It was located in the Heritage Range of the Ellsworth Mountains, next to the Patriot Hills that gave it its name.

[4] Patriot Hills was for many adventurers and explorers a stop on the way from Chile's Punta Arenas into the interior of Antarctica.

[3] In the Antarctic spring of 1988 Patriot Hills was the staging point for the first expedition from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole, led by Martyn S. Williams.

A blue ice runway was used as the takeoff and landing strip for large intercontinental aircraft including DC6, L-382, C130 and Ilyushin Il-76.

[9] The heart of the camp was the communal tent that serves as a common lounge and dining room.