page_title: Colorado State Highway 74
section_title: Route description
hierarchical_section_title: Colorado State Highway 74 / Route description
caption_attribution_description: English: Evergreen Parkway west bound(north bound) at El Rancho, Colorado.
context_page_description: State Highway 74 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Colorado. Running 18 miles from Interstate 70 in El Rancho to SH 8 in Morrison, the highway roughly follows a hook-shaped path running northwest–southeast. The section of the route north of the town of Evergreen is known as Evergreen Parkway and is a segment with a four- to six-lane roadway, with the section east of Evergreen mostly two lanes. The other section is known as the Bear Creek Canyon Scenic Mountain Drive, or just Bear Creek Road, and primarily parallels Bear Creek, passing through the towns of Kittredge and Idledale. The route, which is on the outskirts of Denver, passes through several of the city's mountain parks, including Bergen, Dedisse and Red Rocks parks.
  An early road following the current path was established in the late 19th century for miners and loggers. As floods ravaged the road along Bear Creek through the early 20th century, measures were taken to prevent further damage.
context_section_description: SH 74 begins at an interchange with I-70 in El Rancho. Ramps from I-70 westbound branch off the freeway's exit 252 from the north side and cross the highway southwestward. Access to SH 74 from I-70 eastbound is provided via U.S. Highway 40 (US 40) a slight distance to the west. From I-70, the roadway heads southwesterly through El Rancho, meeting an intersection with US 40 (Swede Gulch Road). The route heads westward before turning southwestward into a coniferous forest setting as a four-lane divided highway. The roadway turns westward where it meets County Road 23 (CR 23, Kerr Gulch Road). Evergreen Parkway passes Fillius Park to the north in the community of Hidden Valley, where the terrain is mountainous. After intersecting Bergen Parkway, which heads southwesterly toward Bergen Park, SH 74 turns to the south. The parkway meets Squaw Pass Road and crosses the Troublesome Creek before traveling along the west side of Buchanan Park. SH 74 follows the east side of Elk Meadow Open Space Park, where open grassland is dotted with occasional trees. The road narrows to two lanes and climbs steeply at milepost five. While passing Wah Keeney Park, the road turns southeastward and continues to the community of Hiwan. SH 74 enters the town of Evergreen, passing by a lake of the same name along Bear Creek in Dedisse Park. Here, the route intersects CR 74, which heads west along the Upper Bear Creek.
  SH 74, now known as Bear Creek Road, curves east- and northward as it winds out of town. Narrowing to two lanes, the route follows the path of Bear Creek, curving northeasterly toward Kittredge with Pence Park on the east side. In Kittredge, the route meets CR 120 (Myers Gulch Road), which heads southeast toward Indian Hills. The route again meets Kerr Gulch Road, which bypasses the large curve which SH 74 took. From Kittredge, SH 74 winds eastward on the north side of Bear Creek. The roadway passes Idledale north of the Lair O the Bear Park, where it intersects Grapevine Road. East of the town, an abandoned section of SH 74 exists, which now serves as a path to private areas. The route heads into Bear Creek Canyon Park, where it curves along the creek in a more rocky terrain. SH 74 also passes through Red Rocks Park along the stream. Exiting the park, SH 74 enters Morrison, where Bear Creek Road meets SH 8 at an intersection. From here, SH 8 (Morrison Road) serves as the continuation of the road toward Denver.
  The route is maintained by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), who is responsible for maintaining and constructing transportation infrastructure in Colorado, including highways. As part of this role, CDOT periodically conducts surveys on their highways to measure traffic volume. This is expressed in terms of average annual daily traffic (AADT), which is a measure of the average daily traffic volume on a particular road. In 2009, CDOT calculated that as few as 3,200 vehicles used SH 74 daily near Idledale, and as many as 23,000 vehicles used SH 74 near the interchange with I-70 as well in Evergreen.
caption: SH 74 intersection with US 40 (Swede Gulch Road) in El Rancho
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