The Historic Rock Inn full service bar, restaurant, hotel, and 4 properties with 3 apartments, 1 hair salon and 3 parking lots, located in Los Angeles County at 17539 Elizabeth Lake Road, Lake Hughes, California 93532 is for sale for the first time in 51 years! The Rock Inn was built in 1929 and is in beautiful condition. The main three story building has been open 7 days a week, 3 meals a day for almost 100 years. The Rock Inn compound is both a commercial and multi-use property, of over 11,000 sq.ft. on .57 acre priced at $1,499,000!

The first floor of the main three story river rock building is the restaurant, bar and stage area.  The second floor has 7 themed guest rooms and two bathrooms. The third floor is a penthouse suite with a full kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living room. The restaurant business and liquor license is for sale under separate terms. The sale includes multiple income producing properties with 3 occupied apartments and a hair salon leased building.

The majestic workmanship of The Rock Inn inspires visitors from all over the world. The rocks that make up the buildings are all local metamorphic river rocks and granitic gneiss, quite an architectural wonder. All of this is located in the Angeles National Forest, "Where Nature is Your Neighbor" and in northern Los Angeles County, close to Los Angeles, the best of both worlds. The Rock Inn and Rock Apartment buildings and property are currently nominated for Historic Preservation status and designation.

The Rock Inn is a destination for travelers, motorcyclists, car enthusiasts, bicyclists, hikers and more! The arched windows include a beautiful giant stained glass window in the front welcoming you. The bar was created by a German artisan from wood from a pier in San Francisco, owner/actor Paul Koslo's brother-in-law: Al Stolken. Movie stars and musicians have visited such as Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Bing Crosby, Robert Patrick, Steve Perry. The Rock Inn is the heart, gem and soul of Lake Hughes, offering community and entertainment. It has been a stage coach stop, trading post, post office, cafe, always open since the 1920s. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!

In order to describe the significance and miracle of The Rock, one must begin with her origin story.

Picture yourself in the 1920s driving across the United States from Massachusetts (with a bit of trepidation), for a better life, weather and adventure to run a trading post in a remote rural town in Lake Hughes, California. The journey itself proves arduous. Yet the dream of California will be realized, until it becomes a nightmare. The wooden Lake Hughes Trading Post burns in April 1927 and after your family had just completed a brand new 15 room apartment building next door which also burned to the ground. Yet, like the Phoenix out of the ashes emerges a fortress beyond compare made of metamorphic river rock and granitic gneiss. You, yourself, find and mix the sand and mortar with water by hand. Painstakingly each rock is placed with skill, heart, hard work everyday, seven days a week, fourteen hours a day for two years. This was the story of Joel B. Hurd and his wife, Carrie and four children and a skilled expert “rock man,” who somehow built the new fortress out of rock. The significance is the heroic endeavor of enduring hardship, against all odds, overcoming tragedy and rebuilding with local resources. The Rock Inn historical context and theme come out of the dramatic moment when Joel B. Hurd was on the roof with a bucket of hot tar doing a repair that fateful day in April of 1927.  Somehow he catches the entire building on fire and his wife, Carrie, children, Elizabeth, Louisa, Joel Junior and Charles escape with their lives, grabbing quickly whatever belongings and merchandise they can. Everyone runs across the street to safety. Charles, who is the youngest, miraculously saves the “lucky” eight ball from the pool table. This traumatic total loss and disaster truly tests the Hurd family. What do they do? Patriarch, Joel B. Hurd bravely commits to rebuild out of rock, so that it will never be destroyed. The theme of migrating out west for a better life in California seems thwarted with this crisis. By 1929, when the United States experienced a stock market crash, the Hurd family was an example of true grit and determination to thrive in spite of challenges, rebuild and serve others and the community in the Sierra Pelona mountains. The Lake Hughes Trading Post and Rock Inn survived the decade long Depression: 1929 to 1939, Prohibition through 1933 and the COVID Pandemic of 2020 to 2023! Movie stars came to play, film. The miracle is that for nearly 100 years, it has always been open, everyday, to this day, now in 2026. The Rock is a gorgeous impressive welcoming strong architectural wonder. If the American dream is for new opportunities, along with sacrifices and adversity, we have the Hurd family to thank for overcoming this sea change of obstacles, turning their grief into something new and positive.  This family created beauty out of a catastrophic calamity. The Hurd family is a testament to the human spirit, a reminder and confirmation that through dreams and hard work, one can achieve, not only a livelihood, but also leave behind a legacy. The legacy is this historic compound made with love, sweat, tears and local river rock, unique for all time: The Lake Hughes Rock Inn.

The Rock Inn is the largest structure in downtown (11,103+/-sq.ft.) Lake Hughes.. Perched 3,250 feet above sea level, population 500, The Rock Inn is due north of a natural sag pond/lake whose depth fluctuates from 3 to 18 feet depending upon the season. The Rock Inn has more than 170 feet of street frontage on the north side of Elizabeth Lake Road. The main building is three stories. The first floor serves as the restaurant and bar with a stage area for performances and a large stone fireplace and kitchen with storage areas and a back patio. There are restrooms and an east patio area for outside dining, The second floor comprises seven hotel rooms, a lobby, office and two bathrooms. The third floor is a penthouse hotel room or apartment up a spiral staircase. The Rock building next door, east functions as three apartments/a residential triplex with two downstairs one bedroom units and one upstairs large loft studio unit. The third building is a one car garage just to the west of the main building also made of rock in the same style and used for storage. All the buildings have pitched roofs and the old glazed glass windows.  The three story Rock Inn, the stone garage and three apartments are in beautiful physical condition, appearance, maintaining its historic integrity. Every rock tells a potentially billion year old story. There is no architect to laud or credit. The Rock Inn is owner built by Joel B. Hurd and family, and a mysterious expert “rock man.” All shapes and sizes of local metamorphic rock make up its three story grandeur. The Lake Hughes Trading Post and Rock Inn has served the community as a stage coach stop, post office, store, deli, cafe, gas station, Bed and Breakfast, bar, hotel and meeting place for entertainment, parties and celebrations. The old Ridge Route came through and the Butterfield Stage Coach stopped at The Rock Inn, along with “poppy people” who come for the wildflowers annually in the Antelope Valley. The Rock is open seven days a week, three meals a day, one of the oldest restaurants in Los Angeles County.

The town of Lake Hughes exists the same way that the Rock Inn exists. Survival. Lake Hughes is prone to fire, floods, and snowstorms. The town survives extreme events that are unusual for Los Angeles County. The structure known as the Rock Inn stands today because the original Hurd family building burned to the ground. The Rock Inn was built in defiance of the flames.  In 2013, the Powerhouse fire burned 31,000 acres, then in 2020, the Lake Fire burned through the Angeles National Forest burning over an additional 31,000 acres. This devastated the community of Lake Hughes. More than 62,000 acres burned, exhausting fire personnel from all over for weeks. It was the Rock Inn that stood as a beacon of hope. Shelter was given, meals were served to first responders, and the Rock Inn did what the original building could not do. It survived because it is the Rock. It is the place where people in a time of need, are welcomed. It is a building that is loved by its community and the people it serves.

Photos do not do it justice. The Rock Inn is meant to be experienced in person. Similarly the outdoor patio, bathroom building, rock walls, apartment building and rock garage share the bold, strong castle-like feeling that makes one feel special. The community enjoys star filled night skies along with the Rock Inn hospitality and entertainment. The Rock Inn is the heart and hub of Lake Hughes, California and has welcomed locals, travelers, hikers, bikers, celebrities and more for almost a century, providing them with sustenance, delicious comfort food, spirits, libations, music and more.

1970s Renovations: New Wooden Bar (hand made from a pier in San Francisco) created by German wood craftsman/artist: Alfred Stolken, (actor, Paul Koslo’s brother in law).
Important Decorative Elements: Paul Koslo commissioned artwork in the restaurant depicting Indigenous people, Cowboys, Western Early American scenes. 
1980s: Earthquake Retrofit with engineering and by Paul Koslo through Los Angeles County. The Rock Inn retains all aspects of historical integrity.

Ownership History:
Joel B. & Carrie Hurd and family 1926 to 1971
Dee & Adrian Shrout 1971 to 1975
Paul Koslo & family & Chloe Koslo 1975 to present: 2026

Boundaries of The Rock Inn compound: 17539 Elizabeth Lake Road, 3 story restaurant, bar, hotel and 3 apartments 17529, 17531 and 17523 Elizabeth Lake Road, Lake Hughes, California 93532 historically associated with the property are those of the legal parcel, taken from the Los Angeles County Assessor Parcel Map: AIN:3241-018-020. Los Angeles County Property Parcel Number and legal description: Commercial, Store Combination, Store and Residential Combination
Situs Address:  17539 Elizabeth Lake Road, Hughes CA 93532-1008

Humankind tries to control the natural earth by building structures, roadways, mechanical and power systems. We need to remember the almighty power of nature. Nature always takes back what belongs to the earth in the end. It is the act of rewilding. It can happen very quickly: fires, floods or earthquakes. Joel B. Hurd innately understood “Nature’s Theory of Chaos.” He respected its power. Each rock was chosen from nature with respect to the earth and placed carefully in this structure in nurturing fashion. This was not a random act. The Rock Inn respects the land it came from. It is part of the natural earth.  Legends of Lake Monsters, friendly ghosts or spirits provide a backdrop for this historic compound. People have made their entrances and exits, with many memories made and if only the rocks could talk! What stories would be told. Joel B. Hurd married for a second time, MaryAnn and she became a stalwart partner managing the Lake Hughes Trading Post. Other wonderful proprietors such as Linda and Larry Martin, “Harley” & “Hopper” Sheldon, and Charley “Warren” St. John have kept the doors open and the business successfully running over the last 30 years. Thanks to not only the customers, but also to the staff!  From the cooks and chefs in the kitchen, to the servers and all who clean and maintain the property, profound gratitude. One of the current waitresses, Jamie Stone (yes Stone) has been serving people at The Rock for over 26 years! A deep thankfulness to everyone who has played a part in the rich Rock Inn history. 
If Joel B. Hurd had not accidentally burned the original wood Trading Post and new apartments down, we might not have this very special place. So thank you to the Joel and Carrie Hurd family. They not only built the original enduring, monumental edifices, they then went on to serve the community for two generations. Briefly then Delores “Dee” and Adrian Shrout bought the properties and soon sold in 1975 to a 31 year old Hollywood actor, Paul Koslo and his mother, Gertrude “Trudi” Koslowski. Paul had a dream. He was born Manfred Koslowski in Germany during World War II in 1944. His family then emigrated to Canada when he was 6 years old. His dream was to be in the movies. He realized that dream. He also realized the dream of owning an amazing historic building and running the business with the Koslo and Stolken family of the Lake Hughes Trading Post and Rock Inn for over fifty one years. Paul died of pancreatic cancer, January 9, 2019 and his young daughter, Chloe Koslo inherited. It is time for a new family with a dream, to preserve these gorgeous buildings, in this beautiful setting in Nature in the Angeles National Forest.

The Olympics are coming to Los Angeles in 2028 and The 100th anniversary of The Rock Inn is in 2029. What an opportunity for merchandise and to welcome many new visitors to experience this mountain getaway! Remembering and honoring the Tataviam, first people and all our ancestors for many more generations to come, for another 100 years. Hamiinatam! Greetings to you all in Tataviam. Is this your dream, then please call broker: Seffi Toneman (661) 600-1269
Herewith the OM, brochure link.
https://images1.loopnet.com/d2/AAipqA3HWCmC-bne3RpFUy8joFIechUM4rNoKEEpzT0/17539%20Elizabeth%20Lake%20Rd%202026%20OM.pdf?_gl=1*1t4r1y1*_gcl_au*MTExMDgwNjkxLjE3ODY3NjUwNTU.*_ga*MTE1Mjc5MTg1MC4xNzc0NjQ2ODUx*_ga_2DVXTE8M0Q*czE3ODc5NDAyODUkbzgkZzAkdDE3ODc5NDAyODckajU4JGwwJGg

Also a link to a wonderful review of the restaurant experience: August 29, 2026. https://fb.watch/JkJoSO-LLh/

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DcpF7YYBm9U/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsi=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==