Bishop Castle

When I was in nearby Pueblo, Colorado, I couldn’t resist a trip to Bishop Castle, one of the weirdest and most beautiful random stops I’ve ever made.

Bishop Castle

Bishop Castle was built by one man, Jim Bishop, over the course of 60 years. Ostensibly, it is still being built, though I suspect any major construction has slowed a bit as Jim himself has aged. What started as a stone cabin has turned into a 16-story castle with turrets and towers, grand rooms with huge windows, a gatehouse, and a flourish of filigree ironwork. It’s a beautiful sight that just begs you to explore and climb.

It is a delightful, but terrifying place to visit. Here are the things that surprised me about Bishop Castle:

It’s up in the mountains.

I visited Bishop Castle on a warm day in January. Warm, that is, in Pueblo, where it was 50 degrees and sunny. Bishop Castle is about an hour from Pueblo, about 4600 feet higher in elevation, and was well below freezing when I arrived. The castle stands over 9200 feet above sea level, so keep that in mind as you climb around!

Plus, the twisty mountain roads getting there were icy in spots, which wigged me out before I even arrived. Directions say it’s in the town of Rye, but you leave any hint of town long before you reach the castle. It is truly in the middle of nowhere.

There are no facilities.

Well, there is a row of port-o-potties out front, but no proper bathrooms. Parking is on the side of the road in front, as there’s no separate parking lot. There’s not even a gift shop right now since it burned down a bit ago. There is a temporary building, but it was closed during my visit, even on a Saturday. I think it must close for the season.

There is no price of admission.

Bishop Castle is totally free to visit, though you are encouraged to leave a donation to help with future construction.

Visiting is 100% at your own risk.

There are several signs around the property letting you know that this is a working construction site. Any walking around you may do is completely at your own risk of injury. Make sure to keep an eye on your kids and pets, it is not a jungle gym, please don’t be drunk, etc. The signs everywhere are frankly hilarious. Despite the whimsy and charm of the castle itself, it seems Jim is a pretty cranky guy.

“Up to code” is not a thing.

While it doesn’t sound like anyone has ever been seriously hurt at Bishop Castle, stairways are tight, dark, and uneven, railings are low, and parts of the stone are crumbling. This is not what you would call a “safe” place. And yet, tons of folks visit all the time! I bet a larger percentage of visitors view it from the ground or the first few levels than climb all the way to the top.

A Terrifying Visit

If you can’t tell, Bishop Castle really got to me. After an unexpectedly icy drive, I arrived to find the only other visitors heading out, leaving me totally alone in this huge place. I excitedly walked up the tight spiral staircase in the gatehouse to a wooden bridge to the castle. (You can also walk up the slope.) Even getting to the large inside spaces of the castle requires some tight stairs, so it’s not like there’s a grand staircase to a front door.

Then I climbed up one of the towers and stepped out on one of the lower metal balconies and promptly FREAKED OUT. Now, I love tight discovery spaces, and I even enjoy heights. But something about stepping out onto the open metalwork in the freezing cold made me feel very unsafe. It wasn’t even icy, and I’m sure multiple people have stood on this very balcony at once, and it’s been fine. And now that I realize what the altitude is there, I can’t discount that after climbing the spiral stairs, I probably felt a little like I couldn’t breathe. But Lord, I had to sit down on the steps and count to ten before I could go on! And by “on,” I mean back down and out of that place. The whole experience really wigged me out. I’m a little ashamed that I wasn’t braver! Usually, stuff like this doesn’t bother me. But I think I didn’t trust the structure, plus with the cold and snow and being new to the altitude, the experience really got to me.

What I’d Do Differently

I’d love to visit again #1, now that I know what to expect, #2, when it’s warmer, and #3, with a friend so I’m not all alone in such a creepy place. And with better shoes! I had on regular tennis shoes, which normally I think would be fine. But I was constantly worried about slipping on snow or stepping on a patch of ice I couldn’t see.

As I left, a few more visitors showed up, some in worse shoes than me. So just be mindful that some surfaces are uneven, slick, or crumbly.

I highly recommend a visit to Bishop Castle, even if you view it from the ground. It really is an amazing feat. And if you’re very brave, you can climb all the way to the top. There seem to be ways to get almost everywhere, even if they look a little sketchy.