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The Witness - The Shady Trees Puzzle Solution

Images and solutions for every puzzle in The Witness in this complete walkthrough and puzzle guide.

Guide by Larryn Bell Contributor
Additional contributions by Bill Lavoy
Updated on

With its enticing red and orange leaves, the Shady Trees Puzzle in The Witness has likely caught your attention at some point during your adventure. If you need help activating the light beacon in this colorful forest, follow our Shady Trees Puzzle Solutions Walkthrough. The Shady Trees puzzle begins near the river bank, at an elaborate metal gate in between the Keep and the Quarry.

The Witness - The Shady Trees Puzzle Solutions Walkthrough

This is where the light beam will emerge as well. If you don’t care about solving the puzzle set and would rather skip straight to unlocking the light beam, then simply jump to the last panel in this section. You can input the solution directly through the gate to activate the light beam.

From the elaborate gate, head right along the footpath and turn left down the hill to locate a metal door with a simple blue line puzzle. Completing the line puzzle will cause the door to slide open temporarily. While the door is open, head down the path toward the first series of puzzle panels.

Similar to the Monastery Puzzle, the Shady Trees Puzzle uses tree branches as stencils. However, this time it isn’t the tree branches themselves, but rather their shadows that provide clues for each puzzle. The first series of light yellow puzzles will have tree shadows intersecting parts of the panel graph. Trace the puzzle path along the open parts of the graph, avoiding the shadows. The first two puzzle solutions are shown below.

The third light yellow puzzle initially only shows half of the shadow clue. To reveal the rest of the branch shadows, go back up the path behind you and use the line puzzle to open the temporary gate once more. Now that the full shadow clue is revealed, quickly return to the third puzzle panel to complete its solution before the door closes.

After completing this yellow puzzle, a gate will open behind the panel, revealing a path to a dock near the water. However, we don’t need to go there just yet. The dock is a part of the Quarry puzzle, which we will cover in another section. For now, just keep this shortcut in mind for when you're ready to tackle the Quarry later on.

Follow the illuminated wire to the next series of panels. This set of pink puzzles involves two different types of shadows: tree branches, and metal bars. When drawing the puzzle solution, note that it is safe to cross over the straight metal bar shadows, but not the tree branch shadows. We’ve listed each of the five pink puzzles below, along with their solutions.

As you follow the illuminated wire to the next series of puzzles, you’ll notice that the wire forks along the trail. We chose to tackle the right path first and the left path afterward, but you can start with either path.

Follow the wire up the footpath to the right to begin the next set of light blue panels. This time, rather than avoiding the tree branch shadows, you will instead be following the branch shadows as guidelines for each puzzle solution. This series of blue puzzles and their solutions are listed below.

Upon finishing the series of light blue puzzles, the elaborate front gate will open up half way. To unlock the second door and reveal the rest of the shadow clue, you must complete the last series of shadow puzzles. Return to where the wire diverged along the trail, and this time head down the path on the left.

The series of purple puzzles contain shadow clues that are either incomplete, or are partially obstructed by other objects in some way. You will have to look at the broader context surrounding the panels to glean clues for each puzzle. If you need help, you can always take a peek at our solutions below.

After completing the purple set of puzzles, return to the front gate. Both gate doors should now be open, revealing the full silhouette clue. Use the rules you learned throughout this puzzle set to solve the final panel. Avoid the leafy branches on the right, and follow the bare branches on the left.

Once you complete this puzzle panel, the Shady Trees light beam will activate. As you explore the island, keep an eye out for any shadows that may seem intentionally placed, as these may indicate clues to other hidden secrets.