Oh, those amazing automobiles! If you were fortunate enough to have one of those magnificent machines in 1912, the question soon became “where can I drive the family?” If you lived in Denver, that question was answered by the creation of the Denver Mountain Parks. The Denver Mountain Park System consists of 31 parks connected by a system of scenic loop and spur drives. In 1918 Denver purchased additional parcels from what was then the Pike National Forest for the creation of Echo Lake Park which could be reached by driving from Denver through Morrison, on to Evergreen, then west to Troutdale, and north up Witter Gulch to Bergan Park. From Bergan Park travel would be up the newly constructed road, over Squaw Pass to Echo Lake. By the 1930s, a Civilian Conservation Corp Camp was stationed at the Echo Lake Campground, where they spent several years reconstructing the highway from Echo Lake west to Idaho Springs. If you look carefully you will see the impressive CCC stone guardrails, culverts and bridges.