Source: official over the hill website. Game imagery © Funselektor and Strelka Games.
Emerald Lake at a glance
| Activity | Count | Rewards and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Challenge trails | 3 | The Trail Burner, The Burro, kayaks |
| Item recovery | 1 | Elizabeth Lake Recovery: canoe |
| Cabins | 6 | 10 Pebbles on first visit, repair and tool refill |
| Crates | 18 | Pebbles plus an item |
| Scenic points | 2 | Viewpoints for photos |
| Meteorite spawn points | 34 | 15 to 80 Pebbles by size |
| Wildlife species | 12 | 300 Pebbles for one photo of each |
| Mechanic | 1 | 10 Pebbles on first visit |
| Portal | 1 | Ferry to the Ridge, opens Gimli Ridge |
Sources: Over the Hill interactive map — Wikily · Emerald Lake map — overthehill.app · Emerald Lake — Over the Hill DB
How many maps are there?
| Area | Region | Vehicle rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Emerald Lake | The Valhallas, Canada | Trail Burner, Burro |
| Gimli Ridge | The Valhallas, Canada | Brick, Polyana, Blast Wagon, Das Rust Ox |
| Asgard Mountain | The Valhallas, Canada | Bull v1, Grand Woodman, Timberbox, Das Mammoth |
| Tassili n'Ajjer Desert | Algeria | Das Wombat, Woodman, Boar, Marshal |
| Aurès Mountains | Algeria | Das Lynx, Tinny, Cumbre, Roamer |
Sources: World & regions — Over the Hill DB · Vehicle unlock finder — Over the Hill DB
Where Emerald Lake fits in the full map
The release game has five areas split across two regions. The Valhallas in Canada contains Emerald Lake, Gimli Ridge and Asgard Mountain, while the Algeria region contains the Tassili n'Ajjer Desert and the Aurès Mountains. So the answer to how many maps there are is five playable areas rather than one continuous open world.
The developer FAQ describes each area as handcrafted and roughly 4 by 4 kilometres. Emerald Lake runs from about 50 to 302 metres above sea level according to one community map, which keeps it gentler than the alpine areas that follow. Guides describe its terrain as relatively flat, with valleys, water crossings and boreal forest.
Because Emerald Lake comes first, it also teaches the main loop. You reveal places by exploring, earn Pebbles from discoveries and spend them on upgrades. The habits you build here carry straight over to the larger areas.
Challenge trails and their rewards
Emerald Lake has three challenge trails. The Windy Joe Trail awards The Trail Burner, a Wagon-class vehicle, and the Hermit Trail awards The Burro, a Workhorse truck. The Elizabeth Oath Trail awards kayaks rather than a vehicle.
First finishes on challenge trails pay between 15 and 40 Pebbles across the game, often alongside a new vehicle. Running both vehicle trails before leaving gives you two extra classes to choose from on the next map. If a trail keeps defeating your starter, return after upgrading tyres or suspension.
The area also contains one item recovery job, the Elizabeth Lake Recovery, which rewards a canoe. Recovery jobs end at a marked point, so plan a return route that avoids the deepest water. Treat the canoe and kayaks as collection rewards that sit apart from the vehicle unlocks.
Cabins, the mechanic and fog of war
Six cabins are listed for Emerald Lake: Pavilion Lake Cabin, Black Bear's Den, Elizabeth Lake Cabin, Birch Grove Hut, Malachite Lodge and Brew Hut. Pavilion Lake is listed as one of the game's starter cabins. A first cabin visit pays 10 Pebbles and clears fog within roughly 400 metres, revealing nearby places on the map.
Cabins also fully repair your vehicle and refill tool slots, which makes them safe stopping points before a hard trail. Places stay hidden under fog until you get within about 200 metres, so visiting each cabin early is the fastest way to fill in the map. The area also has one mechanic, whose first visit pays another 10 Pebbles.
Because cabins double as respawn points, a long drive between two of them is the riskiest part of any route. Plan trail attempts so that a cabin sits near the start or the end. That way a failed climb costs a short drive rather than a long recovery.
Crates, scenic points and meteorites
Community maps place 18 crates and two scenic points in Emerald Lake. Crate rewards documented for neighbouring Gimli Ridge include bull bars, mudflaps, spare wheels and antenna toppers, which shows the kind of items crates hold. Open crates as you pass rather than planning a separate sweep later.
Meteorites can appear at 34 spawn points in Emerald Lake. Their value scales with size, from 15 Pebbles for a very small rock to 80 Pebbles for the largest. Large meteorites need two players to extract, huge ones three and the very largest four, which makes them the clearest co-op objective in the area.
Spawn points are possible locations rather than fixed rocks, so not every point holds a meteorite at once. Sweep a section, note what you see and move on rather than checking every marker. A solo player can still collect small and medium meteorites alone.
Wildlife photography: 12 species
The community database lists 12 photographable species in Emerald Lake. Common animals such as the Common Raven, Elk, Red Fox, Mule Deer and Canada Goose pay 10 Pebbles each. Uncommon sightings including the Beaver, Gray Wolf, Kokanee Salmon, Coyote and Moose pay 20.
The rare Black Bear pays 50 Pebbles, and the very rare Sasquatch pays 100. Photographing one of each species is worth 300 Pebbles in total, a meaningful boost for early upgrades. Kokanee Salmon and Mule Deer are the most frequent spawns, while the Sasquatch has a single listed spawn point.
Animals move and spawn in different places, so photography works best as something you do while travelling. Keep the camera ready near water for salmon, geese and beavers. Rare species are worth a detour when you spot them, but chasing the Sasquatch alone is a slow way to earn Pebbles.
Leaving Emerald Lake: the ferry to Gimli Ridge
Emerald Lake has one portal, the Ferry to the Ridge. Reaching it opens Gimli Ridge, the second area in The Valhallas. Gimli Ridge is busier, with nine cabins, 16 crates, eight scenic points, five challenge trails and two recovery jobs listed on the same interactive map.
From Gimli Ridge, the Tunnel to Asgard Mountain opens the third Canadian area. Several of the strongest vehicles, including Das Mammoth, are unlocked in Asgard Mountain and the Algerian areas. Finish the Emerald Lake activities you care about before the crossing if you prefer a tidy map.
Interactive map and full map options
This site has not found an official interactive map from the developer, and the FAQ lists printed maps as part of the Supporter Pack. Several community sites now offer interactive maps of Emerald Lake built from the release build, with filters for cabins, crates, trails and meteorites. Use them alongside this guide, but remember that community markers can change after patches.
If you prefer exploring without spoilers, the in-game fog of war and cabin reveals do the same job gradually. Checking a community map only when stuck keeps the discovery that the game is built around. Either way, the counts on this page tell you what is left to find.
A simple first-session route
Start by driving to nearby cabins to clear fog and set safe respawn points. Visit the mechanic once for the bonus Pebbles, then spend early earnings on tyres or suspension for your starter. Photograph animals along the way rather than hunting them separately.
Next, attempt the Windy Joe Trail and the Hermit Trail to add The Trail Burner and The Burro to your garage. Finish the Elizabeth Oath Trail and the lake recovery if you want the kayaks and canoe. Then head for the Ferry to the Ridge when you are ready for steeper ground.
Playing with friends changes the order slightly. Meteorite hunting becomes worthwhile earlier, because a group can extract the large rocks that a solo player must leave behind. Split up to clear fog faster, then regroup at a cabin before each challenge trail.