Bishop Castle - Rye, Colorado

Bishop Castle is the project of a single man, Jim Bishop.  Mr. Bishop has been building the castle by hand since the 1960s.  


My husband, two kids, and I ventured out there last week.  The drive out there took us a little over an hour from Colorado Springs.  The drive was quiet, not a lot of traffic, and scenic to boot.  If you aren't looking carefully, you could drive right by.

When you first arrive to the castle you are greeted by a few signs.  Mr. Bishop is not a fan of the government as you can tell.  There were several other signs around the castle, but I think you get the idea.
 

There are several ways to get up to the different levels of the castle, but none of them are any fun.  You can climb up these very steep and narrow concrete steps.

You can also choose the narrow passage ways with concrete spiral staircases

You can climb to all parts of the castle, even the highest points, but you have to go on even scarier spiral stairs that are only made of wrought iron.

The inside of the castle is very open.  I wonder if anyone is ever planning to live there or if it was just built to be seen.  

This is the main floor - 

And this is the upper level - 

This castle was definitely worth the drive.  My kids had so much fun they didn't want to leave.  If you are in the Pueblo or Colorado Springs area I definitely recommend making Bishop Castle a stop on your itinerary.