A Little History

Gumshoe is slang for “detective.” It’s also the name of a walk that since 2006 has been challenging participants to solve their way through 30 clues and 5 kilometers of Seattle’s Phinney Ridge/Greenwood neighborhood, all for the chance to win prizes and raise funds for local non-profits.

How to Gumshoe

First, to get a flavor for the Gumshoe, check out last year’s clues and answers. Then, when you decide you’re in for 2024:

• To purchase your entry form, click the register button at the top of this page, pay for one or more forms online and starting on August 2nd, take a copy of your purchase confirmation email and a picture ID to Greenwood Hardware, 7201 Greenwood Ave N, to receive your form(s).

• If buying online isn’t your thing, between 9 and 11am on Saturday August 3rd, Saturday August 10th, and Saturday Aug 17th, you’ll also find volunteers outside Greenwood Hardware who’ll sell you entry forms for cash, check, or card.

• With your form in hand, head to this year’s start/end point Halcyon Brewing Company (8564 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103) and begin gumshoeing. Do the Gumshoe in one day or over several—you’ve got 17 days, including three week-ends—to solve your way through the walk. Experienced gumshoes say it takes about three hours of bipedal locomoting and scratching your head to complete.

• When you finish, drop your completed form into one of the red lock boxes at Halcyon Brewing Company. You’ve got until 6p Sunday, August 18, if you want to be eligible for the prize drawings at 8.

• If your entry form is drawn, you answer pre-selected clues correctly and the email address you print on your form is legible, someone from the gumshoe team will give you a call or email!