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 2025:

• 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 2nd, Saturday August 9th, and Saturday Aug 16th, 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 Take 5 Urban Market (6757 8th Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98117) 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 Take 5 Urban Market. You’ve got until 6p Sunday, August 17th, if you want to be eligible for the prize drawings at 8pm.

• 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!