Secret Grottos

A Secret Grotto is a small underground room or cave off the main path. Some are round holes in the grass, some sit behind cracked boulders and a few only open when you play a song. Inside you will usually find a chest, a few pots, a cow, a Gold Skulltula or a scrub. The Echo Gem helps you find them, and bombs, the Megaton Hammer and the Song of Storms open the sealed ones. The eleven entries below cover every hidden hole on the way through the game.

The Echo Gem

Echo Gem

The Cursed Rich Man in the house with the blue door in Kakariko Village thanks you for freeing him and his sons from the curse and gives you the Echo Gem. The collection screen describes it as a gem that detects nearby Gold Skulltulas through light and sound. Equip it from the Equipment screen and unequip it with the same button. It also reacts near Secret Grottos, so wear it as you cross a field or a trail and pause where it flares. The walkthrough step is in Death Mountain Summit and Crater.

Rocks mark some holes, and the Song of Storms uncovers others. Learn it from the Music Man in the windmill of Kakariko Village, as described in Ocarina Songs, then play it beside any fence or wall that looks worth checking. A purple gust and a round hole appear on the spot.

Quick reference

Grottos as a child

Kakariko Village hidden hole

Past the red-doored house with the sign that reads “Gone field studying. Please visit another time,” a round hole opens in the ground beside the steps. Drop in and you land on a Deku Flower in a small underground clearing. Open the chest in the shaft of light for a Blue Rupee, then step back onto the Deku Flower to climb out. See Kakariko Village.

Death Mountain Trail cow grotto

At night on Death Mountain Trail, throw a bomb at the cracked boulder blocking a ledge and climb on. Further up, another round cracked boulder sits by a chain-link net on a higher ledge. Blow it apart too. Behind it is a hidden grotto with a cow in a grassy pasture.

Play Epona’s Song and the cow talks to you. She asks whether you will carry her milk in your bare hands, so bring an empty bottle. Fill it for a bottle of Lon Lon milk. The bottle list is on Empty Bottle Locations.

Zora River cave between the blue pillars

Climb the cliff beside the waterfall to the shelf between two blue-tiled pillars. Set a bomb on the ground to blast open a round hole, with a green rupee beside it, and drop in.

The cave is a dark stone room with golden flower pedestals that save your game. Follow it to a chest that holds a Business Scrub Seed. See Business Scrubs and Business Scrub Seeds.

Hyrule Field moat grotto

After the Master Sword, leave Hyrule Castle Town and follow the grass bank beside the moat to a round hole near the tower wall. Drop in and step onto the yellow flower platform, which carries you into a small green grotto where a Business Scrub stands. He sells a Piece of Heart for 100 rupees to anyone who knows the password. The password and its hints are on Business Scrubs and Fairy’s Thoughts.

Lake Hylia shore doorway

As a child, step off the warp pad at Lake Hylia, swim to the far bank holding Dive when you want to go under, and climb out on the grassy shore. A low stone doorway in the cliff leads to a dark grotto. Strike the token on the mossy wall with your sword. The message reads “You’ve collected 98 tokens so far.” Find the others on Gold Skulltula Locations.

Lake Hylia slab cave

Near the owl’s perch on the Lake Hylia cliff, push the stone slab aside to open a hole in the ground and drop in. Light a Deku Stick at the brazier and touch it to the unlit torches around the room. A chest rises on the slab with a Red Rupee, worth 20 rupees.

Hyrule Castle garden spider cave

Climb the ivy wall beside the road to the castle and follow the garden to the moat, then swim until you climb out by an iron fence and a tall tree. Play the Song of Storms. A purple wind swirls, a leafy plant sprouts and a round hole opens. Crawl into the short cave under the castle grounds.

Put down a bomb against the cracked wall at the back and walk through the opening. A Gold Skulltula hangs in its web at the end of the passage, and the Boomerang takes it down when the Throw prompt shows. That is token #75, and the Boomerang also fetches the rupees lying around. See Kakariko Village and the Nocturne of Shadow.

Grottos as an adult

Hyrule Field night grotto

Ride Epona across Hyrule Field at night until a round hole appears in the grass beside the water. Dismount and drop in. The dim, mossy grotto has a Check prompt on a stone near the wall. Slash the token off the wall for Gold Skulltula #99. The count now shows 99, one short of 100. See Last Heart Pieces and Gold Skulltulas.

Gerudo Valley Song of Storms hole

Near the wall on the canyon path toward Gerudo Fortress, open the ocarina menu and play the Song of Storms. A whirlwind uncovers a hole in the ground. Drop in to a small cave with several pots and a chest. Smash the pots for rupees and open the chest for a Red Rupee. Climb out and follow the canyon tunnel to the fortress. See Gerudo Fortress.

Death Mountain Trail boulder cave

At night, hit the grey pots beside the trail, then look for the large round boulder next to a wooden arrow sign. Smash it with the Megaton Hammer and enter the small cave. The chest inside holds a Business Scrub Seed. See Double Magic and Death Mountain.

Mirage Desert ruin pit

In the ruins of the Mirage Desert, cross to the open pit and climb down the ladder into a red-lit stone room. Lock the Longshot onto the Gold Skulltula high on the wall for token #86, and smash the pots on the floor for rupees.

Light an arrow at the lit torch and shoot the burning arrow into the unlit torch across the room. A chest appears on the raised floor and holds a Business Scrub Seed. Climb the ladder back to the dunes. See Mirage Desert and Evil Desert Colossus.