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Robert Redford’s Deep Connection to Utah—and the Sundance Home Where He Died

A 1961 motorcycle trip brought Robert Redford to Provo Canyon. His Utah cabin became Sundance, a resort, conservation project and center for independent film.
Opened Runtime3 min Written byDocumentaryTube Team
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Robert Redford’s bond with Utah began in Provo Canyon in 1961. He bought two acres there, built a cabin, and eventually developed Sundance as both a mountain resort and a home for independent filmmaking and conservation. He died at his Sundance home on September 16, 2025. His publicist described it as “the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved.”

Where did Robert Redford live in Utah?

Redford’s Utah home was at Sundance, in Provo Canyon beneath Mount Timpanogos. The place that became Sundance Mountain Resort began with a much smaller purchase: during a cross-country motorcycle trip in 1961, Redford encountered the canyon, bought two acres, and built a cabin himself, according to the Sundance Institute timeline. The resort’s account also dates his first ride through the canyon to 1961.

The setting mattered to the kind of place he wanted to make. In an interview excerpt on the Sundance Institute legacy page, Redford said, “I wanted to have a sense of place, I wanted to create a sense of home, I wanted to create a sense of community.”

How did the cabin become Sundance?

Redford’s small cabin site grew into a larger project over the rest of the 1960s. The accounts do not give the same year for the major acquisition: Sundance Mountain Resort says that by 1968 he had bought thousands of acres, while the Institute timeline dates his purchase of 5,000 acres and the resort’s opening to 1969. The safest description is that the larger development took shape in the late 1960s, rather than assigning it one uncontested purchase date.

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Redford named the property Sundance, after his character in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The resort’s own history describes his approach as “developed a little, preserved a lot.” The Institute timeline says he designated most of the acreage he purchased in 1969 as wilderness preserve. Sundance Mountain Resort currently reports 4,000 acres devoted to conservation and says 70% of the resort is set aside as nature preserves; those figures are the resort’s own claims and refer to its present-day property and policies, not the historical 5,000-acre purchase.

Why is Sundance more than a resort?

Redford’s Utah project joined a mountain retreat with a commitment to independent storytelling. The Sundance Institute timeline traces the organization’s beginnings to a gathering in 1980. Its first lab followed in 1981, bringing together 17 independent filmmakers. In 1985, the Institute assumed creative and administrative control of the U.S. Film Festival, an event that already existed. That distinction matters: Redford founded the Institute, but he did not create the original festival from nothing.

The Institute’s work grew from the same belief in storytelling that shaped the Utah community. Redford put it this way: “Storytellers broaden our minds: engage, provoke, inspire, and ultimately, connect us.” The resort and Institute became connected expressions of his interest in place, preservation, and independent artists.

Where did Robert Redford die?

The Associated Press reported that Redford died at his home at Sundance in Utah on September 16, 2025, aged 89. His publicist, Cindi Berger, said he died “at his home at Sundance in the mountains of Utah — the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved.” AP reported that he died in his sleep and that no cause of death was provided.

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What is the difference between Sundance resort and the film festival today?

Sundance Mountain Resort remains in Provo Canyon, but the festival’s Utah chapter is ending. In a January 2026 report, the Associated Press said the 2026 Sundance Film Festival would be its last in Utah, with the festival scheduled to move to Boulder in 2027. The Institute’s labs were to remain at Sundance Mountain Resort. The festival’s relocation does not mean the Utah resort or the Institute’s Utah presence is moving with it.

For visitors, the canyon and mountain setting remain part of the resort experience. Visit Utah describes Sundance as nestled below Mount Timpanogos in Provo Canyon; the resort offers outdoor recreation and arts programming. Those present-day visitor offerings are separate from the history of Redford’s home and the Institute’s development.

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