Other sites along Bear Creek, such as a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp in Red Rocks Park and the Bear Creek Canyon Scenic Mountain Drive, as the section between Idledale and Morrison is called, have given the route a listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

Newer improvements to the road include widening the Evergreen Parkway segment to four lanes and constructing an interchange with I-70.

The route heads westward before turning southwestward into a coniferous forest setting as a four-lane divided highway.

The parkway meets Mestaa'ėhehe Road and crosses the Troublesome Creek[7] before traveling along the west side of Buchanan Park.

[3] While passing Wah Keeney Park, the road turns southeastward and narrows to two lanes approaching milepost seven.

Narrowing to two lanes,[4] the route follows the path of Bear Creek, curving northeasterly toward Kittredge with Pence Park on the east side.

[13] In 1873, John Evans, then a former governor of the Colorado Territory,[15] constructed a toll road from Evergreen to Morrison via Bear Creek canyon.

[19] SH 27, as the Bear Creek Canyon Scenic Mountain Drive was designated at the time, ran past the Denver Motor Club in Idledale in addition to newly purchased parks.

Both the camp and the section of SH 74 between Idledale and Morrison, known as the Bear Creek Canyon Scenic Mountain Drive, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

To control flooding along the creek and therefore preserve safety along the road, the Denver manager of parks sought to build a dam near Evergreen.

[26] Following a September 1938 flood, crews from a federal work program built walls along the side of the creek, measuring from 7 to 34 feet (2.1 to 10.4 m) high.

[27][28] The Works Progress Administration (WPA), as this program was called, installed over 4,500 feet (1,400 m) of masonry from Morrison to Idledale at points where previous floods had damaged the roadway.

This oil surface, which was approximately 1 inch (25 mm) deep, prevented erosion along the roadway in the Bear Creek canyon during floods.

Work on this project began in 1993 to improve the interchange between Evergreen Parkway and I-70 and widen the roadway to its current state, costing CDOT $8 million.