Camp Hale

Camp Hale sits in the Eagle River Valley of Eagle County, Colorado, between the towns of Red Cliff and Leadville at an elevation of 9,238 feet. It was built in 1942 as a U.S. Army training facility and became the home of the 10th Mountain Division. The post was named for General Irving Hale, and its early command fell to Onslow S. Rolfe, an officer who had previously developed mountain warfare techniques while leading the 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment.

Today Camp Hale is a ghost town — a historic remnant of wartime military use rather than a civilian settlement. Visitors come to walk the open valley floor where the sprawling camp once stood, taking in the high-altitude setting and the layered history embedded in the landscape. Access is realistic for much of the warmer months, though the elevation and Colorado mountain winters make late fall through early spring a more challenging time to visit.