Entry No. 186 — the Denver file — filed under: cold-war
Camp Hale–Continental Divide National Monument
Those concrete bunker ruins along the Eagle River aren't just 10th Mountain Division leftovers. From 1958 to 1964 the CIA ran 'Dumra' — the garden — here, secretly training some 300 Tibetan guerrillas for the Dalai Lama's resistance while a planted Denver Post story about atomic testing kept Leadville locals away. A plaque finally admitted it in 2010, but nobody knew exactly where Dumra stood until 2024, when a CU anthropologist matched 1963 photos to ridgelines on snowshoes and the last surviving CIA trainer confirmed it.
The move: Walk the old camp loop off Forest Road 714, find the Tibetan Freedom Fighters plaque near the bunker remnants, and read its inscription aloud where the secret garden stood.
📍 Before you go The stone-pillar entrance off US 24 leads to a dirt loop road (Forest Road 714) around the valley floor — fine for most cars in summer, but snowed under roughly November through May, when it becomes snowshoe terrain. The plaque and interpretive signs sit near the bunker remnants on flat, exposed ground at 9,200 feet, so carry layers even in July. Unexploded ordnance still turns up in this valley; stay on roads and established paths. Pair it with lunch in tiny Red Cliff or the Tennessee Pass overlook ten minutes south.
- 📍 Red Cliff
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Main entrance off US Hwy 24, ~17 mi south of I-70 at Minturn (stone pillars), Red Cliff, CO 81649
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4
last checked: 2026-06-11