 The route was set by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., and for a while, between 1915 and 1920, it was to be the primary access road for a proposed National Park comprising much of what is now the Mount Evans Wilderness Area.There is a park fee charged if using parking lots and facilities along the upper portion of the byway.Prior to 2012, the Forest Service was charging anyone entering the highway at the entrance to Highway 5.