High above Redlands Canyon in the southern Panamint Mountains of Death Valley lies what local legend claims was a secret camp of Western author Peter B. Kyne. The remote site, accessed via Striped Butte Valley, features a large stacked-rock tent platform perched precariously on the mountainside, offering sweeping views of the rugged canyon 600 feet below.
While we can't be certain Kyne actually stayed here, the story comes from Emmett Harder's book "These Canyons are Full of Ghosts," where he recounts that Panamint (Asa) Russell told him Kyne used the mine as a retreat to write his stories. The tent platform still holds traces of its former occupants: remnants of a walled tent, pieces of a cot, discarded cans, and the door to a stove.
About 100 feet up the steep slope sits a small mine with two adits. The first features the remains of a makeshift blacksmith forge with parts of a wooden bellows at its collapsed entrance. The second tunnel remains open but extends only about 100 feet into the mountain.
Between 1913 and the 1950s, Kyne wrote prolifically, publishing over 25 novels and 1,000 short stories. Though largely forgotten today, he was one of America's most popular Western authors during this period. His 1921 novel "The Go-Getter" became his most enduring work, a motivational tale that has inspired generations of entrepreneurs and remains in print a century later. His classic Western novel "The Three Godfathers" was adapted multiple times for film, and over 100 movies were made from his works between 1914 and 1952.
Reaching this hideout is no easy feat. You’ll need to get out to Redlands Canyon beyond Striped Butte Valley, which requires a few hours of driving on rough 4WD roads. From there, it’s a 3.3-mile, 1,100-foot elevation gain round-trip hike to the platform. Don’t be fooled by the short distance; it is a steep climb up the mountainside and the trail is faint to nonexistent in places.
It took me about an hour and a half to reach the platform. You should plan for a 4- to 5-hour round trip from the trailhead. Things get really interesting if you want to explore the mine adits. To reach them, you'll need to climb directly above the platform and follow a questionable trail requiring a traverse across unstable talus slopes. This final scramble will test even experienced hikers' nerves.
Whether Kyne actually wrote here remains a mystery. This hidden spot offers a fascinating blend of mining history and literary legend. Remember, this is a historic site. Please leave everything as you find it so others can continue discovering and pondering its past.
