Yellowknife Bay — The Lost Diamond Cache
Track down a vanished diamond cache hidden by the first prospectors of Great Slave Lake and expose the secret that shaped Yellowknife’s gold‑rush era.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In the 1930s, the first diamond and gold prospectors fanned out across Great Slave Lake, staking claims and sparking a rush that would birth Yellowknife
Yellowknife Bay — The Lost Diamond Cache
You are a hopeful prospector arriving in Yellowknife Bay, 1934, eager to follow in the footsteps of Gilbert LaBine, founder of the Eldorado mine in 193
Follow the trail of diamond prospectors who shaped Yellowknife since 1991, from the 1935 gold mines to the Ekati deposits that revolutionized the Arctic economy.
A game, a guided tour and a heritage guide — all in one
You're not just buying an escape game. You're carrying a living guide — historical anecdotes, forgotten legends, key monuments, hidden architecture — unfolding as you go.
At each stop, places ordinary guides miss — secret façades, sculpted crests, alleys steeped in history.
Every riddle is rooted in a real historical fact or local legend. You leave with dozens of stories to tell.
Learn to read buildings — flamboyant Gothic, Baroque, Art Deco — like a real art historian, while having fun.
Walk through the city like a novel's character — every alley becomes a stage, every square a theatre.
A voice walks with you at every step, tells the story of each place, reads clues, adds a cinematic feel.
Keep access to the guide & game for 1 year. Come back any time, share it with friends.
« You will not leave this city the way you entered it. »
How does it work?
Explore the city on foot solving puzzles based on real historical facts. No locked room — the city is your playground.
No app to download. Play directly from your browser. Guided step by step, at your own pace.
One purchase per phone is enough. Play with family, friends or as a couple — everyone participates.
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears and speaks to you in your language. Golden letters magically write themselves on the wall to reveal the puzzle answer.
Stuck? Progressive personalised hints. The character repeats the puzzle on demand — at your own pace.
French, English, German, Spanish, Italian + 27 other languages auto-translated by AI.
Want to go deeper?
Places tied to your adventure — optional entries, totally up to you · per person
The story that haunts this land
Yellowknife was born in 1935 with Johnny Baker's gold discovery, transforming this Great Slave Lake shore into an Arctic eldorado. The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, opened in 1979 on the site of the former Prince of Wales Hospital (1936-1996), houses over 50,000 Inuit and Dene artifacts testifying to this mining revolution. Its permanent exhibitions reveal the history of local diamonds since 1991, when the Ekati deposits propelled the Northwest Territories to third place among world diamond producers.
500 meters away via the coastal trail, the Bush Pilot's Monument has raised its 6 meters of stainless steel since 1964 to commemorate the pilots who developed Arctic aviation from 1929. Grant McConachie, founder of Canadian Pacific Air Lines, embodies these pioneers who connected isolated mines to the outside world. This monument overlooking Yellowknife Bay reminds us that gold and diamonds would never have left these lands without these daring aviators transporting ores and miners to southern markets.
The Geological Survey of Canada office, established in 1945 at 4905 49th Street, has mapped the Canadian Shield's riches around Yellowknife Bay for 80 years. Its annual reports document the local economy's transition: from the Con and Giant gold mines of the 1940s to studies on Ekati diamonds that revolutionized the territory. 800 meters on foot from the starting point, this government research center continues to reveal geological secrets buried beneath the tundra.
In Old Town, the historic district founded during the 1935 gold rush, the Wildcat Cafe testifies to the mining excitement of yesteryear. Built in 1937 and moved in 1979, this log building classified as heritage in 1991 served up to 100 meals daily to prospectors. Its wooden walls heard Johnny Baker's tales and saw Gilbert LaBine pass through, creators of the mining fortune that today finances the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly, built in 1994 just 400 meters from the museum.
Your investigation in Yellowknife reveals how a handful of prospectors transformed a trading post into a world mining capital. From 1935 gold to 1991 diamonds, you take away the story of a territory where geology still dictates the economy. These 1.5 km between museum and monuments let you touch 90 years of Arctic transformations, from the gold seeker's cabin to the modern territorial parliament, on the unchanging shores of Great Slave Lake.
The Route
8 stages through the city
The gameplay: AR, camera, hidden clues
At each stop, open your phone camera: an augmented reality character appears on the façade and speaks your language. Hunt the clue — it materializes as golden letters on the real wall or floats in front of you. When you find it, the phone vibrates, an AR chest opens and reveals your answer fragment. 8 stops, 8 clues to find with the camera, 1 final code.
The stops on your route are a surprise. You'll discover them one by one, guided by your phone, starting from the meeting point.
How does it work with a group?
One phone = one team. Pick the number at checkout (1 to 10).
Solo, or a group sharing the screen. One team, one code.
Family, couple, or 2-3 teams competing. Each phone has its own code and its own score.
Friends, bachelor/bachelorette, small office outing — each their own code, each plays at their own pace. Tiered pricing then €6 flat per phone from the 6th.
- ✓All codes are independent — play at the same time OR separately, each team advances at its own pace.
- ✓Leaderboard between your teams + global game leaderboard — each score appears in the public ranking.
- ✓More than 10 phones or need a personalized quest? Discover custom tours.
Ready to live this adventure?
Get my code · 12€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
Arctic geology
Discover the secrets of diamond formation in the Canadian Shield's kimberlite pipes
Ancient Dene culture
Explore the millennial wisdom of First Nations and their spiritual connection to the territory
Northern lights
Understand the magnetic phenomenon that illuminates polar nights and guides prospectors
Solve the geological puzzle of the century
Reconstruct the lost coordinates of Chuck Fipke's discovery
9 features nobody else has
OddballTrip combines gamified play, augmented reality and AI. All our competitors deliver 1 or 2 of these angles. We deliver all 5.
AR treasure chest
A golden chest floats in front of the monument. Tap → opening animation → reveals a secret message.
AR narrator character
Point your phone at the façade: a knight, witch, monk, sailor, detective or ghost appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language with their dedicated ElevenLabs voice (each character has their own unique voice) — your living guide.
Magic golden letters
At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's the puzzle answer. An unforgettable visual effect.
Written + audio narration
Every puzzle available as text AND voice-over: read at your own pace or listen eyes-free while walking. Great in groups and for accessibility.
360° radar + vibration
A mini-radar shows the target even behind you, and the phone vibrates when you aim in the right direction.
Heritage storytelling
Every puzzle weaves in real historical facts (architecture, era, anecdotes). You learn by playing — like a gamified audioguide.
Progressive AI hints
3 levels of AI-generated help: vibe → where to look → answer format. You're never stuck.
AR selfie memento
At the end of the game, capture a selfie with OddballTrip banner + mascot, shareable on Instagram, TikTok.
Zero app to install
PWA technology: open the link, it plays in your browser. Same quality as an app, no App Store hassle.
Frequently asked questions
Q01Do I need to download an app?
No, never. You get a link, you click, it plays in your browser. That's the point of a PWA: same as an app, without the hassle.
Q02Does it work offline?
GPS yes (handled by your phone). Maps yes (tiles cached). AI and hints need an intermittent 4G connection.
Q03How long does a game take?
1 h 30 to 2 h 30 depending on your pace. The timer runs but only for the leaderboard — you play at your own tempo.
Q04What happens if I'm stuck?
You get 3 levels of hints per puzzle (increasing penalty). If truly stuck, you can skip the step (45-min penalty but you keep going).
Q05What's the age range?
From 12 without an adult, from 6 with an adult reading puzzles. Works for families, couples, friend groups, companies.
Q06What if my city isn't in the catalogue?
Pre-register or contact us — we'll email you as soon as your city is live.
Q07What is augmented reality exactly?
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language. At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's your answer. After each puzzle solved, a treasure chest floats in front of you. Seeing is believing.
Avis des aventuriers
Soyez le premier à partager votre expérience.
Did you play les diamants du grand lac des esclaves? Check the email you received after your game to leave a verified review.
Your turn to play
Follow the trail of diamond prospectors who shaped Yellowknife since 1991, from the 1935 gold mines to the Ekati deposits that revolutionized the Arctic economy.
1 purchase = 1 phone. Play several on the same device.
No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
🪙+24 TripCoins granted with your booking
Other escape games in Canada
View Canada→More destinations, tours & urban treasure hunts across the country
Explore other cities in Canada
Dawson City
Capital of the Klondike Gold Rush
Regina
Capital of the Canadian prairies
Vancouver
Pacific metropolis between mountains and ocean
Victoria
British charm on the Pacific coast
Winnipeg
Cultural crossroads in the heart of the Prairies
Toronto
Cosmopolitan metropolis of endless faces