The average person spends 3+ hours a week doing laundry. When Rinse takes your least favorite chore off your hands, you get that precious time back. There are so many ways you could spend an extra three hours, but might we suggest a hike? With those bonus hours you could get some fresh air in nature, discover a new hike in your area, and spend some quality time with family, friends, your dog, or yourself.
Walking and hiking are great options for low-impact physical activity and, according to the CDC, can reduce anxiety symptoms and improve sleep, memory, and the ability to learn. So go out and explore some trails before the chill of winter traps us inside the house. You might even catch the last of the autumn leaves changing! We picked out hiking excursions in each of our locales that should take about 3 hours, all of which are rated as easy so you can bring the whole family along. So grab some water, a hat, and a walking buddy and take a break from the city (and your laundry)!
Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve
New York City
Hike: Arden Point and Glenclyffe
Location: Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve, Garrison, NY
Central Park is beautiful, but sometimes you just need to step out of the city that never sleeps and into something a bit more secluded. For our New Yorkers we recommend traveling due north to Arden Point and Glenclyffe. This 3.8 hike will lead you through some rugged sites that will transport you far from the bustle of the city. You can expect to discover an old bridge, river views, meadows, abandoned homes, and even a waterfall. We’re not going to guess how long the commute might take, but you can access Arden Point directly by taking Metro North to the Garrison stop, where you’ll find two stone pillars marked Arden Point–Hudson Highlands State Park. Via car (if you happen to have one in the city) it should only take about an hour to get there from Manhattan.
Boston
Hike: Mass Audubon's Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary
Location: Natick, MA
Roughly 40 minutes southwest of downtown Boston is Mass Audubon's Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary. This sanctuary is nestled along the Indian Brook and Charles River with plenty of trails. The longest hiking trail here is only about 1 mile, so you’ll get to pick and choose which of the 10 trails you’d like to stack to get your steps in. Or you can cover the larger loop by starting at Glacial Hill Trail and taking it to Blueberry Swamp Loop to Old Orchard Trail to Charles River Trail to Boundary Trail to March Trail to Indian Brook Trail back to Glacial Hill Trail. Don’t forget to grab a map from the nature center! Please note this is the only hike on our list that is not dog friendly, so you'll have to leave your pup at home for this one.
Paw Paw Tunnel along the C&O Canal Towpath
Washington D.C.
Hike: C&O Canal Towpath
Location: Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
There’s no shortage of walking trails all around the D.C. area. If you want a break from Rock Creek Park or Theodore Roosevelt Island, you could head just out of the city to Mount Vernon Trail for views of the D.C. skyline. However, if you want to escape the city limits of Washington D.C. let us suggest Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park. The National Park entrance is a bit farther out, taking a little over an hour to commute to via car from central D.C., but is well worth the drive. You’ll find fabulous scenery of the Potomac River Valley as well as historical features of the once booming transportation system. If you don’t want to make the drive, there is a trailhead right in the heart of Georgetown (just plug 3051 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 into your GPS)! The C&O Canal Towpath rambles on for 184 miles so you can hike as far as time allows.
Chicago
Hike: Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve
Location: Lemont, IL
If you live in Chicago, you know it’s a very flat landscape. It may seem like there’s not many hiking options in or around the city, but there are lots of nature preserves and forests scattered across the suburbs. Our recommendation is Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve, just southwest of the city. Only about a 30 minute drive from downtown Chicago, Waterfall Glen Forest offers rolling terrain (you heard that right, a little elevation!), overlooks, and of course the waterfall it is named after. The main trail is about 9.5 miles, which is a pretty ambitious goal for 3 hours. Instead, you could hike the Tear Thumb Trail and then drive over to explore the waterfall on foot. Hurry, before the Windy City gets too cold to enjoy the outdoors!
Los Angeles
Hike: Escondido Falls
Location: Malibu, CA
Angelenos, we’re sending you to Malibu. Escondido Falls Trail in Escondido Canyon Park, to be exact. This 4-mile hike should take you a little under two hours to complete, and if it has rained recently you might even see a pretty awesome 150-foot waterfall. The hike begins in a residential area but leads into a shaded woodload of oak and sage. Once you reach the waterfall, don’t continue to the Upper Falls unless you’re an experienced hiker! Lucky for you, this hike is best visited in the winter months - so if you’re tired of Runyon and the Griffith Observatory hike, give this one a try.
Tennessee Valley Trail in Marin Headlands
San Francisco
Hike: Tennessee Valley Trail
Location: Mill Valley, CA
San Francisco (and the broader Bay Area) is a prime destination for hiking. You don’t have to go far for a good hike with breathtaking views of the ocean. We recommend heading across the Golden Gate Bridge to Marin Headlands for your outdoor adventure. Located at the southern peninsula of the broader Golden Gate National Recreation area, you can find beaches, lighthouses, and lots of fog at Marin Headlands. For an easy-rated hike that’s long enough to get your heart rate up, take the 3.4 mile out-and-back Tennessee Valley Trail. You could even pack a picnic lunch to eat on the sandy shore of Tennessee Beach. The trails of Marin County are vouched for by Ellie Baer - read about all the reasons she loves San Francisco here!
When you get home from your hike, don’t forget to hang dry your activewear! Or just let Rinse take care of your laundry for you and save 3+ hours a week to spend on more important things. Like hiking and quality time with family and friends!
Ready to trade laundry day for a hike? Check here to see if Rinse picks up and delivers laundry and dry cleaning in your zipcode!
