Army destroys World War II landmine found by hiker in Colorado forest near Camp Hale

The Army has deployed an explosives demolition team and destroyed a World War II-era landmine found by a hiker in the White River National Forest near Camp Hale, Eagle County Sheriff officials announced on Tuesday.

The hiker contacted sheriff deputies on July 20 and told them about a gray metal device with yellow letters on it that appeared to be an old landmine. He photographed it and documented the location in the woods, sheriff officials said in a posting on Facebook.

Army commanders at Fort Carson, south of Colorado Springs, sent a specialized explosives team that located and destroyed the device, sheriff officials said. The team determined that the landmine was left behind by the 10th Mountain Division soldiers who were stationed at Camp Hale for winter warfare training.

In October 2022, President Joe Biden visited the ruins at Camp Hale and formally designated an 84-square-mile Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument.

The training landmines can be dangerous, even deadly if moved, officials said.

“We know there was a great effort on the part of the U.S. Army to sweep and clear the area of any dangers. However, as the years go by, we have received reports of leftover equipment at Camp Hale. Should you ever locate any suspicious item, please document your location and contact the Sheriff’s Office as soon as possible.”