Bishop's Castle - Rye, Colorado

James Bishop’s life’s work is this spectacular castle located off of Hwy. 165 in the San Isabel forest, about three hours from Denver. James started the project when he was 15 and continued work on it with his father for the next ten summers. Five decades later the castle is still unfinished and stands at 160 feet tall. Construction is funded by donations and the gift shop which unfortunately burned to the ground in March.

There are many narrow staircases that wind up to the various landings where you can get a bird’s eye view of the forest. The interior is vast and light fills the room from the floor to ceiling windows and sky lights. There is even an elevator, which appears to no longer function.

Elevator