Printable Scavenger Hunt Planning Checklist

Use this checklist after you have drafted your hunt and completed a real test walk. It turns the planning process into one final quality-control pass, helping you catch route, safety, clue, scoring, equipment, and day-of problems before your players encounter them.

Review the items on screen, copy the full checklist into your own planning document, or print a clean copy. No email address or account is required.

For the reasoning behind each check, start with How to Plan a City Scavenger Hunt People Will Actually Love.

The Complete Planning Checklist

1. Audience and Purpose

1. ☐ I know the age range and approximate number of players.
2. ☐ I know the occasion and the main goal of the hunt.
3. ☐ I have chosen cooperative, competitive, or mixed play.
4. ☐ I have considered mobility, reading level, attention span, and local knowledge.
5. ☐ I can describe the intended experience in one sentence.

2. Format and Rules

1. ☐ I have chosen one primary hunt format.
2. ☐ I know whether stops are fixed-order, open-order, sequential, or list-based.
3. ☐ I have defined how the game begins and ends.
4. ☐ I have written a short set of player rules.
5. ☐ I have a clear rule for hints, skips, and inaccessible stops.

3. Route and Walking Distance

1. ☐ I have set a maximum duration and walking distance.
2. ☐ I have mapped all candidate stops.
3. ☐ The route avoids unnecessary backtracking.
4. ☐ Long walks contain something interesting or have been shortened.
5. ☐ The start is easy to find.
6. ☐ The finish is pleasant, recognizable, and practical.
7. ☐ The start and finish are reasonably close—or transportation is clear.

4. Public Access and Safety

1. ☐ Every stop can be reached from a public path or permitted event area.
2. ☐ The route does not depend on entering a business or locked building.
3. ☐ Major street crossings are safe and sensible.
4. ☐ Players can stand at each stop without blocking traffic, doors, or ramps.
5. ☐ I have checked lighting, terrain, stairs, crowds, and construction.
6. ☐ I have documented accessibility limitations honestly.
7. ☐ I have considered restrooms, water, shade, seating, parking, and transit.
8. ☐ I have checked the route at the intended time and day.

5. Stops and Landmarks

1. ☐ Every stop is publicly accessible.
2. ☐ Every stop is reasonably permanent.
3. ☐ Every stop is safe to approach.
4. ☐ Every stop is interesting enough to justify the walk.
5. ☐ Every stop supports at least one clear, verifiable question.
6. ☐ I have photographed the exact feature players must inspect.
7. ☐ I removed clues based on temporary signs, movable objects, or changing displays.
8. ☐ I have at least one backup stop or substitute challenge.

6. Clues, Answers, and Hints

1. ☐ Each direction leads to the correct viewing position.
2. ☐ Each clue identifies the exact object or area to inspect.
3. ☐ Each question states what players should do.
4. ☐ Each question has one defensible answer.
5. ☐ I have listed reasonable accepted-answer variations.
6. ☐ Each difficult question has a useful hint.
7. ☐ The hint narrows the search without immediately giving away the answer.
8. ☐ I have read every clue aloud.
9. ☐ Local-history answers can be found on-site.
10. ☐ No clue requires unsafe behavior, trespassing, climbing, or bothering strangers.

7. Challenge Variety

1. ☐ The hunt includes more than one challenge type.
2. ☐ Similar questions are spaced apart.
3. ☐ Difficult challenges are balanced with easier wins.
4. ☐ Special puzzles connect to a location, instruction, or final solution.
5. ☐ Photo challenges state any safety or permission limits.
6. ☐ The challenge mix fits the age and interests of the players.

8. Teams and Scoring

1. ☐ Teams are small enough for everyone to participate.
2. ☐ The point system is easy to explain and calculate.
3. ☐ I know whether hints affect the score.
4. ☐ I have chosen a tie-breaker.
5. ☐ Large-group start times or starting locations are assigned.
6. ☐ The finish deadline and meeting point are clear.
7. ☐ Prizes or final recognition are ready.

9. Equipment and Materials

1. ☐ Phones or player packets are ready.
2. ☐ All phones, forms, links, images, and QR codes have been tested.
3. ☐ Printed materials are readable outdoors.
4. ☐ Pens, pencils, clipboards, or scratch paper are available if needed.
5. ☐ Players know whether they need Internet access.
6. ☐ A backup copy of essential instructions is available.
7. ☐ The organizer’s contact information appears in the player materials.
8. ☐ Weather, water, footwear, and clothing guidance has been shared.

10. Final Test and Day-of Preparation

1. ☐ Someone who did not create the hunt completed a blind test.
2. ☐ I observed confusion without explaining the intended answer.
3. ☐ I recorded the actual walking and solving time.
4. ☐ Every route transition was checked.
5. ☐ Ambiguous answers were rewritten or expanded.
6. ☐ Overly easy or overly difficult challenges were adjusted.
7. ☐ I retested all revised clues.
8. ☐ I checked for closures, construction, weather, and special events.
9. ☐ The final player version does not reveal the answer key.
10. ☐ The finish, winner announcement, photos, prizes, or surprise ending are ready.

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