Pipes Canyon is a pleasant and easy hike. The trail heads out from the visitor center at the Pioneertown Mountains Preserve and follows the canyon up into a riparian habitat. The canyon is usually dry, but water does occasionally surface to support this isolated oasis.
Keep an eye out for faint petroglyphs along the way. Normally, they would be my primary reason for exploring this canyon, but I came across a bit of history that got me interested in checking out a spot higher up the canyon.
History
John Olsen
A couple of miles from the mouth of Pipes Canyon are the remains of a stone cabin. Swedish miner John Olsen (along with his partner Pete Lager) built it in the 1930s as a winter cabin for their mining operations. They worked the Onyx Mine up in the mountains high above the cabin.
On a snowy January 12th in 1945, the 76-year-old miner was living alone in his cabin when a twenty-year-old stranger knocked on his door, out there in the middle of nowhere, and asked for food and lodging for a few days. Mr. Olsen, being the friendly sort of fellow, made his guest welcome. The young guest was Edward E. Emmery. He quickly took a keen interest in Mr. Olsen’s rifle.
