It’s that time of year again. The Tread of Pioneers Museum’s 45^th Annual Yule Log Hunt begins Wednesday, Dec. 11.

Each weekday’s clues will be posted on the museum’s website and Facebook page, air on local radio stations, and will also be printed in the Steamboat Pilot & Today and on SteamboatPilot.com. A new clue will be released each weekday for up to eight days unless the log is found sooner.

The 2024 hunt starts at the site of last year’s hiding place: Snake Island on the Yampa River Core Trail. Clues and riddles written each year by museum staff often include information that refers to community history, place names or events of the past. Unless the log is found sooner, the eighth and final clue will be released on Friday, Dec. 20.

“Each clue takes you on a path from the prior year’s hiding place toward the log’s current hiding place,” said Candice Bannister, the museum’s executive director and coordinator of the Yule Log Hunt. “The clues do not describe the hiding spot until the last few clues of the hunt. This is important to remember at the beginning of the hunt.”

Also, the log will not be physically placed in its hiding place until after the release of clue No. 6, to prevent hunters from randomly stumbling upon the log early in the game.

The museum’s Yule Log Hunt has been a holiday event in this community for 45 years. The three-foot long, 25-pound log is hidden within the city limits of Steamboat Springs. It is distinctively marked with the words “Yule Log” (in red letters) and at least a portion of it will be visible from its hiding place. The log will not be on personal private property, inside of buildings or in areas that charge fees to enter.

When the log is found, the lucky winner should call the Tread of Pioneers Museum at 970-879-2214. Museum staff will officially announce the end of the hunt so that others do not keep searching. The log must be physically presented to Tread of Pioneers Museum staff before the winner will receive the $150 Steamboat Chamber gift card, generously donated by the Steamboat Chamber. The museum is grateful also to have F.M. Light & Sons sponsoring the hunt this year.

Last year, the mother-son duo, Lynne Romeo and Mirko Erspamer found the log for the fourth time on Dec. 13, 2023 at Snake Island, across from Dr. Rich Weiss Park. Since it was their fourth time, the two decided that even if they search for the log in the future, and find it, they will not take it and turn it in for the prize. They want to encourage others to search and find the log.

What is the pros’ secret to winning? Getting up early to read the clues in the newspaper or online, carefully researching the clues’ references to Steamboat Springs’ history, lots of time hunting in the cold and sometimes deep snow, and creative problem-solving.

“It’s what makes Christmas a little bit more special,” Romeo said of the annual hunt. “We just love the opportunity to learn about Steamboat Springs, and we’ve learned something every time.”

Learn local history, solve the clues, find the log, and join the winners’ circle of Yule Log fame!