Grand Portage — Voyageurs' Lost Code
Uncover the encrypted code hidden by voyageurs along the ancient Grand Portage trail. Decode riddles at historic sites to reveal their secret cache before it vanishes forever.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In the late 1700s, the rugged voyageurs of the North West Company dominated the fur trade, hauling 180-pound canoe loads over the 8
Grand Portage — Voyageurs' Lost Code
You are an Ojibwe scout from the Crane clan, tasked in 1801 near Thunder Bay, Canada, with a vital mission: to decipher the secret trade routes between Lake
Travel up the Kaministiquia River to the shores of Lake Superior, where North West Company voyageurs forged the destiny of the fur trade in the early 19th century.
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
« Superior by Nature »— Official motto of the City of Thunder Bay, Ontario
The story that haunts this land
Your quest for the "Voyageurs' Lost Code" begins at Kaministiquia Heritage Park in Thunder Bay, a vital hub on the Kaministiquia River. This waterway was the main route for voyageurs ascending from Lake Superior to Fort William in the early 19th century. It was here that canoes, carrying up to 4 tons of goods and manned by 10 paddlers, began their portage around the rapids, connecting to the historic route towards Grand Portage. The river's Ojibwe name itself evokes the transfers of essential products like flour and sugar, marking this site as a crossroads of Canadian fur trade heritage.
Less than 1.5 km on foot, you reach Fort William Historical Park, a faithful reconstruction of the original Fort William from 1815. This North West Company trading post, established in 1801, served as the voyageurs' headquarters and the main depot for transferring goods from master canoes to northern canoes. The Fort's Great Hall and Canoe Wharf were the starting points for expeditions to Grand Portage. Explore the more than 40 historic buildings that attest to the scale of this North West Company historical site in Ontario, essential for the fur trade.
Following the route of Fort William Road, you walk in the footsteps of voyageurs who transported their northern canoes after the 8.5-mile Grand Portage. This historic road, mentioned on the official Ontario 2022 road map, runs along the Kaministiquia River and connects the historical park to downtown Thunder Bay. Nearby, the Hector Pioneer Memorial, erected in 1937, commemorates the arrival of the first Scottish settlers in 1801, an event intrinsically linked to the establishment of the fort and the development of this trade hub in the region.
Your journey then takes you to the Thunder Bay Waterfront, on the shores of Lake Superior. This shoreline was the eastern terminus of the voyageurs' route coming from Sault Ste. Marie and Grand Portage, located 30 miles northeast of Grand Portage, MN, via the Canada-USA border. It was here that fur trade goods were transferred in the early 19th century, a strategic point for William McGillivray, head of the North West Company. Thunder Bay's motto, "Superior by Nature," resonates with the power of this lake, which was the gateway to vast territories.
By deciphering the puzzles of this scavenger hunt in Thunder Bay, you have retraced the itinerary of the voyageurs and Ojibwe clans who shaped the history of this Ontario region. From 12-meter canoes loaded with 100 lbs of flour and 50 lbs of sugar, to decisions made in the Great Hall, each element of the route reveals the ingenuity and resilience of the fur trade actors. This interactive tour offers you a deep understanding of the Grand Portage voyageurs trail and Thunder Bay's central role in Canadian heritage, well beyond the beaten path.
The Route
8 sites to explore by car within the day
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 · 14,90€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
Voyageurs routes
Follow the ancient waterways of the North West Company
Ojibwe legends
Discover the myths of Nanabozho and Indigenous sacred places
Trading empire
Explore the remains of America's greatest trading network
Solve the Grand Portage mystery
Between Ojibwe legends and fur empire
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.
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Your turn to play
Travel up the Kaministiquia River to the shores of Lake Superior, where North West Company voyageurs forged the destiny of the fur trade in the early 19th century.
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
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