“Outdoor escape room” sounds like something of an impossibility, much like “low-fat donuts,” or “warm snow,” but one Canadian company is truly turning escape rooms on their head.

Without the limitations of just a few rooms, Mystery Town Tours can extend upwards of six km of clue-tracking, which attendees can traverse by foot or by bike.

"While most mountain holidays rely heavily on skis, bikes and backpacks, the Mystery Towns app (which originated in Canmore) requires a completely different toolkit...
Once downloaded, the free app serves up about 20 questions that sends players on wild Clue-like scavenger hunt throughout town. Find elusive dates on historic buildings, discover back alleys, and learn secrets even locals don’t know about.

Solve a puzzle and explore the provincial capital on the first B.C. edition of Canmore, Alberta–based Uncorked Experiences’ Mystery Towns. Players follow clues through the city to find a villain–and maybe even treasure. Sent via text or app on a smartphone, each clue leads to a different location where participants have to find a hidden word or solve a puzzle, then text the correct answer back to receive the next tip. $79 per team

This new clue-solving adventure transforms places and public spaces into a real-life puzzle board — where you and your friends become the game pieces. Instantly unlock the adventure via text or app on your smartphone, and see Vancouver transform into a series of cryptic (and sometimes baffling) clues.

In a unique cross between several popular games, a Canmore man is helping residents and guests discover the hidden gems of several cities.

“Is it a tour, is it a game — you decide,” says Andrew Nickerson, the “riddle master”

"Is it a scavenger hunt? Is it an outdoor escape room? Is it a puzzle?

It was a cold winter’s afternoon when we discovered Mystery Town Tours and the Airport Caper. Teamed up with strangers at an event, and no idea what we were getting into, we were given our first clue at the Calgary International Airport.

"I’ll be honest, when I first found out about [Mystery Towns], it took me a second to figure it out. By now, we’ve all heard about Escape Rooms, and when I heard about one opening in Canmore, I thought “Why would you want to be trapped indoors when you’re in the most beautiful town in Canada?”

"I’ll admit it – I get plenty bored on weekends. Though we often spend our weekends in Canmore, we still end up doing the same old...
But there’s a twist! It takes elements from scavenger hunts, the Amazing Race, plus those locked escape rooms. You get to investigate and explore Canmore as you never have before."