People Who Live Inside the Rock In Southern Utah

Something about the red cliffs in Southern Utah inspires people to want to build houses inside the sandstone. It started with the pueblo people building dwellings in the cliffs in the ancient past and has continued to modern day Airbnb’s built into caves. 

If you have been to Pioneer Park where the Dixie rock is. You may have seen this shelter used by early pioneers and later for camping by boy scouts. There’s a door and a fireplace in the back with a chimney. Might have been a hair cooler during the summer with all those rocks as insulation. 

Near Moab there is a place called Rockland Ranch that was on a television show on TLC. It’s a place where they have blasted holes in the rock and built houses in them. It was built originally by a fundamentalist man who practiced polygamy. The houses are sturdy with rock surrounding them. 

Then there is this place outside Boulder, Utah where the man built into a cave. His name is Grant Johnson and he has spent 40 years building it. It was featured on the show “Tiny House Giant Journey”. What is great about this place is you can rent it through Airbnb. It has power and water and awesome views. Be your own Fred Flintstone with all the amenities. 

There seems to be a certain fascination with living in the rock in the Southern end of the state. Maybe it is because there are so many cliffs and crevices around. Or maybe the spirit of the ancient cliff dwellers seeping into our consciousness.