How many explorer notes are on The Island in ARK?

There are 90 explorer notes on The Island: 30 from Helena Walker, 29 from Sir Edmund Rockwell, and 31 from Mei-Yin Li. Creature Dossiers (around 100 of them, also collected under the Explorer Notes tab) are a separate category and are not counted here.

Are the explorer note coordinates the same in ASE and ASA?

Yes. The Island is the same map in ARK: Survival Evolved and ARK: Survival Ascended, so every explorer note sits at the same Latitude and Longitude in both versions.

ARK Island Explorer Notes — All 90 Locations + Coords (2026)

Q: What do explorer notes do in ARK?

Reading an explorer note for the first time grants a stacking experience buff that boosts the XP you earn for a period of time, and permanently unlocks that note's journal entry. Collecting them is one of the fastest ways to level up early, on top of the lore they reveal.

Q: Are creature dossiers the same as explorer notes?

They share the Explorer Notes tab in-game, but they are different things. The 90 notes listed here are the written journal entries from the three explorers. Creature Dossiers (about 100 on The Island) are a separate set, each collectible at its own fixed map location, and aren't listed on this page.

Q: How do I read the coordinates?

Coordinates are in-game GPS values written as Latitude, Longitude. Open your map (default M) to see your current Lat/Lon, then travel to the listed spot. A flyer makes note-hunting on The Island much faster.

How to use this: coordinates are in-game Lat, Lon — open your map (default M) to see where you are, then head to the spot. Notes are listed in journal order; the Region column lets you grab everything near where you already are. A flyer makes a full sweep of all 90 a single afternoon — and for the most efficient order, follow the collection route.

🧭 Jump to an explorer

Helena Walker (30) Sir Edmund Rockwell (29) Mei-Yin Li (31)

Explorer · 30 notes

Helena Walker — Explorer Notes

The biologist behind the creature dossiers. Her notes lean coastal and southern, with a cluster down in the Southern Islets and the underwater caves.

#	Region / Nearest Landmark	Coords (Lat, Lon)
1	Underwater Cave	8.5, 90.9
2	Underwater Cave	91.8, 71.3
3	Underwater Cave	91.0, 36.2
4	Underwater Cave	90.6, 13.1
5	Southern Islets	81.5, 44.7
6	Southern Islets	77.2, 76.4
7	The Footpaw	78.8, 27.7
8	Southern Islets	61.2, 81.5
9	Caverns of Lost Hope	49.4, 79.2
10	The Redwood Forests	52.4, 59.0
11	Upper South Cave	69.8, 61.4
12	Lower South Cave	84.1, 52.1
13	The Western Approach	55.2, 27.7
14	Winter's Mouth	26.3, 62.9
15	The Frozen Tooth	34.1, 56.1
16	The Western Plains	40.7, 26.1
17	Southern Islets	76.8, 77.3
18	Southern Islets	76.6, 70.7
19	Winter's Mouth	25.1, 44.6
20	Winter's Mouth	19.2, 49.9
21	Winter's Mouth	12.6, 49.3
22	Winter's Mouth	24.9, 60.9
23	Smuggler's Pass	23.9, 65.3
24	Whitesky Peak	28.9, 23.2
25	The Western Plains	36.2, 22.4
26	Winter's Mouth	27.7, 56.4
27	Whitesky Peak	26.0, 25.6
28	Whitesky Peak	22.3, 23.4
29	The Dead Island	16.3, 81.2
30	The Dead Island (Tek Cave area)	19.2, 77.1

Explorer · 29 records

Sir Edmund Rockwell — Rockwell Records

The chemist's records. Heavy through the Southern Islets and the swamps, with a few tucked into Cragg's Island and the Dead Island in the far southwest.

#	Region / Nearest Landmark	Coords (Lat, Lon)
1	The Hidden Lake	25.3, 73.1
2	Cragg's Island	83.2, 24.8
3	The Western Coast	54.8, 13.8
4	The Dead Island	14.1, 85.9
5	The Hidden Lake	21.3, 69.2
6	Caverns of Lost Hope	46.4, 83.7
7	The Eastern Forest	44.1, 81.4
8	The Redwood Forests	64.5, 34.1
9	Caverns of Lost Faith	61.7, 16.1
10	Southern Islets	75.7, 71.5
11	Southern Islets	80.0, 67.1
12	Southern Islets	82.6, 51.3
13	The Writhing Swamps	64.1, 61.6
14	The Red Peak	58.6, 49.0
15	The Writhing Swamps	70.2, 32.0
16	The Writhing Swamps	69.5, 24.8
17	Central Cave	40.8, 47.7
18	Lava Cave	68.7, 86.1
19	Cragg's Island	83.8, 27.7
20	Cragg's Island	86.4, 26.7
21	The Footpaw	77.1, 31.6
22	Southern Islets	76.0, 46.7
23	Southern Islets	75.5, 74.0
24	Southern Islets	76.5, 68.1
25	Southern Islets	75.0, 65.6
26	Southern Islets	75.8, 75.5
27	The Dead Island	20.1, 85.9
28	Southern Islets	78.3, 47.3
29	Tek Cave ascension area	14.2, 75.6

Explorer · 31 notes

Mei-Yin Li — Survivor's Notes

"The Beast Queen." Her notes cluster hard in the frozen north — Whitesky Peak, Winter's Mouth, and the Northern Plains — so pack fur armor for this set.

#	Region / Nearest Landmark	Coords (Lat, Lon)
1	Whitesky Peak	25.0, 18.9
2	Whitesky Peak	15.2, 20.7
3	Winter's Mouth	15.8, 52.5
4	Whitesky Peak	19.8, 30.1
5	Whitesky Peak	26.6, 16.4
6	Whitesky Peak	16.8, 29.0
7	Whitesky Peak	21.3, 30.0
8	Whitesky Peak	32.5, 16.1
9	Caverns of Lost Hope	47.2, 81.6
10	Winter's Mouth	27.3, 43.9
11	Northern Plains	20.5, 40.8
12	Winter's Mouth	12.8, 54.5
13	Northern Plains	21.3, 40.9
14	Winter's Mouth	15.3, 53.2
15	Northern Plains	26.8, 39.7
16	The Western Plains	34.4, 29.4
17	Whitesky Peak	28.0, 33.9
18	Winter's Mouth	26.6, 51.7
19	The Grand Hills	39.0, 44.1
20	Northern Shores	39.1, 71.1
21	Far's Peak	32.4, 73.3
22	Far's Peak	30.1, 82.4
23	The Eastern Forest	40.2, 78.8
24	The Western Approach	50.5, 23.3
25	The Western Plains	42.6, 23.0
26	The Western Approach	52.4, 17.3
27	Whitesky Peak	22.1, 9.7
28	Whitesky Peak	23.5, 37.8
29	Whitesky Peak	18.2, 38.0
30	The Grand Hills	39.9, 40.6
31	Tek Cave ascension area	13.3, 73.9

Note: these 90 are the written explorer notes from the three survivors. Creature Dossiers (around 100 on The Island, all penned by Helena) are also collectible at their own fixed map locations — but they're a separate ~100-item set, so they're not listed on this page. They're a great candidate for their own map.

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FAQ

Common Questions about Island Explorer Notes

How many explorer notes are on The Island?

There are 90 explorer notes on The Island: 30 from Helena Walker, 29 from Sir Edmund Rockwell, and 31 from Mei-Yin Li. Creature Dossiers (around 100, also under the Explorer Notes tab) are a separate category and aren't counted here.

What do explorer notes do in ARK?

Reading a note for the first time grants a stacking experience buff that boosts the XP you earn for a while, and permanently unlocks that note's journal entry. Sweeping a region's worth of notes is one of the fastest early-game ways to level — on top of the lore they reveal.

Are the coordinates the same in ASE and ASA?

Yes. The Island is the same map in ARK: Survival Evolved and ARK: Survival Ascended, so every note sits at the same Latitude and Longitude in both versions. These coordinates are verified against the ARK community wiki.

Are creature dossiers the same as explorer notes?

They share the Explorer Notes tab, but they're different. The 90 here are the written journal entries from the three explorers. Creature Dossiers (~100 on The Island) are also collectible at their own fixed map locations, but they're a separate set — so they're not on this page.

How do I read the coordinates?

They're in-game GPS values written as Latitude, Longitude. Open your map (default M) to see your current Lat/Lon, then travel to the listed spot. A flyer makes collecting all 90 dramatically faster.

Keep exploring The Island

More Island Guides

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Fastest Collection Route → Island Cave Locations → Ragnarok Caves → The Center Caves → Scorched Earth Caves → Aberration Caves → Astraeos Caves →

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