Wyoming Adventurer Launches His Own Treasure Hunt, Inspired by Famous Forest Fenn Search

A Douglas man is blending adventure, storytelling, and outdoor exploration into a unique treasure hunt set in Wyoming’s Fremont Canyon — and he’s taking inspiration from one of the most famous real-life treasure hunts in recent memory, Cowboy State Daily reports.

Ronnie Gonzales, an experienced treasure hunter and climber, is among those who continue to search for rumored missing pieces from Forest Fenn’s treasure, which was discovered in Wyoming in 2020. The multi-million-dollar chest, filled with gold and precious gems, was hidden for a decade by Fenn, a Santa Fe art dealer, and became the subject of a recent Netflix documentary, Gold & Greed: The Hunt for Fenn’s Treasure.

While most of the chest’s contents were reportedly recovered by medical student Jack Stuef, Gonzales believes not everything made it out of the wilderness. He suspects an emerald — potentially worth tens of thousands of dollars — and a coin were accidentally left behind.

Unlike others who might seek to profit from such a find, Gonzales has a different plan in mind: if he finds the missing emerald or coin, he wants to add them to a treasure chest of his own, hidden in Fremont Canyon.

Gonzales’s treasure hunt isn’t aimed at multi-million-dollar stakes, like those created by Fenn or other searchers such as Justin Posey. Instead, it’s a curated collection of valuable and sentimental items, including rare baseball cards, Damascus knives, a handmade hammer, and a baseball from a professional game. The box, which Gonzales checks regularly, is meant to reflect both the value of the objects and the stories behind them.

“I try to add to it as I can,” Gonzales said. “It’s got to have a story and be special, with good aesthetics.”

Fremont Canyon, a scenic location popular with climbers and outdoor enthusiasts, was chosen not just for its beauty but for its personal meaning. Gonzales sees the treasure as both a tribute to the place he loves and a way to draw attention to Wyoming’s lesser-known natural wonders.

This summer, Gonzales plans to release one clue per month about the location of his treasure through social media. He hopes to spark the curiosity of hikers, climbers, and adventure seekers alike, turning the hunt into a form of interactive storytelling.

“I’ve grown up backpacking and hiking and climbing around Fremont Canyon,” he said. “So, I’ve put the treasure in a place that’s always beautiful. It’s where the magic is.”

Gonzales also includes a personal touch for anyone who finds the treasure: handwritten literature that encourages the finder to consider re-hiding it somewhere meaningful to them — turning the journey into a collaborative adventure.

“It’s a choose-your-own adventure,” he said. “You might keep it, grow it, or re-hide it. It’s up to you.”

The treasure-hunting life isn’t without its dangers. Gonzales has trained himself for extreme environments, preparing for everything from wildlife encounters to sudden weather changes. His methods include endurance tests like running marathons in 100-degree heat and diving into freezing water — survival skills he says have already come in handy more than once.

He’s also had intense moments in the wild, including a time he fell through ice in Colorado and had to ice-climb his way out with waterlogged, freezing gear.

“That was a tough one,” he said. “That was rough.”

Despite the risks, Gonzales continues to seek out treasure across the West — not just lost gems, but sometimes even missing people. He often works with teams of researchers and volunteers to assist in true crime investigations when possible, viewing it as part of a higher calling.

Gonzales is currently investigating another legend tied to Wyoming’s past: hidden gold possibly linked to the infamous outlaw “Big Nose” George Parrott. A family friend gave him a copy of a map believed to have belonged to someone close to Parrott, with a marked location hinting at a stash still buried in Wyoming.

Over the years, Gonzales has received many such leads — often from people around the country who lack the time or means to follow up on them. He takes each one seriously and sees them as part of a larger tapestry of untold stories and forgotten places.

For Gonzales, the real reward isn’t always the treasure itself — it’s the journey, the views, and the sense of connection to the land and its history.

“You might see something you never saw before — a sunrise or sunset on a cliff you’ve never stood on,” he said. “There’s treasure everywhere. And it only sweetens the pot if you actually find the pot.”