May 10, 2024
Written By: J.Couch
When we first moved to Denver, one of my co-workers said that one of the things that we should do while we lived here is to take the 2 ½ hour drive south and see a place called Bishop Castle. The castle is located in Rye Colorado, which is located about a half an hour southwest of Pueblo Colorado. But the castle itself is another 30 minutes up into the mountains of San Isabel National Forest in southern Colorado.
In almost 5 years of living in Colorado, we never made it down to see Bishop Castle. Well, we had a day in between packing, and we decided to take one last road trip south to check it out. It was a cool cloudy day and was supposed to rain later in the day, but it was a good day for a road trip. We left Denver about 9 am, so that we could get down there and back in a day without too much trouble. Making our way south down I-25 through Colorado Springs, it can get a little congested but it wasn’t too bad. It was a Friday morning so the traffic was pretty light most of the way down. We were able to make it down to Pueblo in good time.
We made a quick stop for coffee in Pueblo, and we were moving on, we still had about an hour to go. Down around Colorado City, we took exit #74 to catch Colorado state highway 165 that heads southwest into the San Isabel Mountains. From there it goes up into the mountains and into the trees amidst the serene beauty of the Colorado landscape. The road winds up the mountain and we climbed higher and higher. If it would have been a clear sunny day, we would have been able to see the snow-capped peaks and lush valleys below. But it was cloudy and foggy so we could not see a lot other than the road and the trees. The castle is located at 9200 feet up in the mountains. As we got higher and higher we soon realized that we were getting into the snow. We had not really prepared for it to be snowy. But we had enough layers and we would be fine, just a surprise for being towards the first of May. During the night they got about 2 feet of new snow, the roads had been plowed so it was not an issue driving up here. As we got higher, we started getting into the clouds and it became very foggy along with the snowy winter conditions we ran into.
We got to the castle and there were already some people parked on the side of the road and exploring. There is no parking lot, we just a pulled off on the side of the road and walked across to the castle. The problem that we soon found out was, no one really knew where the trail or entrance was due to the two feet of new snow. People were walking through almost knee-deep snow trying to find the path and finding a little creek and wet feet. We grabbed our snow shovel out of the back of the car and followed some of the footprints that were already in the snow. As we followed the previous visitors’ track, I tried to shovel the snow so the path was a little easier. We soon found the creek that everyone else before us found with wet shoes. I took the snow and piled up as best as I could to make a snow bridge across the wet area. It kind of worked but still got a little wet.
We made our way to the main entrance to the driveway that took us up to the castle which sits just a little way off the road. At the main entrance, there is a drawbridge and we climbed up the spiral staircase into the upper part of the structure. From there, a bridge took us over to the upper part of the property and dropped us at the base of the castle. It was an amazing site to see this castle in the snow, nestled amongst the trees and to think that this was all created by one man, Jim Bishop. Jim’s dedication to his dream is evident in every detail of the castle. He single-handedly crafted the majority of the castle’s features, pouring his heart and soul over the years into this colossal project. Visitors are treated to a labyrinth of rooms, passageways, and even a fire-breathing dragon, however it was not breathing fire at the time.
Exploring this castle was a lot of fun, there are spiral staircases that took us up to all the levels. There is a ground floor that is kind of like the garage area, and I think what used to be a gift shop, it had a sign stating that it was destroyed in a fire. The first level up the stairs seemed to be like it could have been the living area. There are lots of colored stained glass that give it a colorful hue, lighting up the dark area.
From there, the spiral staircase goes up another level, this opens up on the grand ballroom area. This reminded me of some of the churches in Europe. It is a grand open room with very high ceilings, elaborate, decorative metal work and a glass ceiling that lets in a lot of light, as well as some snow too. There are a lot of windows that have been broken and the whole place seems to be slowly breaking down back into nature.
There are two turrets, or towers on each side that go up more spiral stairs up to the top of these. The view from up there is awesome but I have to admit, I was a little concerned as to the safety of this structure that was pushing 55 years old. There are a lot of patches in the metal stairs and with the snow it made it a little harder to make sure that I was stepping on something sturdy. In its prime this would have been a great place to live. It has a similar feel to some of the castles that one would find in Ireland or Scotland.
We made our way back down the stairs to the main level and found the trail in the snow back out to the road. We took lots of pictures and I filmed in 360. I plan on making a YouTube video soon, the link will be here when finished.
It was a great trip and I am glad that we took the time to go check this out before we leave this beautiful state. Just sorry that we did not get here sooner. It would be good to try to make it here in the summer when the snow has melted and a little safer to look around. If you are in the area this is a fun free place to check out, but leave a donation or purchase something from their online gift shop to help keep this place open.
Tips for the Trip:
Travel Time: The journey from Denver to Bishop Castle takes around 2.5 to 3 hours, depending on traffic and stops along the way.
Weather Considerations: Colorado weather can be unpredictable. Check the weather forecast and road conditions before you start your journey. You may end up in some snow during certain times of the year.
Refreshments: Carry snacks and water for the road, but also consider exploring local eateries for a taste of Colorado’s culinary scene. There are a lot of good plant-based (vegan) options in Colorado Springs if you have time.
Admission: Bishop Castle is open to the public and admission is free. However, donations are appreciated to support the castle’s maintenance and ongoing expansion
If you have been here to explore, we would love to hear your thoughts and adventures below.
Thanks for wandering with us,
The Wandering Couchs
