I moved to Colorado in 2013. Soon after, I heard about an interesting attraction called Bishop Castle. It was in Rye, an off-the-beaten path, small town about three hours south of Denver. A very good friend of mine from New York saw something about it in a Colorado guidebook, and it seemed interesting to us. He made me promise to “save it” and wait until he visited to check it out. I agreed.

Although that friend visited me in Colorado many times over the past decade, we never made it down to Rye; we were always busy doing other things when he came to town. So, last month, in September 2024, I decided I’d put off my Bishop Castle adventure long enough and made a detour to stop by it with another friend on my way back to Denver from Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.

I’m so glad that I did! I do hope to bring my New York friend to see it on his next Colorado visit, because now I realize this free, gigantic, impressive, and unusual attraction is absolutely worth the drive and effort to reach it. It far exceeded my expectations, and I can’t wait to go back again.

So, what is Bishop Castle, anyway? Why is there a castle in rural Colorado? The answers to these questions all lead back to a man named Jim Bishop.  Bishop Castle, a three-story structure with vast windows, winding staircases, and two towers - one of which reaches 160 feet in height - was built entirely by him over a period of sixty years.

That’s right. Brick by brick, Jim Bishop built an entire castle - by himself and on his own. And today, you can visit it for free and explore it be overwhelmed by wonder.

When Jim Bishop was 15 years old, he bought the land upon which Bishop Castle sits for $450, and he soon started building a small cottage using found materials from the surrounding land. As he began to stack rocks to create the walls, locals jokingly asked if he was building a castle.

This was all the inspiration that Jim Bishop needed. From that point forward, he continued to build until he was no longer able to build anymore. Over the following 60 years, the castle that stands on the property came into being - and it’s an incredibly impressive sight to see.

Bishop Castle is made almost entirely of stone that Jim Bishop took from the adjacent national forest land. There’s also a vast amount of wrought iron which was used to create supports, railings, stairways, and walkways. The windows are of course made of glass, and the flooring is wood. Jim Bishop created the entire castle without blueprints or any real plan; he simply put it together, piece by piece, and added new and interesting features as they appeared in his mind.

Today, Bishop Castle is open to the public and it’s free to visit. Donations are welcome, and there’s a gift shop onsite selling Bishop Castle merchandise, too. Jim Bishop is still alive, but his days of building are long past. Some days, he’s present on site and is available for questions and conversation about his masterpiece.

I made it to top and immediately, my concerns about safety were tossed aside in favor of wonder. I couldn’t believe the size and beauty of the large, central room I entered first.  It was like walking into a church. Three huge, many-paned windows and a glass ceiling allowed natural light to enter while offering views of the surrounding forest and mountains. The interior space was empty but was surely large enough for a group of over 100 people to comfortably gather for a party or event. Open archways on both sides of the room led to stairs.

Now that I was inside, I felt a lot more confident about my safety. It was clear that this castle was very solid and that it was not going to crumble or disintegrate in any way any time soon. In fact, even if unmaintained, I truly believe that Bishop Castle would stand on its own for centuries to come. Jim Bishop constructed his castle to last for the long term.

My companion and I next decided to climb one of the towers. I chose one at random and started my ascent. Unknowingly, I chose the shorter of the two towers - but it was still quite tall. The stairs seemed to continue forever upward until I finally reached the top.

I’m not afraid of heights under normal circumstances, but when I saw how high up we were, and felt the strong breeze at the top, I definitely got a little nervous. I held on tight and looked at the beautiful views all around.  We snapped a few pictures and soon went back down to the main chamber.

I was quite tired after this part of the adventure, but my companion decided to climb the stairs to the second, taller tower - and next time I go, I certainly will, too. He said that this one was even more terrifying, despite the structure clearly being very solid - but he’s glad he went to the top.  Meanwhile, I went down the stairs to the area below the main chamber and checked that out. Stone archways offered a true castle feel, and stained-glass windows were a very nice touch as well.

After we reconvened, we stayed a bit longer and took lots of photos. It was great that we had the place to ourselves. It was like we were in a giant playhouse built for adults, and we felt like we were king and queen of this castle. Together, we marveled at this incredible work of art and continued to point out various details to one another. We were absolutely amazed by this castle and were filled with wonder.  It’s truly incredible in every way regardless, but when you stop and take a moment to remember and recognize that it was built by a single human being - a man with zero architectural or construction training and without help from anyone else - it becomes nearly unbelievable.

Bishop Castle far exceeded my expectations for it and I am so glad that I finally made it to Rye to see it for myself. I will surely return to it time and time again in the years to come, and I am excited to spread the word to you, dear reader, and to anyone else who will listen. Hooray for Jim Bishop and hooray for Bishop Castle. There is likely nothing else like this castle in the entire world, and we are so lucky to have it right here in Colorado.