I have been to Denver at least 6 times in the last decade to visit friends. Every time I go, I state I want to go to the Rockies, because I've never been. So this time, I rented a car and took control of the situation, and even got to drag my boyfriend on his first trip to the mountains.
We stayed in Estes Park, and it quickly became one of my favorite towns I've ever seen. It was so beautiful and adorable and there were herds of elk just hanging out. There were perfect coffee shops (this picture was from Coffee on the Rocks), and the fall colors at that elevation were at their peak the second week of October. I loved everything about it.
Four Lake Loop Trail
We had one day to fit in a good hike, since neither of us adjusted well to the elevation, and that definitely had nothing to do with an EDM concert at Red Rocks the day we got there. But, this hike was the best given those circumstances. There are two parking lots that allow you to access this loop, one at Glacier Gorge junction that was smaller, and a large one at the end of Bear Lake road. We started our hike at 7:30am on a Monday, and the parking lots weren't full yet but filled up quickly after. According to AllTrails, this is a 7.2 mile loop with 1,350ft of elevation gain. My Garmin watch said it was closer to 8.9 miles, and it took us just over 6 hours, but we weren't in a hurry. We parked in the Glacier Gorge lot, and took it counter-clock wise. The park is at higher elevation, and most of the fall colors were depleted, but the hike was still incredible. It was on the colder side, but we wore way more layers than we needed and quickly stuffed them in the backpack.
Bear Lake
The first lake we came to was easy to miss (as in, we definitely walked right passed the entrance) and was a full loop around the lake. It's right after the Bear Lake trailhead, and turns out you have to read signs and they tell you right where it is. But, it was stunning, and very accessible. Because this part of the trail is flat and paved, it was SWARMING with people. But, we were able to get some space on the far side of the lake, and the view at that hour of the morning was super pretty.
Dream Lake
The next two lakes are on their own off-shoot, and Dream Lake was easy to get to from that fork in the road. The trail up to the point is mostly steep uphill, but well maintained and manageable. There was a little ice and a few puddles with mud, but otherwise not too slick. As you get to Dream Lake, you can go down to the bank and sit for a bit, and there were a lot of people fishing for that early in the day. You walk along that lake to the next one, which was our favorite of the four.
Emerald Lake
The hike up to this lake felt like stairs it was so steep. Thankfully it wasn't icy, but we did have to take a couple of breaks (elevation is hard). This lake was hard to beat. The blue water with the rocky backdrop was stunning. It was like a wind tunnel, and it was very cold. But, definitely worth it to take it in for a while. There were a ton of families, and large rocks and enough space for everyone to have their time. The hike would have been worth it just for this view. It was serene.
Lake Haiyaha
After backtracking down from Emerald and Dream lake, the loop continues. Moving forward on the loop was steep and shady, and microspikes were very helpful on the switchbacks since they were icy. We somehow continued to go up for about half way to this lake. There were pretty look-outs over the valley, and then the downhill finally started. The turn-off for this lake was well marked (I think, we didn't miss it at least). It was a steady incline, then a rock scramble for a bit, maybe 1/4th of a mile over boulders. The lake itself was much less crowded than the others, since it was a decent trek up there. It was a nice lake, but my least favorite of the four. Then it was a steady hike back down the mountain through the forest. There are two other trails off this one we saved for a different day- Glacier Gorge Trail to Millis Lake and way beyond, and Sky Pond Trail passed The Loch to Sky Pond. You do pass Alberta Falls on the way down, which was also swarming with people by mid-day. Overall this was a great hike, despite the horrid altitude sickness headache I was left with that didn't resolve until we drove out of Estes Park the next morning.
Bear Lake 
Dream Lake 
Emerald Lake 
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