A stunning pirate themed playground is being created by a man south of Pocatello for his 5-year-old son Patrick and Patrick’s friends.

The site for youths, which isn’t completely done, has already been drawing attention from passersby, according to builder and creator Bryan Donyes.

And he says his son and his son’s friends enjoy using the site that Donyes is building based on a design from Booth Architecture in Pocatello.

He says people seem to appreciate the overall site.

 It includes the pirate ship — which is 20 feet from the ground to the top of the mast — and features a skull and crossbones flag.

Further, it includes a tower with a large balcony at the top and a twisting tube slide that winds down from the top of the tower to the bottom.

And ultimately the playground — which is along West Ski View Drive south of Pocatello — will likely fill the entire space for building that’s available near his home.

He says that his first thought three years ago was to build a smaller playground.

But the project just took off and got much bigger.

Donyes says he’s still pondering adding a seesaw and monkey bars at some point to further enhance the playground.

So there’s more yet to do on what he calls a labor of love that started in 2018.

And there’s more to the site overall than meets the eye.

He says it’s not created just for youths to have fun, but to challenge them.

It offers them a mental puzzle that they have to try to solve.

“So it’s basically a maze they have to figure out that has only one way in and one way out,” he says.

And that requires some thought, given the twists and turns of the site.

“They’re always having to think where they’re at and how to get out,” said Donyes. “They have to think their way out.”

The site also includes a circular net that connects the tower to the pirate ship so youths can climb from one to the other.

And overall Donyes says his son and his friends really enjoy playing in the structure.

But it’s designed just for kids, so after a certain age older people won’t fit, he said.

Donyes, who was first encouraged to start his own business in stucco and masonry by well-known local businessman Don Aslett, says  he’s about halfway done on the original plan for the playground.

Meantime, the project has been greatly assisted by Todd Huot, who has significant experience and knowledge of construction, which has come in handy for the project.

Donyes says the site may eventually grow more depending on the time and funds he has available to continue the work on it.

But he’s pleased with what they’ve accomplished so far.

“You can take anything and make it work as long as you believe in it,” Donyes said.