The first big DLC update for New Pokemon Snap adds 20+ new Pokemon and 3 new areas — but one of those areas has to be unlocked. The other two areas will appear if you’ve made it pretty far in your adventures, so anyone can do it easily. If you miss the clue to find the Secret Side Path, you’re probably scratching your head and wondering where in the world this third area is. We’re here to make unlocking the level easy. You’ll have to perform a very specific task in a certain level, and once you play through the Secret Side Path once, it’ll appear on your map permanently.
The Secret Side Path is also one of the most unique areas of the game. In this area, you’ll turn tiny — yep, you’re taking snaps of giant-sized Pokemon from your itty-bitty vantage point. The setup that adds an entirely new function to your safari vehicle makes me think we’ll be seeing more shrunken areas to explore in future updates. For now, the Secret Side Path is limited to the Florio Nature Park. Learn all about unlocking in the full guide.
More New Pokemon Snap guides:
How To Get 1, 2, 3 & 4 Star Photos | Beginner’s Guide | How To Unlock All Locations | Completion Guide | Florio Nature Park (Day) | All Requests | Florio Nature Park (Night) | All Requests | How To Unlock The Lental Seafloor Illumina Spot | How To Unlock All Optional Routes | Where To Find All Legendary & Mythical Pokemon | How To Unlock All Illumina Orbs
Secret Side Path Area | Location Unlock Guide
The Secret Side Path is the third and final stage included in the big 8/4/21 update for New Pokemon Snap. The Secret Side Path is referred to in the opening discussion with the Professor, but after that you won’t get anymore clues. If you miss the opening dialogue, you’ll have no idea where to look.
NOTE: You need to download the latest update for New Pokemon Snap before you’ll gain access to the Secret Side Path. Mightywide River and Barren Badlands unlock by progressing to Sweltering Sands and Shiver Snowfields.
- How To Unlock Secret Side Path: Play Florio Nature Park (Day) and reach the lakeside area of the map. This is just past the forest hill — Dodrio will appear to your left. Look for a tree (looking left) as you progress. There’s a tree with a knot at the base. Use a pulse and scan the marker that appears to begin the path.
Once you begin the path, you’ll need to finish it to actually unlock the route. This is the only route in the game that splinters off from another map and unlocks after playing it once. The route actually causes your vehicle to shrink down so you can view Pokemon from an entirely different angle. They’re absolutely enormous! That makes this one of the most unique areas in the game — and we can only guess future updates will add more levels just like this.
