Lakefront living at Southern Shores, Hurricane, Utah. Private boathouse, engineered lakes, and the red rock desert of Greater Zion as the backdrop.
Southern Shores is the most unusual residential community in Southern Utah, and it isn't close. On 80 acres of Hurricane Valley desert, the developer built three engineered lakes, installed the second-largest standing surf wave in the United States, and created 56 estate lots, 34 of which come with private boathouses on the water. There is nothing else like it in Utah, and almost nothing like it in the American West.
The buyer for Southern Shores is not shopping from a generic luxury home checklist. They've already seen the custom homes, the mountain views, the golf communities, and the desert estates. What they're looking for is something that doesn't exist elsewhere: lakefront living on privately owned water, the ability to launch a boat, surf a wave, or run a ski set without leaving the community, all set against the red rock landscape of Greater Zion with Zion National Park itself 30 minutes away.
Quick take: Southern Shores is Utah's first private water sports residential community. 56 estate lots on 80 acres in Hurricane, 34 with private boathouses, three engineered lakes, a UNIT Surf Pool with the second-largest standing wave in the US, and custom homes starting at $5M+. Inventory is extremely limited. If you are a serious buyer or seller in this community, contact me directly.
By the Numbers: Southern Shores at a Glance
56
Total estate lots on 80 acres
34
Lakefront lots with private boathouse
3
Engineered private lakes on-site
52 ft
UNIT Surf Pool wave width
.42–.81 ac
Lot sizes across the community
30 min
To Zion National Park entrance
Southern Shores: July 2026 Market Notes (verified data)
Lot market: active lots asked $499,999 to $1,999,000 in mid-2026 with a median list of $1.78M; surf-adjacent wave lots are marketed from $690K
What's built: the Salt Lake Tribune reported roughly $25M invested by October 2025, with all three lakes and the UNIT surf pool complete and operating
The top end: lakeside lots have been reported at $2M+ and finished 6,000 to 12,000 sq ft homes projected at $8M+ per the Tribune's October 2025 feature
Water: the lakes fill from private water rights purchased years before construction, with evaporation replacement estimated around 135 acre-feet a year; the district supplies only culinary water to the homes
The Water: What Makes Southern Shores Physically Possible
Callie wake surfing on the Southern Shores wake lake
The most common question about a private lake community in the middle of the Southern Utah desert is: where does the water come from? The answer is what makes Southern Shores viable where other similar concepts aren't. The community draws from a private subsurface aquifer beneath the land, using privately owned water rights that were secured, scrutinized, and approved by the Utah State Water Engineer before development began. No public municipal water from the Washington County Water Conservancy District is used for the lakes.
The engineering goes further than the water source. The lake beds use materials engineered to prevent water loss through percolation. The shorelines are covered with a cultured sandstone-like material to prevent erosion. The main lake has a central island covered with foliage specifically designed to act as a windbreak and reduce evaporation. The UNIT Surf Pool recirculates its water continuously rather than consuming fresh water to operate. The result is a system the developer describes as comparable in water usage to a single hole on a golf course.
This matters for buyers not just as an environmental consideration but as a practical due diligence question. Southern Shores isn't drawing down scarce public water supplies for its lakes. The infrastructure was built with the water rights to sustain it.
The Three Lakes: What's on the Water
The Boat Lake
The main lake is approximately 500 feet wide and 2,400 feet long with an island in the center that acts as a windbreak to maintain smooth glassy water. Engineered for waterskiing, wakeboarding, wake surfing, and motorboat use. The 34 lakefront lots line this lake, each with a private boathouse fitted with a hydraulic boat lift. Think of it as a boat garage on the water.
The Cable Lakes
Two smaller engineered lakes, each approximately 700 feet long, serve as cable-pull parks for wakeboarding and water skiing systems. Engineered for consistent, disturbance-free water conditions. Available to all 56 lot owners in the community, not just lakefront lots.
The UNIT Surf Pool
A 52-foot wide UNIT Surf Pool manufactured in Germany, the same technology used at successful installations in Milan and Hamburg. The pool creates consistent, adjustable waves for all skill levels, recirculates water continuously, and runs more efficiently per session than a boat. It is the second-largest standing surf wave in the United States and the first of its kind in any private residential community in the country.
Why the UNIT Surf Pool specifically: UNIT Surf Pool technology was selected over other wave systems because of its floating design that can be integrated into an existing lake, its ability to cycle approximately 20 people per hour, its energy efficiency relative to boat-wake surfing, and its track record at established European installations. This is not an experimental amenity. It is proven technology operating in a residential context for the first time in the United States.
The Homes: What Southern Shores Custom Builds Look Like
Southern Shores homes are governed by architectural covenants that require designs consistent with desert, prairie, and coastal living styles. The intent is visual cohesion across the community, and the results reflect it. Homes emphasize expansive glass, modern desert architecture, seamless indoor-outdoor transitions, and exteriors that sit within the landscape rather than dominating it.
Home sizes range substantially, with finished custom homes spanning from approximately 4,000 to over 6,000 square feet. Features on completed and in-progress homes include:
Lakefront positioning with direct boathouse access for the 34 waterfront lots
Private pools and spas alongside lake access on many properties
Wellness amenities including sauna and cold plunge on higher-end builds
Dedicated entertaining and outdoor living areas designed around the lakefront setting
En-suite bedrooms throughout, with multi-family and guest-suite configurations on larger homes
Multiple garage bays accommodating boats, water sports equipment, and vehicles
Modern desert finishes with stone, steel, glass, and interior palettes that complement the landscape
Landscaping covenants require full landscaping within one year of lot purchase. There is no time requirement to build, which means some lots are held by owners who have not yet broken ground. Homes are built exclusively by Immaculate Homes, the community's developer, maintaining design consistency throughout the build-out.
Pricing: Lots and Homes
Southern Shores operates at the top of the Southern Utah luxury market by a significant margin. Current pricing context:
Lakefront lots with private boathouses: ranging to approximately $1.5M to $2.5M depending on position and frontage
Non-lakefront estate lots adjacent to cable lakes and community amenities: ranging from approximately $622,000 to $1.1M
Completed custom homes on lakefront lots: $5M to $8M+ depending on size, features, and lot position. A recently listed completed home on a 0.77-acre lakefront lot was priced at $7.8M for 6,216 square feet with five en-suite bedrooms, private boathouse, pool, spa, sauna, and cold plunge.
Nearly all of the original lakefront lots sold in early phases, largely by word of mouth, primarily to buyers from northern Utah. Resale inventory at this price point is rare and moves through a specific buyer network. If you are a buyer actively searching for Southern Shores opportunities, staying close to someone tracking this market is how you hear about what's available before it's widely listed.
This is one of the few communities in Southern Utah where being a few weeks late to the market can mean missing the only listing that comes available in a year.Contact me to be on my direct Southern Shores notification list.
Location: Desert and Water, Zion 30 Minutes Away
Southern Shores sits in Hurricane Valley directly east of Sand Hollow, adjacent to the Copper Rock golf corridor. The location gives the community a specific kind of advantage that's hard to replicate: private lake living in the desert, with Zion National Park 30 minutes away and Sand Hollow Reservoir, Sand Mountain, and three golf courses all within 10 to 15 minutes.
The combination is genuinely unusual. Buyers who want coastal lake living typically choose coastal markets. Buyers who want Southwest desert and national park access typically choose Arizona or Utah markets. Southern Shores is the rare place where both exist simultaneously. You can surf on the community's private lake in the morning and hike Angels Landing in the afternoon.
Sand Hollow Reservoir and State Park: about 5 to 10 minutes for additional boating, OHV access, and beach recreation
Copper Rock Golf Course: adjacent to the Southern Shores corridor
Sand Hollow Golf Course: within the broader Sand Hollow resort area nearby
Zion National Park: approximately 30 minutes via SR-9
Hurricane services: grocery, restaurants, schools, and daily needs within Hurricane proper
St. George: roughly 20 to 25 minutes for medical care, airport access, and broader services
How Southern Shores Compares to Other Southern Utah Luxury
The most established gated luxury community in Southern Utah, built around a private Johnny Miller/David McLay Kidd golf course. Proven 30-year track record, fully operational country club. The buyer for Entrada wants private golf, Snow Canyon scenery, and established prestige. The Southern Shores buyer wants water sports, lake living, and a community that has no equivalent anywhere else. Different buyer, different lifestyle, different asset entirely.
PGA Tour golf in Ivins with a Tom Weiskopf course, resort hotel, and resort amenities. The most direct comparison for investment trajectory, as both are newer communities still building toward their full vision. Black Desert buyers are golf-first. Southern Shores buyers are water-sports-first. No head-to-head competition; completely different lifestyle anchors.
The broader Sand Hollow corridor offers golf, reservoir access, and resort lifestyle at more accessible price points. Southern Shores buyers have typically already considered Sand Hollow and are looking for something that goes substantially further in terms of exclusivity, private water access, and custom home environment. Sand Hollow is a great community; Southern Shores is a different tier of product entirely.
Comparable Markets Nationally
The closest analogues to Southern Shores are luxury lake communities in Texas Hill Country, the Ozarks, or private club lake communities in the Southeast, combined with the desert recreation and national park access of the American Southwest. There is no direct equivalent in Utah or the surrounding states. That singularity is part of what makes it compelling and part of what makes pricing it accurately require deep local knowledge.
Who Southern Shores Fits Best
Southern Shores has a specific buyer profile, and buyers who fit it know it almost immediately when they hear the description:
Water sports enthusiasts who have spent their lives seeking lake access and see private boathouse ownership in a luxury desert community as the property they never expected to find
Serious surfers, wakeboarders, and waterskiers who want the ability to train on consistent, privately controlled water rather than sharing public access with unpredictable conditions
Luxury buyers from northern Utah who want a Southern Utah property that offers something categorically different from their primary residence, not just a nicer version of what they already have
Buyers from coastal markets who miss lake or waterfront living and are discovering Southern Utah's recreation landscape for the first time
Family compound buyers who want a multi-generational gathering property where everyone from kids to adults has a compelling reason to be there
Investment-minded luxury buyers who recognize that there are 56 lots in this community, 34 of which are lakefront, and there will never be more
What to Verify Before Buying at Southern Shores
Southern Shores is a community where due diligence is more involved than a standard luxury home purchase:
Current HOA dues and coverage. Verify current annual dues, what is covered, and how the lake maintenance, surf pool operation, and common area upkeep are funded long-term.
Boathouse and lake access specifics for the lot. Confirm exactly what water access, boathouse configuration, hydraulic lift operation, and use rights apply to the specific property. Lakefront and non-lakefront lots have different access structures.
Water rights documentation. The community's private water supply is one of its foundational characteristics. Review the water rights documentation and understand how they are held and protected as part of ownership.
Construction status. Southern Shores is still building out. Some lots are finished homes; others are under construction; others are purchased lots awaiting build. Understand what phase and status applies to the specific property.
Architectural covenants. Review the design standards, builder requirements, and landscaping obligations before purchasing. All homes are built by Immaculate Homes; there is no owner-selected builder option currently.
STR rules. Southern Shores is a luxury residential community, not a resort rental development. Verify the current HOA and Hurricane City rules before purchasing with any rental intent.
Financing considerations. Properties at this price point and with this community structure may have different financing requirements than standard residential purchases. Work with lenders experienced in luxury and unique-property financing.
FAQ: Southern Shores in Hurricane, Utah
What is Southern Shores?
Southern Shores is Utah's first private water sports residential community, located in Hurricane Valley on 80 acres. It features 56 estate lots, 34 of which are lakefront with private boathouses on three engineered lakes. The community's centerpiece amenity is a UNIT Surf Pool that generates the second-largest standing surf wave in the United States. Homes are custom-built by Immaculate Homes and range from approximately $5M to $8M+.
How does the water work in a desert community?
Southern Shores uses privately owned water rights drawn from a subsurface aquifer beneath the land, not public municipal water from Washington County's water system. The water rights were reviewed and approved by the Utah State Water Engineer before development. Lake bed materials prevent percolation loss, shorelines resist erosion, and the surf pool recirculates its water continuously. The developer estimates total evaporation loss comparable to a single golf course hole.
What is the UNIT Surf Pool?
The UNIT Surf Pool is a floating wave generation system manufactured in Germany that creates consistent, adjustable surfable waves in a lake or pool environment. Southern Shores' installation is 52 feet wide and represents the second-largest standing surf wave in the United States. It is the first installation of a UNIT Surf Pool in a private residential community in the country. The technology has been operating successfully at installations in Milan and Hamburg.
How many lots are left at Southern Shores?
Southern Shores has 56 total lots, 34 lakefront with private boathouses. Nearly all of the original lakefront lots sold in early phases, primarily through direct word-of-mouth to buyers from northern Utah. Resale and remaining inventory is extremely limited. The best way to know what's available is to be in direct contact with someone actively tracking this market.
What do Southern Shores homes cost?
Lakefront lots have ranged to approximately $1.5M to $2.5M depending on position and frontage. Non-lakefront lots have ranged from approximately $622,000 to $1.1M. Completed custom homes on lakefront lots start at approximately $5M and recent listings have been priced at $7M to $8M+ for larger, fully appointed properties. These represent the top of the Southern Utah luxury market by a significant margin.
Is Southern Shores gated?
Yes. Southern Shores is a private gated community in Hurricane, Utah.
Are short-term rentals allowed at Southern Shores?
Southern Shores is a luxury residential community, not a resort rental development. STR eligibility should be verified through current HOA documents and Hurricane City zoning rules before purchasing with any rental intent. This community is designed for owner occupancy and second-home use, not high-turnover vacation rentals.
Who builds the homes at Southern Shores?
All homes at Southern Shores are built by Immaculate Homes, the community's developer, headed by Jason and Brittany Christensen. Architectural covenants require designs consistent with desert, prairie, and coastal living styles. There is currently no owner-selected builder option; all custom homes are built through Immaculate Homes to maintain design consistency across the community.
How does Southern Shores compare to Entrada or Black Desert?
There is no meaningful head-to-head comparison. Entrada and Black Desert are golf-anchored luxury communities. Southern Shores is a water-sports-anchored luxury community. The buyer who wants private lake living with a surf pool and boathouse is not the same buyer shopping for a golf fairway home. Southern Shores has no direct equivalent in Utah or the surrounding states. The closest analogues nationally are private lake club communities in Texas or the Ozarks, combined with the desert recreation and Zion access of Southern Utah.
Inventory at Southern Shores is among the most limited of any community in Southern Utah. At 56 total lots, most of them sold, this is a market where being connected to someone actively tracking available properties is the difference between finding the right opportunity and missing it entirely.
Contact Lance Clifford or call 435-200-5508 directly. Tell me what you're looking for: lakefront lot, completed home, specific bedroom count, water access type, or whether you're a seller who wants the right buyer. I'll give you an honest read on what's available, what's coming, and how Southern Shores fits into the broader Southern Utah luxury landscape.
