The Rock Shop Inn sits off the beaten path on South Pass at about 7,000 feet elevation, amid rock outcroppings and wind-warped pines along Willow Creek—so tucked into the landscape that drivers on Highway 28 can easily miss it. Once, it functioned as a weekend gathering spot, with a restaurant and a saloon drawing locals and travelers; in more recent decades, though, the restaurant closed and the property was shut to the public.
Now, Anthony Prate is bringing the place back, with the reopening of the Rock Shop’s saloon as a centerpiece of a broader makeover. Prate and his father began renovating the property in 2019 after buying it, and they have developed a saloon space with restored furnishings, custom artwork and a player piano. In February, area residents and visitors filled the barstools and stood near an antique pot-bellied stove, with regulars stopping in as others arrived with deliveries and even a puppy visitor.
The saloon revival has become part of how Prate imagines the property working year-round. Even before the restaurant returns, people say the Rock Shop is increasingly used for beer, weekend stays and events such as weddings—particularly by residents of nearby South Pass and Atlantic City.
Prate said his first priorities centered on getting the property safe and presentable for visitors and on beginning cabin remodels. He removed “no trespassing” signs and took down gates that had kept the property closed, then shifted into renovations that would allow the cabins to generate income while he worked to restore the core business. He said he started patronizing restaurants in Atlantic City so he could meet regulars and communicate that the Rock Shop was being brought back to the public.
The cabin work has finished across all five guest cabins, Prate said, with an approach that blends western décor, custom furniture and antiques. Reports from visitors describe warm wood interiors, updated kitchens and bathrooms, and locally made details such as ceramics. That design sensibility carries into the saloon as well, including a wood stove, a pool table and wall art, along with features described as purposefully understated—such as a lack of televisions intended to encourage guests to talk with each other.
John Mionczynski, an ethnobotanist and naturalist from Atlantic City, said he played shows at the Rock Shop decades ago with his former band, The Buffalo Chips. With the saloon open again, he has returned to catch up with friends and has often performed spontaneous piano concerts. Mionczynski said he believes the saloon is “going in a really good direction to be a permanent sort of hangout for the locals,” adding that because it sits along highways to Yellowstone, it could become popular once the restaurant is added.
Prate’s background and the way he came to the property also figure into the project’s momentum. Growing up in Illinois, he learned construction skills from his father, who owns a roofing company, and after high school he joined the U.S. Marine Corps, serving five years in a reconnaissance unit. Prate said that when he began transitioning out of the service around 2019, he expected to take over the roofing business, but his father instead asked him to take a road trip west and look at a property his father believed could become a family enterprise.
Anthony Prate said the Rock Shop arrived as a late-night discovery on that trip, and he recalled that they nearly drove past it before returning the next day to inspect what he described as a beat-up property. He said the pair toured and explored the land and that his father laid out a vision for reviving the business, including the possibility of Prate turning his outdoors experience and roofing skills toward the property’s transformation. The Prates purchased the site from former owners who had run it as a private hunting lodge, then moved from Illinois to the mountains to begin the work.
In the months since, Prate has also relied on local feedback and skepticism as part of building credibility. Bob Townsend, a resident of Atlantic City, said Townsend agreed to visit after seeing cabin progress and described what he saw as a high standard—“You’re gonna out-Jackson-Hole Jackson Hole,” Townsend recalled saying—while also adding that Prate’s approach came without Jackson Hole prices. Townsend said he believes Prate has the standards to keep the Rock Shop’s look and feel consistent with what guests expect, though he said the restaurant opening could take longer because Prate will not rush it before it meets his criteria.
Through construction underway on a kitchen and dining room, Prate has kept the timing of the restaurant’s comeback vague, saying only “soon.” He also said the intent from the outset with his father was to make the Rock Shop lasting rather than short-term, framing the renovation as a labor of love. For now, the saloon—and the cabins and outdoor access around it—are drawing enough interest to keep the property active, with locals and visitors stopping in for a beer, a conversation and, at times, a piano concert.