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 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.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4
last checked: 2026-06-11