Red Dead Redemption 2 Shacks: All 19 Locations

A lonely building on the Red Dead Redemption 2 map is often more than a place to grab canned food. Some shacks hold letters that explain what happened to the people inside. Others hide cigarette cards, camp-request items, money, or a surprise waiting behind the door.

Story Mode has 19 locations that count as shacks. Official 100 percent completion only asks Arthur or John to discover five, and none are missable. Players who only want Best in the West can finish this part in one early-game ride. The full list is here for anyone who wants every cabin and the small stories Rockstar left away from the main road.

How Shack Discoveries Count

• Explore the site: Riding past a cabin may not register it. Walk up to the structure, enter when a door is available, and search the accessible part of the site before checking the tracker.
• Check the correct menu: Open Progress, Total Completion, and Miscellaneous. The Shacks line stops at 5 because that is the official requirement, even though 19 locations qualify.
• Do not wait for the epilogue: Most shacks are available from Chapter 2. Argil Rise, Ridge View, and Shepherd's Rise appear later, but they are optional for the five required discoveries.

The quickest route stays around New Hanover and northern Lemoyne. It avoids the snowy edge of Ambarino, the bear at Vetter's Echo, and the cabins that do not exist until later in the story.

A Quick Five-Shack Route for 100 Percent

• 1. Hani's Bethel: Start north of Emerald Ranch, above Heartland Overflow. Enter the long building beside the small pond and search the table and fireplace before leaving.
• 2. Osman Grove: Ride southeast of Emerald Station and north of Aberdeen Pig Farm. The side entrance is open, and the shack contains two useful items for camp requests.
• 3. Old Trail Rise: Continue south toward the New Hanover-Lemoyne border, east of Dewberry Creek. The structure is mostly ruined, so climb down the ladder into the cellar to explore it properly.
• 4. Robard Farm: Ride southeast to Southfield Flats in Scarlett Meadows. Enter the abandoned farmhouse and search its drawers before moving farther into Lemoyne.
• 5. Bayall Edge: Finish in western Bayou Nwa, on the small piece of land inside the lake east of the Kamassa River. Walk into the painted cabin to complete the route.

These five are all available during the main story and form a mostly southbound trip from Emerald Ranch. If the tracker misses one, Hani's Bethel, Osman Grove, and Bayall Edge are easy to confirm because Arthur can clearly enter and search their interiors.

New Hanover: 4 Shacks

• Dodd's Bluff Cabin: Cross the Dakota River directly west of Fort Wallace. The cabin sits alone in the valley and contains a gold nugget among the remains inside.
• Hani's Bethel: Look north of Emerald Ranch and Heartland Overflow. Read the Mysterious Sermon on the table; returning at the right hour and moon phase reveals one of the game's strangest sights.
• Osman Grove: Search southeast of Emerald Station. The front is locked, but the side door opens, and the cabin holds the pocket watch for Lenny and the novel Hosea requests.
• Ridge View Cabin: Ride east of Emerald Station and look near the road beyond the D in Emerald Ranch. The building appears in Epilogue Part 1, so an empty patch of land earlier in the story is normal.

Hani's Bethel and Osman Grove are the most useful early stops in this state. Both count toward completion, both are close to roads Arthur uses often, and both contain details that are easy to miss when the player only steps through the doorway.

Lemoyne: 6 Shacks

• Argil Rise: Travel southeast of Rhodes, just south of the railway in Scarlett Meadows. The cabin is built by the epilogue and is empty, but entering it still counts.
• Bayall Edge: Find the cabin on a small peninsula in the lake east of the Kamassa River in western Bayou Nwa. The paintings inside change as the story moves forward.
• Crawdad Willies: Search the islands east of Shady Belle and southwest of Saint Denis. A random encounter may lead Arthur here, but the shack can also be visited while exploring the swamp.
• Old Harry Fen: Ride southeast of Braithwaite Manor toward the southern edge of Lemoyne. Search the rear room and inspect the loose floorboard for a photograph tied to the site's history.
• Old Trail Rise: Go east of Dewberry Creek and north of the nearby stable. The ruined structure hides its useful items below ground, reached by the ladder.
• Robard Farm: Find the abandoned farm at Southfield Flats in central Scarlett Meadows. It is a simple stop with provisions and drawers to search.

Lemoyne has the easiest cluster on the map. Old Trail Rise and Robard Farm sit near normal roads, while Bayall Edge and Crawdad Willies can be combined with a trip through the swamp. Carry health cures and watch for alligators after leaving the horse.

Ambarino: 5 Shacks

• Clawson's Rest: Cross the Dakota River northwest of Valentine and follow the railway into Grizzlies West. Search the nightstand and windowsill inside the cabin.
• Dormin Crest Shack: Travel west of Deadboot Creek, close to the western edge of the snowy map. The small structure has limited loot, but entering it adds another shack discovery.
• Fairvale Shanty: Ride to the far north of Grizzlies East, almost directly north of the O in Ambarino. A grizzly may be outside, and the lockbox inside holds valuable jewelry and a gold nugget.
• Martha's Swain: Search southeast of O'Creagh's Run near the New Hanover border. The pocket mirror in the bedside drawer can be given to Molly as a camp request.
• Snowfield Shack: Go west of Lake Isabella, near the far western boundary. The building is badly damaged, but the drawer contains the cheat phrase You Flourish Before You Die.

Wear winter clothing before starting this group. Dormin Crest and Snowfield are far from towns, and Fairvale Shanty can turn dangerous before Arthur reaches the door. Clawson's Rest or Martha's Swain are much easier choices when only one more discovery is needed.

West Elizabeth: 4 Shacks

• Bear Claw Camp: Ride into southern Tall Trees, north of the Lower Montana River. Search the group of abandoned cabins, then climb into the well for the lockbox at the bottom.
• Lenora View: Follow the road north of Strawberry on the eastern side of Mount Shann. The blue cabin is closed, but the letter and flowers on the porch explain why it was left unfinished.
• Shepherd's Rise: Cross the river southwest of Wallace Station. The building appears during the epilogue and counts once John can enter it.
• Vetter's Echo: Search Big Valley north of the W in West Elizabeth. Approach the open rear door with a weapon ready because a grizzly is inside; Dutch's pipe and a cigarette card can be collected after the fight.

Vetter's Echo is one of the most memorable cabins, but it is not a friendly first stop. Save before approaching, use Dead Eye, and do not walk through the open door without checking the room. Lenora View is safer, though most of its story is told outside rather than through loot.

Which Shacks Only Appear Later?

• Argil Rise: The cabin southeast of Rhodes is present in the epilogue.
• Ridge View: The building east of Emerald Station appears in Epilogue Part 1.
• Shepherd's Rise: The cabin southwest of Wallace Station is also tied to the epilogue.

None of these later buildings is required. Use any five early shacks and leave Argil Rise, Ridge View, and Shepherd's Rise for a complete-map cleanup after the story.

What Is Worth Taking?

• Camp-request items: Osman Grove has the pocket watch for Lenny and the crime novel for Hosea. Martha's Swain has Molly's pocket mirror, while Vetter's Echo has Dutch's pipe.
• Money and valuables: Dodd's Bluff contains a gold nugget, Fairvale Shanty has another nugget and jewelry, and the well at Bear Claw Camp hides a lockbox with cash.
• Cigarette Cards: Several cabins hold cards or Premium Cigarette packs. Search nightstands, desks, shelves, and windowsills instead of leaving as soon as the discovery registers.

The completion tracker stops at five discoveries. Keep exploring if you enjoy the quieter parts of the map: short stories with no mission marker, useful items for camp, and scenes that Arthur can understand without anyone explaining them to him.

If the Shack Counter Does Not Move

Not every small house on the map belongs to the 19-location shack list. Homesteads, gang cabins, locked buildings, and ordinary farmhouses can look right without counting. Return to a named location in this guide, enter through a usable door, and wait a moment before checking Progress. If a later-built cabin is still missing from the landscape, continue the story rather than searching an empty patch of ground.

For a stubborn 4/5 counter, use Hani's Bethel or Osman Grove as the replacement stop. Both are available early, have clear interiors, and are easy to reach from Emerald Ranch. Once the menu shows 5/5, the Best in the West requirement is finished; the other 14 shacks remain optional exploration.