Hole N’ The Rock Near Moab, Utah: Is This Quirky Roadside Attraction Worth a Stop?
Affiliate Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase or booking through these links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Wondering if Hole N’ The Rock near Moab is worth a stop? Here’s what to expect, including the petting zoo, quirky roadside displays, shops, and house tour.
Estimated reading time: 16 minutes
If you are driving around southern Utah long enough, eventually you are going to encounter something that makes you say, “Wait. What is THAT?”
Hole N’ The Rock is definitely one of those places.
We stopped here on our way out of Moab as we were driving south toward Kanab, and honestly, this is exactly the kind of roadside attraction I love adding to a road trip.
It’s quirky. It’s completely unexpected. It doesn’t require half a day. And there is way more going on here than you would ever guess when you first see the giant white HOLE N’ THE ROCK letters painted across the side of a massive red sandstone cliff.
Yes, there really is a house inside the rock.
But there is also a petting zoo, souvenir shops, old signs, random Western decorations, sculptures, vintage memorabilia, a giant collection of roadside oddities, and enough weird little things scattered around the property that you could spend quite a while just wandering around looking at everything.
We didn’t even take the actual house tour.
And I still think Hole N’ The Rock was absolutely worth stopping for.
What Is Hole N’ The Rock?
Hole N’ The Rock is a classic southern Utah roadside attraction located just south of Moab.
And you really can’t miss it.
The first thing you see is this enormous sandstone rock formation with HOLE N’ THE ROCK painted across the front in huge white letters.
It is not subtle.
Which is part of the charm.
The main attraction is a historic home that was carved directly into the sandstone. You can take a guided tour through the home and see the rooms and furnishings inside.
We had every intention of doing that.
Unfortunately, when we arrived, the next house tour wasn’t starting for another 45 minutes.
And we were already on our way out of Moab and heading south toward Kanab, so we really didn’t want to lose almost an hour waiting around before the tour even began.
So we skipped it.
Normally, you might think that would make the entire stop kind of pointless.
It didn’t.
Not even close.
You Don’t Have to Take the House Tour to Enjoy Hole N’ The Rock
This was probably the biggest surprise for me.
I assumed the house was going to be the attraction and everything else would basically be filler around it.
Instead, there is quite a bit to wander around and see.
The entire place has this old-school roadside Americana feeling to it.
There are vintage gas pumps.
Old motel signs.
Random antiques.
Western decorations.
A two-story outhouse labeled for the “Mine Boss” and “Miners.”
A rusty tow truck that looks suspiciously like it belongs in Cars.
A Jeep sculpture made out of license plates and scrap metal.
And then there are little visual jokes everywhere.
One wall near the petting zoo is covered with old irons underneath a sign that says Behind the Iron Curtain.
Because of course it is.
That is pretty much the entire personality of Hole N’ The Rock.
Nothing here is polished or overly curated. It feels like generations of people kept finding weird stuff and saying, “Yep. Put that outside.”
And somehow it works.
The Gift Shop Is Inside the Rock Too
Even the souvenir shop feels different from a normal tourist gift shop because part of it is built right into the sandstone.
You can actually see the rough rock ceiling and walls above racks of T-shirts, hats, blankets, magnets, and souvenirs.
It is such a strange contrast.
One minute you are browsing Utah T-shirts.
The next minute you look up and remember that you are standing underneath a giant chunk of sandstone.
There are also little historical and artistic details scattered around the property, including a Franklin D. Roosevelt memorial sculpted directly into the rock.
That is another thing I liked about this stop.
There is no single “thing” to look at.
You just keep wandering around and finding something else.
And then we found the petting zoo.
Which, honestly, ended up being our favorite part of the entire stop.
The Petting Zoo Was Easily Our Favorite Part
I was not expecting the petting zoo to be the highlight.
But it absolutely was.
There are quite a few animals here, and you can buy food to feed them as you walk around.
We saw goats, sheep, a miniature horse, a donkey, a peacock, a pig, and camels.
And the camels were hilarious.
If you have never fed a camel before, just know that subtlety is not really their thing.
They know you have food.
They know they want the food.
And they are very committed to the process.
We had carrots, and feeding the animals ended up being one of those simple vacation moments that was way more fun than it had any right to be.
The donkey was adorable.
The goats were very enthusiastic.
The miniature horse was ridiculously cute.
And there was one sheep who basically looked like it was personally offended that I had not fed it yet.
Honestly, if you are visiting Hole N’ The Rock with kids, I would not skip the petting zoo.
Even if they could not care less about the history of the house, there is a very good chance they are going to love feeding animals in the middle of the Utah desert.
It Feels Like a Roadside Attraction From Another Era
Part of what makes Hole N’ The Rock fun is that it does not feel like some slick, modern attraction.
It feels old-school.
There are vintage signs, rusty metal displays, strange decorations, little jokes, and random things tucked into corners all over the property.
You might walk past an old Phillips 66 gas pump.
Then an old motel sign.
Then a weird little outhouse display.
Then a pile of antique irons attached to a wall.
Then a metal sculpture made from old license plates.
It is basically sensory overload for people who love roadside Americana.
And I mean that in the best possible way.
There is always one more thing to look at.
One more weird sign.
One more old object.
One more “what on earth is that?” moment.
It is not refined.
It is not elegant.
It is not trying to be.
That is kind of the whole point.
The Property Is More Fun Than It Looks From the Road
This is another thing I would tell people before they visit.
From the highway, you might assume this is a five-minute photo stop.
Pull over.
Take a picture of the giant letters.
Maybe walk into the gift shop.
Leave.
But there is more here than that.
If you actually wander around the property, you start finding all these little pockets of things to see.
There are sculptures and old signs.
There are garden areas.
There are animal enclosures.
There are vintage displays.
There are random bits of humor.
There are souvenir shops.
And because the whole thing sits right up against the red rock, the setting itself is beautiful.
That combination is what makes this stop work.
It is weird.
But it is weird in an incredibly scenic place.
What About the House Tour?
This is the one thing we did not do.
When we arrived, the next tour was not starting for another 45 minutes.
We were already leaving Moab and driving south toward Kanab, so we really did not have the time to hang around and wait.
So we skipped it.
From everything I have heard, the house itself is really interesting and probably worth seeing if your timing works out better than ours did.
But I actually think our experience is useful because it answers a question some travelers are probably going to have:
Is Hole N’ The Rock still worth stopping at if you do not have time for the house tour?
Yes.
Definitely.
Especially if you are already driving past it.
You can stop, stretch your legs, walk around, browse the shops, take photos, check out the weird displays, visit the petting zoo, and then get back on the road.
That is exactly what we did.
And I would do it again.
How Much Time Do You Need at Hole N’ The Rock?
If you are just stopping to walk around, visit the petting zoo, browse the shops, and take some pictures, I would probably give yourself about 45 minutes to an hour.
You could definitely spend less time here if you are really just looking for a quick stretch-your-legs stop.
But I would not pull in, take a picture of the giant letters, and immediately leave.
There is enough going on around the property that it is worth actually walking around.
And if you want to take the tour of the house, obviously build in more time.
That is where our timing worked against us.
The next tour was not starting for 45 minutes, and since we were already driving from Moab down toward Kanab that day, waiting around just wasn’t going to work for us.
If touring the house is important to you, I would check the current tour schedule before you arrive so you don’t end up in the same situation.
Is Hole N’ The Rock Good for Kids?
I think this would be a really fun stop with kids.
Honestly, they may or may not care about the history of the house.
But the petting zoo?
That is a different story.
Feeding goats, camels, donkeys, sheep, and miniature horses is a pretty easy sell.
And there are so many random things around the property that kids can just wander around and look at.
The giant letters on the rock are fun.
The funky sculptures are fun.
The weird signs are fun.
There is a Mater-looking tow truck.
There is a Jeep covered in license plates.
There is a two-story outhouse.
This is not a place where everybody has to stand quietly and admire something.
Which, after several days of hiking and national parks, might actually be kind of nice.
When Should You Visit?
Hole N’ The Rock makes the most sense as part of a bigger Moab road trip rather than as a destination by itself.
For us, it was perfect on the way out of town.
We had finished our time in Moab and were driving south toward Kanab, so this gave us one more fun stop before getting back on the road.
I actually think that is one of the best ways to use it.
If your Moab itinerary is already packed with Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Dead Horse Point State Park, hiking, scenic drives, and everything else you want to squeeze into your trip, you do not necessarily need to carve out half a day for Hole N’ The Rock.
Just add it when you are already driving by.
That is the beauty of a roadside attraction.
A Few Tips Before You Go
The biggest thing I would tell you is not to rush past the property just because you aren’t planning to tour the house.
Walk around.
Go into the shop.
Look at all the weird stuff.
And definitely consider the petting zoo, especially if you are traveling with kids.
Also, southern Utah can get hot.
There is some shade around the property, but quite a bit of what you are doing is outside, so bring water and be prepared for the sun.
And if you are really interested in touring the historic home, check the current tour information before your visit.
We didn’t, and that is how we ended up arriving with 45 minutes to kill before the next tour.
Sometimes road trip timing wins.
Sometimes it does not.
Is Hole N’ The Rock Worth Visiting?
Yes.
But let me put that in perspective.
Would I build an entire trip around Hole N’ The Rock?
No.
Would I drive hours out of my way specifically to see it?
Probably not.
Would I absolutely stop again if I were already driving through Moab?
Yep.
That is where Hole N’ The Rock shines.
It is a quirky, inexpensive-feeling, old-school roadside attraction that gives you something completely different from everything else you are doing in this part of Utah.
You are probably spending most of your Moab trip staring at enormous arches, canyons, cliffs, and some of the most spectacular scenery in the country.
Then suddenly you are feeding a camel a carrot next to a sandstone house while looking at a wall full of old clothes irons underneath a sign that says “Behind the Iron Curtain.”
Because road trips are like that.
And honestly, those weird little stops are sometimes the things you remember.
We didn’t even see the main attraction inside the rock, and we still had a great time.
So if you are heading south out of Moab, especially if you are continuing toward Kanab or another southern Utah destination, I would absolutely add Hole N’ The Rock as a quick stop along the way.
Give yourself a little time to wander.
Feed the animals.
Take the ridiculous pictures.
Then get back on the road.
Sometimes that is all a roadside attraction needs to be.
More Utah Road Trip Ideas
If Hole N’ The Rock is part of a bigger Utah road trip, I have several other guides that can help you plan the rest of your trip.
Start with my Utah Mighty 5 National Parks Travel Guide for an overview of all five national parks and how they fit together.
If you are planning a longer trip, my Utah Mighty 5 10-Day Road Trip walks through a full itinerary that connects the parks and some of the best stops in between.
Traveling with kids? Check out my guide to Moab With Kids for more family-friendly things to do around Arches, Canyonlands, and the Moab area.
If you are continuing south toward Kanab like we were, don’t miss my guide to the Best Things to Do in Kanab. Kanab is one of my favorite bases for exploring southern Utah, and there are so many fun things to do nearby.
And if your family loves animals, you might also enjoy Bryce Wildlife Adventure, another fun Utah stop that combines wildlife with a little bit of quirky roadside attraction energy.
