Entry No. 148 — the Denver file — filed under: tree-carvings
Niwot Tree Carvings (Eddie Running Wolf)
Three towering figures — Spear Lodge Man, The Eagle Catcher, and Cheyenne Holy Man — were carved from dead willow stumps by the late Arapaho artist Eddie Running Wolf starting in 2007, and after restoration by his son Dustin have found their permanent home at Left Hand Valley Grange Park, sheltered under a tipi-like canopy near the LoBo Trail. They stand as eerie, weathered sentinels honoring Chief Niwot and the Arapaho people who once inhabited the Left Hand Valley.
The story
In 2007, three dying willow stumps along an irrigation ditch on Niwot Road caught the eye of artist Eddie Running Wolf. Guided by consultations with Arapaho and Cheyenne elders, he spent nearly a decade carving the dead trunks into three towering Native figures: Biitoheinen (Spear Lodge Man), Niisiitenoot Nii'eihiiho (The Eagle Catcher), and Ma'he'ónėhetane (Cheyenne Holy Man). Rising up to 13 feet high along the roadside, the unvarnished wood stood as raw, weather-exposed sentinels honoring Chief Niwot and the indigenous history of the Left Hand Valley.
Front Range winters and irrigation groundwater eventually did what time always does to untreated wood. Severe rot began consuming the bases from within, threatening to collapse the sculptures onto the dirt. When Eddie Running Wolf passed away in August 2020 during the early height of the pandemic, the town refused to let his life's work rot away. Volunteers brought in a crane in 2021 to cut the massive figures from their rotting roots and haul them to a nearby barn, where Eddie's son, sculptor Dustin Wolf, spent over 500 hours chiseling out rot, splicing in undecayed wood, and recarving lost details.
Now permanently installed at Left Hand Valley Grange Park along the LoBo Trail, the trio rests sheltered under a custom tipi-inspired canopy built through community fundraising. They no longer sprout directly from living ground, but standing inches away under the timber beams, you can see every chisel line, repair seam, and deep knot in the restored grain—a rare piece of rescued public art kept alive by a son's hand and a small town's obsession.
What it's like
Expect a flat, effortless stroll straight from the Grange Park gravel lot west toward the LoBo Trail spur, where the three figures sit under their soaring shelter structure. There are no turnstiles or velvet ropes—just an open-air sanctuary where you can stand directly beside 13-foot carved faces. Skip high noon if you want the real atmosphere; plan your arrival for dusk when long shadows cross the high-plains grass and light catches the deep grooves in the wood. Winter visits are exceptionally quiet, but the exposed plain means the wind cuts right through, so layer up.
The move: Walk the short LoBo Trail spur to stand among the three carved figures at dusk when the long shadows make them feel genuinely uncanny, then stroll into downtown Niwot for dinner or a First Friday Art Walk at Niwot Hall — the same community that has been keeping these sculptures alive for nearly two decades.
📍 Before you go The carvings stand at Left Hand Valley Grange Park, off Niwot Road near N. 83rd Street — park in the Grange Park lot and walk west toward the LoBo Trail; the three figures sit just beyond the lot under their tipi-like canopy, an easy flat stroll rather than a hike. This is a free, always-open outdoor spot, so any season works, but golden hour and dusk give the weathered wood its most uncanny shadows; winter is quiet and cold on the exposed plain. It's a community-tended memorial honoring Chief Niwot and the Arapaho — treat it respectfully. Pair it with downtown Niwot's shops and restaurants a few minutes east, and time a visit around First Friday if you can.
- 📍 Niwot
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 8296 Niwot Rd, Niwot, CO 80503 (Left Hand Valley Grange Park, near Niwot Rd & 79th St)
Hours: Mined 2026-06-07 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Old Firehouse Museum — Walk less than a mile east down Niwot Road to check out a 1910 one-room firehouse that spent 24 years hidden in plain sight as a hotel laundry shed.
- The Speakeasy (Imperial Hotel basement) — Drive five miles north into Longmont after dark to grab a drink in a genuine 1881 basement bar beneath the historic Imperial Hotel.
- Saul the Sticker Ball (StickerGiant lobby) — Trade hand-carved willow trunks for a 231-pound ball composed of over 171,000 adhesive stickers six miles up the road.
Good to know
Where are the Niwot Tree Carvings located?
They are located at Left Hand Valley Grange Park (8296 Niwot Rd, Niwot, CO 80503), positioned just west of the park lot along a short spur connecting to the LoBo Trail.
Is there an admission fee or ticket required?
No, the site is completely free, unticketed, and accessible outdoors daily year-round.
Who carved the figures and who restored them?
Arapaho artist Eddie Running Wolf carved all three figures between 2007 and 2016. After he died in 2020, his son Dustin Wolf led a multi-year restoration process to repair and recarve the damaged wood.
Why were the carvings moved to a new park location?
Groundwater and weathering rotted the original tree trunks near 79th Street. Volunteers cut them down with a crane in 2021 to preserve them before moving them to Grange Park under a protective shelter.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: lhvc.com · Roadside America · Official site
last checked: 2026-06-07