – Thursday, June 25 at 5pm
Clue 2 – Friday, June 26 at 9am
Clue 3 – Friday, June 26 at 5pm
Clue 4 – Saturday, June 27 at 9am
Clue 5 – Sunday, June 28 at 9am
What do I get if I find a hidden bottle?
For one, you get all the esteem and bragging rights that come with cracking the clues and being first to the bottle. Congratulations! Second, you get to keep the bottles, and they are super cool! Finally, and best of all, you get to direct a $1,000 donation to a nonprofit of your choice from our list of thousands of participating BottleDrop Give nonprofits across Oregon. Each hidden bottle includes instructions for how to contact us when you find it. Just follow those directions as soon as you find the bottle!
Pro-Tip: Start thinking about which BottleDrop Give nonprofit you want to support when you find a bottle!
Is there merch available?
You asked, we listened! We partnered with SOLVE to create some special edition Hidden Bottle Hunt items available for a limited time in their online shop.
Show off your love for this event and feel good knowing that 100% of proceeds from sales will benefit SOLVE to support their work in Oregon.
While you’re there, be sure to check out all the other fun offerings SOLVE has to help show your love for our beautiful state!
What are the rules for the Hidden Bottle Hunt?
Here are some of the rules related to the Hidden Bottle Hunt.
- Do not trespass on private property. All bottles are hidden in parks, trails or lands open to the public.
- Do not go inside any buildings to look for bottles. All bottles are hidden in areas open to the outdoors. If bottles are hidden in a structure, it will be a structure that is open air, or has an opening that does not close.
- Do not dig for the bottles or otherwise damage/destroy any plants or structures at the park/trail, and bottles will not be hidden in any community garden spaces or next to highways.
- The bottles may be concealed but will not be hidden in places that require damaging property in any way.
- You do not need to dig underground or destroy anything to access the bottles, and doing so is prohibited.
- Abide by any park/trail hours and rules while you are hunting.
But there is, of course, some legal language and more detailed rules as well. Here are the 2026 Hidden Bottle Hunt Official Rules & Regulations, in full.
Happy hunting!
Frequently Asked Questions Answered by a Seasoned Clue Writer
You will receive an email notifying you when the clues are live on the BottleDrop website each day. You will also receive an email notifying you when the bottle in each zone has been found.
Use common resources, such as key word searches. Try and try again! Keep an open mind in case there are multiple solves to clues. Be sure to check out our Tips from Seasoned Hunters on How to Find the Bottles.
The solution to the first clue narrows the search area somehow. It is not the bottle location. 😊
The bottles are big and hard to conceal for a 4-day hunt. They are very unlikely to just be lying out in the open. Don’t destroy plants or disturb things, but look hard!
Be prepared! Wear sunscreen, a hat, and comfortable footwear. Bring gloves and use a stick to gently move plants or poke under plants, rocks, or logs. Don’t forget to bring extra water and snacks!
Have fun!!! This is essential. At the end of the day, the hunt should be a fun experience where you get to enjoy time outside with your friends and family. It’s a great time to exercise your brain and your body. If you’re feeling frustrated, take a break.
Tips from Seasoned Hunters on How to Find the Bottles
Clues are often location based because the Clue Writer is trying to narrow down the search area for you without giving away the location too soon. Keep that in mind as you consider the first few clues in the series of clues. What is the clue saying that might help you narrow a location? It might be identifying a county, but it might also be eliminating a county (or counties) within that zone. Or, it could be identifying a landmark or location on a map to help you create a boundary line (staying east or north of something).
For example, Clue 1 in a 5-clue hunt will probably not point you to the park. It will probably be narrowing you down to an area or eliminating an area within that zone. Therefore, the Clue Writer is going to need to narrow down the search area for you without revealing the exact location too soon.
Pay attention to location specific language (like the word “falls” might refer to a waterfall or a street name). Look for phrases that give directional hints, like “where the sun rises” or referencing specific compass points. Numbers might refer to map coordinates, specific verses in a book (like the Bible), or physical measurements like steps or feet or cubits. Clues often also point to specific, accessible landmarks like statues, plaques, unique trees, or points of interest.
When solving, sometimes it helps to imagine the final location and work backwards to see how the clues could possibly lead there. If it does, great! If not, take a break and come back with a fresh perspective.
Try to understand the Clue Writer’s mindset. Clues often involve wordplay, location specific references, and a planned sequence of steps designed to be challenging but solvable. Read the clue carefully and slowly: the solution is always contained in the clue itself. Read every word in the clue, looking for hidden meanings, unusual phrasing, or specific details. Consider the style, interests and resources the Clue Writer might have used: a specific historical fact, a historical landmark or plaque, a theme running throughout the clues, industry specific dictionaries, out of the way street landmarks, or even take you to a specific site to get the answer (a time-specific art exhibit, or a local landmark sign).
Clues can come in many forms, including riddles, wordplay and anagrams. Pay attention to what the clue is telling you to find. Recognizing the type of clue can help you determine the necessary solving method. Keep in mind that sometimes one of the clues includes a hide clue. This means that the Clue Writer is specifically giving you a hint of where or how to look when you are in the right spot (knee high, in a stump, at eye level).
The Clue Writer knows you are using online maps, the internet and AI to help you solve the clue, so consider that it might not be something found online. The clue might even be pointing you to something online as a red herring to deter you from the real answer.
Avoid confirmation bias and be mindful of “rabbit holes” where you become fixated on a single theory. If a theory doesn’t lead anywhere, step back and look at the clue from a different angle. For example, if the clue leads you to a particular county in your zone, but it doesn’t quite fit, take some time to see if the clue fits for another county in that same zone.
Work Together: if hunting in a team of friends or family, delegate different types of clues to individuals with different skills. Teams who work together often share their solves but have a standing rule that whoever “has the bottle in hand” is the official winner (even though they give their team credit in the post find interview).
Explore parks systematically, and understand the rules and etiquette (no destruction, park hours, not in a cemetery, public land). Clues often guide hunters to stay near paths or trails, avoiding looking in sensitive areas. Do not destroy property or anything on the trail. This means not trampling landscaping, not ripping away ivy or moss, and being mindful of what you are leaving behind. Look thoroughly but carefully. The hunt can end if public land is damaged.
Clues sometimes point to specific areas like rivers, lakes, trails, or unique features within a park. As you are exploring early on in the hunt, take lots of photos – and don’t forget to take a picture of the park you are at, so you know which photos were where. These details might help you in deciphering future clues.
Expect Camouflage. The bottle (within a bag) needs to be easily found by someone looking for it, but not easily found by random people. Although it will not be buried, it might be tucked into a stump in loose dirt, or in a downed log behind some piled sticks or bark, or tucked underneath a trail where there is gap in rocks or pavement.
Be Prepared: have water, snacks and a place to take notes with you. Additionally, many people carry a hiking stick, which allows them to poke into places that they might not want to put their hand (into stumps, behind or under rocks, nooks of trees).
Hunt smart: have the clues with you to refer to while you are looking.
Work together with friends: several sets of eyes are better than one.
Stop obsessing over every clue. You might not solve them all. Use the clues you have solved to help you narrow down where to search and revisit the unsolved clues as you get closer to a small area. Sometimes those clues you didn’t solve earlier in the hunt are no longer relevant (because they eliminated a county, or something to that effect).
Most of the fun of the hunt are the things that happen along the way – and not necessarily finding it. The special places you get to explore, the people you meet, and the adventures you have – these are the things that stay with all of us for the years to come.
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Daily Clues
Learn more about their find!
Zone 1E Clues
CLUE 1
I’ll admit a propensity for density and a self-confidence in the populace.
Strap on boots to gain traction and Spring into action.
Clues may seem simple but be rewarded if nimble.
Historic plaques you must tour to collect digits four.
Use them to assemble a number to the find the prize to encumber.
Our afternoon daily here clout once did they pull.
Now it’s a spot some wanted named Old Facefull!
PGE’s medallion is key, find the distance to eighteen.
Write down this number and then you can preen.
CLUE 2
Terwilliger was Jackson’s intention,
but steep terrain led to dissension.
The Bard’s island proposed, a deal was done.
Seek Replenishment and the year in the decade of McCall’s Vortex 1.
CLUE 3
If heading to a dance at the Friar’s Club,
or seeking the oldest rock in the area to rub,
Stop at the entrance and note the fifth digit,
on a tribute to Mr Hill, relax don’t fidget.
CLUE 4
A POTUS handsome and charismatic makes it suitable,
for the boys of TV’s patroness saint to dedicate something imputable.
Find a garden at nineteenth for your figure last,
The final for your sequence is the one most cast.
FOUND!
Learn more about their find!
Zone 1W Clues
CLUE 1
More than a road feel.
Father Ben behind the wheel.
Historic paths, connection unfurls.
This centenarian has a string of pearls.
CLUE 2
So many choices, where to land?
Give Boyington a hand.
Take the Lady, see Hangar B.
Focus your sights in this county.
CLUE 3
Gosh, golly,
glory be!
‘Tween Eric, Jack, Ginger
and me.
CLUE 4
Not San Fran, though it’s in play.
This village has something to say.
Flora and fauna can be found.
First in the Territory on this ground.
FOUND!
Learn more about their find!
Zone 2 Clues
CLUE 1
Ben platted it to join east and west
A second Second city signaled unction
Just like in his day, holla to the east
Of this town now with a different function.
CLUE 2
There are 36, but it could have been 37
The additional named for a senator
But in ’11 voters reserved their judgement
The bottle is with his predecessor.
CLUE 3
The county has these landmarks covered
West of Old Man River, no one has more
There are one fifth of a peanut farmer’s age
From the widest you can see where to score.
CLUE 4
Dang! (I make a point to watch my language)
But heed the US ace and their cement
At least six towns drowned in the terms of service
Just like an End-User License Agreement.
FOUND!
Learn more about their find!
Zone 3 Clues
CLUE 1
You yearn for the bottle and want to begin
Don’t forget, coveting is a sin
Apologies in advance, CW is a ninny
But if I were you, I’d stick with Ginny.
CLUE 2
The gang of 8 in Church’s act
Includes a gem within our tract
If above or below is your inquiry
Mind the symbol of Caesar’s consistency
CLUE 3
The hunt is aided by an epic tale
So crack the clues and you won’t fail
If you bump into Hastings, be sure to say hi
A lunar dale is near the trail
And offers a chance to imbibe
FOUND!
Learn more about their find!
Zone 4 Clues
CLUE 1
Welcome to the 2026 Bottle Hunt, Zone 4!
When added to their sum, that is Y2K more.
Where am I? In national popularity, I only lose to one.
But if your symptoms include a gaze like through a frosty pane,
You are equally as off as if you chose to approach the sheriff with no refrain.
I surmise this Pursuit will sprinkle Happiness in your Life,
And I challenge you to take Liberties and seek treasures rich and rife!
CLUE 2
Founded in ‘95, their story began when 63 was bestowed.
30 years later, more than 75% gold it showed.
In the namesake the treasure is missing, but have faith in the plot.
Still need help? Zac’s ride will lead you to the bounty sought.
CLUE 3
Gather round the campfire my friends, here are your clues:
Dr. Seuss knew that One Fish will guide you through.
Defend and protect will lead to the end,
Not to a town nor river shall you seek or wend.
What, Zac didn’t help? Mirabel knows the way,
Follow her fluttery fashion and 600 and you won’t go astray.
FOUND!
Learn more about their find!
Zone 5 Clues
CLUE 1
Among flowers of gold, prosperous and bold,
Doc grew roots at this site so old.
Driven to be first, while battling Exclusion,
Sojourn north for victorious inclusion.
CLUE 2
A last go ‘round set the scene,
Second runner up – a buckaroo dream!
On the back of an angel he later took first prize,
Here in bronze he’s memorialized.
Among his people his win brought fame,
Ride in the opposite direction from his name.
CLUE 3
From a Union divided these Wildcats united;
Fellers said “no” to old Jim Crow.
Swinging the lumber and wielding the axe,
B & H’s best, they took it to the Max.
At a place now vacant, but still sited on maps,
In this county whose number is nearly last.
CLUE 4
In pursuit of Minnie’s hand, Dave joined the plot,
A heist gone awry, by the townsfolk caught.
With tail tucked, but not cashing in on defeat,
He found redemption for his vice near the C-suite.
Chame seus Alfacinhas amigos
Código de país shows the way to go.
FOUND!