Inside the Exclusive California Community With 17 Rock Cabins Where No Amount of Money Can Buy You Access

A secret club in the canyons of California is so secret, the homes nearly blend into their environment.

Right above Andreas Canyon in Palm Springs, CA, are 17 rock houses almost camouflaged into the sides of the canyons.

These primitive homes—which have no electricity or water—are part of the ultraexclusive Andreas Canyon Club, which was established in the 1920s.

But you can't buy, sell, or rent them out—no matter how much money you have, and they're surrounded by an air of mystery.

"I've lived just below the Andreas Canyon Club for 15 years and can see the houses nestled in the rocks," Palm Springs historian Jim Cook tells Realtor.com®. "I may have met a member or two, but since they rarely advertise their existence and never want to attract attention, I am not aware of it."

How the Andreas Canyon Club started

Back around 1920, an attorney for the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians purchased 509 acres that sit above the oasis in Andreas Canyon from the tribe.

In 1921, he formed the Andreas Canyon Club, a private group composed of 24 members who reportedly bought in for $25,000 each.

The club was said to have been created to safeguard local fauna and preserve the region’s natural wildlife.

"The club covenants are strict and require everything to be kept as natural as possible," says Cook. "No animals can be killed, except for rattlesnakes."

The club's first president was the then-manager of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce's agricultural department, Dr. George L. Clements.

According to the Los Angeles Examiner, membership was limited to a single individual from each family, with one person reportedly selected to represent certain professions such as art, music, medicine, law, engineering, and business.

After a few years, they built 22 cabins for individual members, as well as a community clubhouse.

All of those original club members are now deceased.

When a club member dies, the current club members vote on whether or not to allow a relative of the late member to inherit their house, according to Cook.

If they decide against it, the property goes back to the club.

Architecturally significant

The cabins were designed by renowned organic architect R. Lee Miller.

Born in 1887 in Texas, Miller served in World War I and trained in civil engineering and carpentry, and is known for being a master of organic architecture. 

The cabins he constructed for the Andreas Canyon Club are built "from the same rocks that festoon the foothills of the Indian Canyons," says Cook.

"They can be hard for anyone unaware of their existence to see," he explains. "A dirt road leads up to the property from the desert floor, and access is restricted to members only."

The cabins don't have power or water, so generators are used for electricity, propane tanks are used for cooking, and members bring in their own supply of water or use water from the nearby creek. 

One of his Palm Springs properties—which is not in Andreas Canyon Club but in the nearby Hopi Village group of rock residences—sold for $625,000 in 2024.

Another sold for $599,000, that same year.

The club is ultra-private

On social media, Facebook user Mike Stenger recently called the Andreas Canyon Club "the most exclusive community in America."

Many locals are unaware that it even exists, according to Cook. "Since it's hard to see and rarely publicized, only those who are very close proximity would be cognizant of the outpost," he says.

Cook says Andreas Canyon Club members usually come during the beautiful desert winter months. "At night, a few lights and occasional vehicle headlights from select homes twinkle on the hillside," he explains.

It's hard to identify anyone who's actually a member, since they tend to keep their identities under wraps.

“We want to keep as low a profile as possible—attracting attention is the last thing we want," Elmer Stone, who was the club's treasurer in 1983, told the Desert Sun back in 2016.

A Reddit user claims to be a fourth generation member, and wrote that he's "not supposed to talk about it."

He posted, "You can’t buy your way into a membership, it’s passed down from each generation. We turned down Walt Disney, what chance do you have?"

He's referring to the fact that Walt Disney once tried to buy into the club, but was not approved—a point confirmed by Jeri Vogelsang, director and curator of the Palm Springs Historical Society, during a 2013 appearance on KESQ.

The Redditor—who claims there have been "multiple break-ins" at the property in recent years—got real about the Andreas Canyon Club, posting: "There are some boring hiking trails, no WiFi, and [it's] basically uninhabitable for half the year due to lack of air-conditioning."

Despite his complaints, he wrote, "My grandfather loved to hike throughout the canyons, and I definitely got the enjoyment of the outdoors from him. Honestly, a lot of good memories were made there."