Entry No. 24 — the Durango file — filed under: art-immersive
Tour of Carvings at Vallecito Lake
After the 2002 Missionary Ridge Fire took 73,000 acres and firefighter Alan Wyatt, Pagosa Springs carver Chad Haspels took a chainsaw to the dead. Fourteen sculptures — 18 feet tall, 2,600 pounds apiece, cut from 200-year-old fire-killed ponderosas — now ring the lake roads, every one crowned with carved flames. The Wyatt memorial is the one that stops people: his face, worked from a photograph into a still-rooted trunk the fire's own thermal vortex snapped, helmet clutched to his heart.
The story
In June 2002, the Missionary Ridge Fire tore across 73,000 acres of the San Juan National Forest around Vallecito Lake. It gutted homes, incinerated two-century-old ponderosa pines, and took firefighter Alan Wyatt when a fire-weakened trunk collapsed. When the smoke cleared, the valley was left with thousands of standing black skeletons. Rather than hauling every dead giant away to a mill, the local community hired Pagosa Springs carver Chad Haspels to take a chainsaw to the ruins.
Haspels cut 14 distinct sculptures directly into or from the fire-killed ponderosas, each weighing up to 2,600 pounds and standing up to 18 feet high. To tie the scattered trail together, every single carving is crowned with a carved wooden flame where the crown of the tree used to be. The imagery ranges from local wildlife to eagles, but the emotional anchor of the route sits right beside the Vallecito Community Center: a portrait of Alan Wyatt worked from a family photograph into a trunk that was snapped off at the top by the firestorm's own thermal vortex. His face gazes out toward the water, his helmet clutched against his chest.
What makes driving this circuit feel so strange is how surreal these monuments look integrated into ordinary suburban lake life. You won't find park rangers or polished plaza pedestals here. The statues sit exposed to mountain snow and dust, tucked between RV parks, behind corner general stores, and along quiet gravel shoulders where boat trailers park. They are slow-weathering artifacts sitting in plain sight, marking where the inferno stopped.
What it's like
The drive takes about 40 minutes northeast from Durango via Florida Road (CR 240 to CR 501) before you hit the loop around Vallecito Lake's northern and western shores. You won't need hiking gear—every carving sits within a few steps of a roadside shoulder or parking turnoff along County Roads 501 and 500. Download the map from carvingsatvallecito.org before leaving town, because cellular service vanishes the moment you enter the canyon seams around the water. Keep your eyes peeled around lodge driveways and store lots where several sculptures hide in plain view, then finish at the Vallecito Community Center to stand beside the Wyatt memorial on the shore.
The move: Pull up the carving map, drive the lake loop hunting all fourteen flame-topped sculptures, and end at the lakeshore Wyatt memorial beside the community center.
📍 Before you go The fourteen carvings are scattered along the roads ringing Vallecito Lake's northern and western shores, about 40 minutes northeast of Durango via Florida Road (CR 240 to CR 501) — all viewable from roadside pull-offs, no real walking required. Several hide in plain sight at trailer parks, stores, and lodges, so grab the map from carvingsatvallecito.org or the Tour of Carvings brochure at the Durango Area Tourism Office before you go. The Alan Wyatt memorial stands on the lakeshore next to the Vallecito Community Center. Pair the loop with a lakeside picnic or a Vallecito Creek trailhead walk at the north end.
- 📍 Vallecito
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: Loop of County Rd 501/500 around Vallecito Lake; start near Vallecito Community Center, 17252 County Rd 501, Bayfield, CO 81122
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Sacred Space — After touring Vallecito's quiet roadside memorial loop, drive down to Bayfield to visit this eccentric, storefront spiritual sanctuary run by a self-described High Priestess.
- Lost Goat Tavern (formerly Billy Goat Saloon) — Process the heavy history of the 2002 burn over a beer in Gem Village at this historic 1940s rockhound settlement watering hole.
- Honey House Distillery at Honeyville — Stop at this family homestead north of town on your way back into Durango to sip honey-distilled spirits after your afternoon drive.
Good to know
How long does it take to complete the Tour of Carvings loop?
Plan for 1 to 2 hours to complete the lake drive, hunt down all 14 flame-capped pieces, and spend time at the main lakeshore memorial.
Do I need to pay a fee or buy a pass to see the sculptures?
No. The carvings are completely free to view 24/7 from public road shoulders, business pull-offs, and community center grounds.
Where should I start the tour?
Start near the Vallecito Community Center at 17252 County Road 501 on the west side of the lake, where you can inspect the map board and the Alan Wyatt memorial first.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · 5280
last checked: 2026-06-11