Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument lies just north over Tennessee Pass

If you drive north out of Leadville on US Highway 24 and over Tennessee Pass, you reach Camp Hale- Continental Divide National Monument. It is a relatively new monument, set aside to protect both a piece of military history and a landscape that people have valued for a very long time.

During World War II, the Army built a base here to train soldiers for mountain and winter warfare. This is where the 10th Mountain Division learned to ski, climb, and survive at high altitude. After the war, veterans of that division went on to help build Colorado’s ski industry, so the place is tied to how the modern mountains came to be.

The monument is managed by the Forest Service, so visiting it works like visiting national forest land, with hiking, hunting, and other recreation depending on the season. It is worth visiting with care: the site holds the remains of old structures, and the broader area remains culturally important to the Ute people, whose ties to this valley reach back long before the camp. Treat both the history and the land with respect.

To plan a respectful visit and learn the fuller story, start with the Forest Service’s Camp Hale- Continental Divide National Monument pages.