Entry No. 22 — the Fort Collins file — filed under: witchy
Great Stupa of Dharmakaya
Rising 108 feet at 8,000 feet elevation in the Rockies northwest of Fort Collins, the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya is the tallest stupa in North America. Built over thirteen years beginning in 1988 to memorialize Tibetan Buddhist master Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, it was consecrated in 2001 and cast in a concrete formula engineered to last a thousand years. Its full ceremonial name is "the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya Which Liberates Upon Seeing." Unlike most stupas, the ground-floor assembly hall is open to visitors and holds a large gilded Buddha in the Gandharan style; upper levels contain chambers, frescoes, and a three-dimensional mandala. The surrounding property is run by Drala Mountain Center.
The story
You don't expect a 108-foot concrete tower engineered to survive a thousand years to sit at the end of a mountain dirt road, but that is precisely what sits at 8,000 feet elevation northwest of Fort Collins. Construction began in 1988 to memorialize Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the Tibetan Buddhist master who brought Shambhala teachings to the West. Rather than pouring standard batch cement, builders spent thirteen years mixing a specialized concrete formula designed to resist century after century of Rocky Mountain freeze-thaw cycles before consecrating the structure in 2001 under its full ceremonial title: the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya Which Liberates Upon Seeing.
Most stupas across Asia are solid reliquaries meant to be walked around, not entered. This one breaks protocol. Inside the ground floor, doors open directly into a high-ceilinged assembly hall dominated by a large gilded Buddha sculpted in the Gandharan style. The upper tiers—off-limits to casual drop-ins—house sacred chambers, hand-painted frescoes, and a complex three-dimensional mandala. It stands solitary on the grounds of Drala Mountain Center, framed by granite outcrops and pine forest far past where your cell signal drops off.
What it's like
Your route pulls you up through Poudre Canyon before turning onto dirt roads past Livermore. Park in the designated visitor lot, leave your pets at home (they are strictly banned from the entire campus), and stick to the marked trail—the surrounding retreat center is off-limits unless you are registered for a program. Walk the exterior circuit clockwise as traditional custom dictates, then slip your shoes off inside the ground-floor hall to sit quietly before the gilded Buddha. Bring water and sun protection; high-altitude dehydration sets in fast at 8,000 feet, and winter or wet weather can make the final dirt roads slick.
The move: Drive the Poudre Canyon route up to 8,000 feet, walk the exterior circuit with mountain views in every direction, then step inside the ground-floor assembly hall to sit quietly with the gilded Buddha. The combination of scale, silence, and altitude makes it genuinely disorienting in the best way.
📍 Before you go Open 9 am to sundown; no admission fee but donations accepted. No pets allowed anywhere on the campus. At 8,000 feet, bring water and sun protection — altitude dehydration hits fast. GPS routes you through Poudre Canyon; road conditions can be rough in wet or winter weather, so check ahead. The drive from Fort Collins is roughly 1.5 hours. The retreat center campus beyond the stupa is for registered participants only.
- 📍 Red Feather Lakes
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 151 Shambhala Way, Red Feather Lakes, CO 80545
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Manhattan Ghost Town & Cemetery — Just two and a half miles away, this abandoned 1880s mining site offers a forgotten, weather-worn historical contrast to the pristine concrete of the stupa.
- Gnome Road (Elf Lane) — Located less than six miles away in Red Feather Lakes, this odd residential street trades sacred Buddhist monumentality for hundreds of miniature plastic gnomes.
- Mishawaka Amphitheatre — Positioned right along your drive through Poudre Canyon, this historic 1916 riverside venue lets you break up the high-altitude quiet with food or live music.
- Deadman Fire Lookout Tower — Drive 13 miles further into the backcountry to scale a 1961 steel fire tower standing at an even higher 10,710 feet elevation.
Good to know
How much does it cost to visit the stupa?
There is no admission fee, though voluntary donations are accepted to help cover maintenance of the building and grounds.
What are the visiting hours?
The stupa is open to visitors daily from 9:00 am until sundown. Always confirm current hours before making the drive.
Can I bring my dog or tour the retreat center?
No. Pets are prohibited everywhere on the Drala Mountain Center property, and the main retreat campus beyond the stupa path is reserved exclusively for registered program participants.
How long is the drive from Fort Collins?
The drive takes about 1.5 hours via Highway 14 through Poudre Canyon. Road conditions on the final dirt stretches can degrade quickly in rain or snow.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Wikipedia · dralamountain.org · lonelyplanet.com
last checked: 2026-06-11