Hole in the Rock Utah - Is it Worth Seeing? + Tips for Visiting

Hole N” the Rock was an awesome discovery we made driving from our cave stay in Moab, Utah on the way to Canyonlands National Park. I thought we had mapped out our 9000 mile road trip pretty good and somehow we totally missed this unique treasure!

It was over 110*F on the day we were heading to the Canyonlands when the kids started screaming and pointing in the car begging me to pull over and check out the “Hole in the Rock” they spotted painted right onto the side of the red rock cliff.

I had heard of Hole N” the Rock but didn’t realize we would literally be driving right past it! So we stopped in and bought tour tickets to view the house. Being HUGE fans of visiting caves across the USA, I knew we would tour this cave carved into the side of Utah’s red rock canyon.

If I’m totally honest I’m a little jealous of this story and wish I could live in a cave! Either way this marvel is unique and worth the short stop if you’re near the area in Moab Utah.

The front of the house is pretty normal looking considering it’s built into a giant rock, so we bought our tickets and searched for shade to wait in outside. The biggest downside of this tour really is that you cannot take pictures at all. Take photos is how I remember my adventures so I always cringe a little when it’s not allowed. You can see some of the inside of the house here.

It’s a short 12 minute tour tour through the 5000 square foot cave but comes with the fascinating story which begins with brothers Albert and Leo Christensen. Originally a diner, it later turned into a hand carved 14 room house featuring natural light, a 65 foot chimney, and even an enormous bathtub built into the rock.

Albert lived there with his wife Gladys until he passed away in 1957.

Featured inside the house are some of Albert’s paintings, Gladys’ doll collection, and even a hideous donkey that Albert tried to taxidermy. It took Alberto 12 years to excavate 50,000 cubic feet of sandstone out of this rock. To say he had an unusual hobby is an understatement.

In fact you can even sit at this table hand carved out of the rock…..

…..as well as visit their graves on the back of the property, also hand carved out.

The property is plenty large enough to give you some time to walk around and stretch your legs. Across the parking lot is a kitchsy little zoo and ice cream parlor to kill some time and keep the kids occupied. If you’re going to do anything here at all then definitely take the tour of the house. It’s a tourist trap worth stopping at.

Tips for Visiting Hole N” the Rock:

Water & sunscreen! This is more a tip in general for exploring the Moab area, and especially in the summer. Do not be caught without plenty of water for each person in your group as well as sunscreen. It can easily get over 100*F and you do not want to be caught without protection!
Bring money to feed the animals! If you’re going to visit the zoo, know that you can purchase feed in the gift shop while you’re visiting. The zoo is small of course but nice enough – my kids enjoyed the distraction. Plus they have a pressed penny machine there too!
Take your tour before you head into Canyonlands. I highly recommend stopping in for your tour BEFORE hiking for the day. You’ll be far too tired at the end of your hiking day to deal with waiting for a tour to start – especially if you have kids.
Buy your tickets then wait outside. There’s not a lot of room inside the gift shop area where you buy tickets so expect that you will probably be most comfortable waiting outdoors for the tour to start – especially if you have kids.