I find the history of the people who lived on the Colorado Plateau fascinating. Perhaps part of me wishes I could walk out to the middle of the desert and carve out a life away from the modern world. Batty Pass Caves and the story of Bill and Cliff Lichtenhahn is one of those fascinating tales of people living a non-traditional life in the desert.

The Lichtenhahn's were primarily rock enthusiasts that did rock cutting, polishing, and mosaic work. In the 1950's, when uranium exploration was drawing prospectors to all corners of the Colorado Plateau, Bill and Cliff left Colorado and ended up in Escalante to join the hunt. Not far from Batty Pass, they found a spot they thought was likely to have uranium and started excavating into the cliff. The story goes that it started to rain, and their tent leaked, so they kept excavating until they had a large enough room to use as a shelter.

The initial shelter expanded into three large caves. Each cave has about a 10-12 foot ceiling, and is probably about 15-20 feet wide by 25 or 30 feet deep. These are massive rooms. They used one for living quarters, one as a machine shop, and the third appears to have also been a workshop space. Some of the rooms have doors and cement floors. One of the rooms has a considerable project in the space. I have no idea what it was intended to be.

As of 2025, the caves are still in good shape with some old machinery, a workbench, beds, and other original artifacts about. It is a very interesting place to visit. I couldn't find obituaries or additional information beyond Bill and Cliff lived in the caves for at least 10 years and would travel to Escalante once a week for supplies.