There are several locations in the world of Stardew Valley that you can only access after you've reached a certain point in the game. Usually, players can only get into the Secret Woods once they've gotten a decent amount of copper and iron ore to upgrade their axe and chop down the log blocking the woods' entrance.
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Although it isn't a gold mine, there are a couple of useful resources in the Secret Woods that are useful, especially if you want to get the Community Center done as soon as possible. Some Stardew Valley players make it their objective to finish the Community Center within a year of starting their farm, it's a difficult challenge but also a fun way to occupy your time if you're up for it.
How To Access Secret Woods Without Steel Axe
Reddit user u/fried_chckn discovered this handy little trick to get your character into the Secret Woods without needing to get the Steel Axe. To access the Secret Woods, normally players would have to break the log blocking its entrance. This can't be done using the Copper Axe because it's not a strong enough axe. You can do this trick without using any axe at all but, of course, it's ideal to have already upgraded it to Copper so that you can break the tree stumps instead and collect their Hardwood.
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Recently the ability to place furniture outside was added to the game. So, firstly, to do this you will need a chair. If you're at the start of the game and don't have access to the Furniture Catalogue, you can purchase an Oak Chair at Robin's Carpenter's Shop for 350 gold.
Once you've got the chair in your inventory, you have to place it down on a specific square. It's the square that's closest to the lower end of the stump. Here's how it should look:
Put the chair down in this location and then sit on it. This makes it so you can get to the other side of the log without having to actually break it and get it out of the way. Then, simply go up and get out of the chair and you're able to enter the Secret Woods.
Though at first, this may seem almost pointless, there are quite a few things you now have early access to. You can start chopping down the stumps in the Secret Woods to get Hardwood early on. There are six stumps and each gives two Hardwood daily. Now you can craft additional recipes that you couldn't before and even donate Hardwood to one of the Community Center bundles. You can also immediately start getting Fiddlehead Fern once the Summer starts without having to get an Iron Axe. It is also a great source of mushrooms especially for those that rather have the bat cave than the mushroom cave on their farms, this way you don't have to worry about getting Morels and Chanterelles somewhere else.
NEXT: Stardew Valley: Where To Find All The Minerals And Gems
