Game wiki
Stardew Valley Secret Notes and Journal Scraps
Secret Notes and Journal Scraps guide for the Magnifying Glass, A Winter Mystery, note sources, gift clues, map puzzles, Cryptic Note, Ginger Island scraps, Golden Walnuts, and Forge hints.
Quick facts
Secret Notes unlock after the Magnifying Glass is obtained from A Winter Mystery in Winter.
Secret Notes can reveal gift preferences, puzzle routes, map clues, and the Cryptic Note floor-100 route.
Journal Scraps are Ginger Island collectibles found in order and point toward Golden Walnuts, island puzzles, and Volcano systems.
Unlock and collect notes
Secret Notes become a background collection layer once the Magnifying Glass is unlocked. They should be gathered while doing normal farm, mining, fishing, chopping, and artifact routes.
- Trigger A Winter Mystery from the Bus Stop route during Winter daytime.
- Read found notes from inventory so they move into the collection tab.
- Use note sources as overlap with real goals rather than pure grinding.
Turn clues into routes
The value of notes is not the paper itself. Gift clues improve friendship planning, map clues unlock hidden rewards, and Journal Scraps make Ginger Island exploration less blind.
- Use villager and gift pages after gift clue notes update the Gift Log.
- Route map and dig clues by region with the Hoe in inventory.
- Pair Journal Scraps with Golden Walnut and Volcano planning pages.