The Crestone End of Life Project

At 8,000 feet in elevation, Crestone is a small, unique community nestled in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of south central Colorado. Both beautiful and isolated, Crestone is a spiritual center that includes an astonishing array of sacred sites. Within walking distance of this international village are ashrams, monasteries, zendos, temples, chapels, retreat centers, stupas, shrines, medicine wheels, labyrinths, a ziggurat, and an outdoor cremation pyre.
 

The Crestone End of Life Project (CEOLP) operates one of the only legal, open-air cremation sites in the state of Colorado. Steeped in Hindu, Sikh, and Christian tradition, open-air cremations are rare ceremonies that bring an ancient tradition of disposition to western culture. This ancient and inspirational end-of-life choice returns the body to its original fire and air elements. The process involves a pyre, a half-cord of wood, a wooden stretcher and a shroud. The family or friends of the deceased work together with CEOLP staff to plan the ceremony, and various teams from the organization are trained to produce a deeply meaningful context for marking the passage of a loved one into death.
 

CEOLP offers a non-sectarian, community-driven ceremony where your body can be cremated outdoors in a fiery pyre. Conducting an open-air disposition begins with wrapping the body in a natural fabric shroud, which is placed on a wooden stretcher on a steel grate atop an outdoor hearth. Each member of the procession places a juniper branch on the body.
 

The fire reaches temperatures of over 1,500 degrees, consuming the body. What remains is about three gallons of ashes. The process of dissolution takes three hours, but more than 18 hours for the ashes to be cool enough to collect. Unfortunately for out-of-towners who want to have an open-air cremation, CEOLP's services are only available to local residents of Saguache County. Despite having a population of just 6,000 county residents, CEOLP still performs multiple open-air cremations every year for those who want a disposition ceremony performed by family, friends and community.