The Discovery Trail at Hillsboro City Park has a new scavenger hunt, said Ryan Hurtgen, who spearheaded the effort to create the trail.
Hillsboro City park is at 10975 Hwy. 21 in the southern part of the city, and the Discovery Trail is about an approximately 1-mile long loop people may hike. It features a labyrinth and sections devoted to the different seasons, as well as the scavenger hunt component.
The scavenger hunt has been part of the trail since it opened in June 2023, but it was recently updated, offering a brand new experience, Hurtgen said.
“It is fun for all ages,” he said.
Hurtgen, 44, of Hillsboro said he wants to publicize the scavenger hunt, which was revamped as part of overall upgrades to the trail.
“We had a work day May 3,” he said. “It was a rainy day, so we didn’t get that many volunteers. But, they did come out and raked the trails and planted new plants. We had about 15 volunteers.
“Bill Twiggs (the Hillsboro Parks and Recreation Board chairman) brought the tractor and raked the trail with it, and we planted a moss garden in the winter zone. We planted, probably, 50 new plants, including cactus and cone flowers, all native to Missouri.”
Hurtgen said he led the group of volunteers during the work day.
“We also put in a new scavenger hunt with all new clues,” Hurtgen said.
He said those who want to take part in the scavenger hunt must have a phone with internet access.
“You have to have a phone because it’s a QR code scavenger hunt,” Hurtgen said. “You scan the first one (on a sign attached to a tree) and it launches you to the first clue. There are seven clues (at different points along the trail) that lead to number eight, which is the treasure.”
He said those who reach the finish of the scavenger hunt are offered a reward, which he does not want to reveal because he wants it to be a surprise for those who complete the activity.
Hurtgen said the scavenger hunt is designed to increase awareness of and interest in nature, especially among youngsters.
“It was just an idea to get kids engaged in treasure hunts – a game that was educational – and also in learning about nature,” Hurtgen said. “They learn about direction, using a compass (from an app on their phones or an actual compass). They learn about trees and watersheds, and self-awareness, mindfulness. They just kind of feel in tune with nature.”
Shelby Walsh, Hurtgen’s cousin and an art teacher at Hillsboro High School, helped Hurtgen with the original Discovery Trail project and with installing the first scavenger hunt.
She said other teachers have told her they appreciate the overall trail and the scavenger hunt activity.
“The Discovery Trail is a great field trip opportunity,” Walsh said. “There’s so much to do. Teachers can walk the labyrinth with their students and teach about the natural calendar, the equinoxes and point out where the north stone is. They can read the signs along the trail that feature poems and artwork about our Missouri seasons.
“There’s also the really fun QR code scavenger hunt, which has just been updated with all the clues and a new prize. The scavenger hunt encourages critical thinking, offers some adventure and continues teaching about our Missouri landscape. I hope the community takes advantage of this learning opportunity and has some fun.”
Hurtgen said the Jefferson Franklin Community Action Corporation provided a $15,000 federal CARES (Coronavirus Aid-Relief and Economic Security) Act grant to fund the Discovery Trail project.
He said any improvements or upgrades to the Discovery Trail since then have been funded with through fundraising efforts or his own donations.
“I raised some money through the Facebook page for the plants this year,” he said.
To see that Facebook page, search for “Hillsboro Park Discovery Trail.” However, Hurtgen stressed he does not continually seek donations for the trail.
“I set up an account with (Kress Farm Garden Preserve north of Hillsboro), and people sent money there to an account for the plants,” he said. “It’s not an ongoing fundraiser. I’d like to make something like that, though. The park needs it.”
Bill Twiggs, the Hillsboro Parks and Recreation Board chairman, in the labyrinth at Hillsboro City Park.
Twiggs said he appreciates Hurtgen’s efforts on behalf of the park and the community.
“People like the scavenger hunt,” Twiggs said. “It’s an activity a lot of parks don’t have. There’s always somebody down here at the trail. They’ll come down just to look at it.”
He said the city Parks Department operates on a small budget. The park had a trail before the Discovery Trail was created, but the upgrades the project brought about made it into something special.
“The trail has always been here,” Twiggs said. “It wasn’t developed. It was just a place to take a walk. It was hard to walk on the trail. This is a big improvement. It’s peaceful to come down and just sit and look around.”
Hurtgen said he is proud of the Discovery Trail and knows many people use it based on the number of QR code scans alone.
“It’s a pretty walkable trail,” he said. “It’s hard to say (how many hikers have used it) because it could be groups of people doing it together with only one of them doing a scan. One group may be three, four people. I think we’ve had 12,000 scans.
“There are people who walk it every day who don’t scan. Every time I’m out here, there’s a few people.”