Entry No. 5 — the Durango file — filed under: art-immersive
Dave Sipe's Folk Art
“No hours exist: if Dave's home, you get the personal tour, plus a little free psychotherapy.”
Dave Sipe has spent 35-plus years attacking dead county wood with a chainsaw and a Skilsaw, and somewhere along the way he won a world chainsaw-carving championship and did pieces for the Mall of America. Then he turned his own house off Highway 160 into the museum. The yard crawls with bug-eyed coyotes, kachinas, a whole crooked-grinned circus with what one writer called Ren and Stimpy strangeness. No hours exist: if Dave's home, you get the personal tour, plus what he calls a little free psychotherapy with each purchase.
The story
For over 35 years, Dave Sipe has been attacking dead county wood with a chainsaw and a Skilsaw, carving out a roadside universe of bug-eyed coyotes, crooked-grinned circus figures, and warped kachinas. It looks a bit like animated insanity—one local writer pegged it with 'Ren and Stimpy strangeness'—but the craft behind it is dead serious. Sipe took home a world championship title in chainsaw carving and completed commissions for the Mall of America before focusing his attention entirely on his house off Highway 160.
Instead of shipping his output off to high-end galleries, Sipe turned his own residential lot into an open-air museum and yard sale. The sculptures stand shoulder-to-shoulder in the dirt along the highway, packed with dark humor and unvarnished character, waiting for drivers to notice the eyes staring back at them from the tree line.
What it's like
You’ll spot the timber horde long before you turn off Highway 160 onto County Road 38. Park directly in the dirt drive and start pacing through the crowd of wooden monsters. There are no ticket counters or velvet ropes here, just an outdoor dirt yard that demands real shoes. If Dave is home—which skews toward mornings and evenings—he’ll usually wander out to give you a personal tour of the inventory, tossing in what he calls a little free psychotherapy with every piece you buy.
The move: Pull off Highway 160 at Road 38 on your way back from Mesa Verde, wander the sculpture yard until Dave wanders out, and have him tell you the story behind the weirdest carving you can find.
📍 Before you go The sculpture yard sits right at the corner of US 160 and County Road 38, about three miles east of the Mesa Verde entrance, and you can spot the figures from the highway; just pull into the drive. There are no posted hours because Dave lives on the property and receives visitors whenever he is around, which by his own account skews mornings and evenings, so calling ahead beats gambling. It is an outdoor dirt-yard wander, so wear real shoes. Pairs naturally with a Mesa Verde day or pie at the Absolute Bakery in Mancos, which displays his work.
- 📍 Mancos
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 7763 Road 38, Mancos, CO 81328 (corner of US 160 and County Road 38)
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Giant Arrows at the Hogan Trading Post — Just a mile away, double down on local roadside woodwork with a look at telephone poles carved into giant arrows plunged into the ground.
- Columbine Bar & Grill — Head less than four miles into Mancos to follow Sipe's dark humor with a drink in a historic 1900s watering hole.
- Mancos Common Press — Trade Sipe's rough chainsaw cuts for preserved 19th-century metal type and a print shop frozen in time.
- Mesa Verde National Park Night Sky Program — Since the sculpture yard sits three miles from the park entrance, it works as an easy afternoon stop before heading up the mesa for night-sky viewing.
Good to know
Where is the sculpture yard located?
It sits at 7763 Road 38, right at the corner of US Highway 160 and County Road 38, about three miles east of the Mesa Verde National Park entrance.
What are the hours?
There are no posted hours. Dave lives on the property and receives visitors whenever he is around. Calling ahead beats gambling on whether he's home.
Can you buy the carvings directly from the artist?
Yes. If Dave is around, you can negotiate directly for pieces right out of the yard.
What else nearby pairs well with a visit?
It sits right on the path to Mesa Verde National Park, and you can also find Dave's work on display down the road at the Absolute Bakery in downtown Mancos.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · dgomag.com · the-journal.com · lloydkahn.substack.com
last checked: 2026-06-11