Clean getaways around the country

Rafting the Upper Colorado

Leave from: Denver

The jaunt: Why help clog up the interstate when you can follow the Colorado River all the way from the Centennial State to the Pacific Ocean? But if you don't quite have the time for an "Into the Wild"–inspired adventure, Geo Tours whisks rafters right from the Denver metro area to a prime stretch of the Colorado riddled with Class II and III rapids. The water's just right for those who want to gape at granite canyons, Douglas fir trees, and wildflowers in between butterfly-inducing whoop-de-dos—but not the full-force, in-your-face terror of some other western rivers. But you still get to brag about conquering rapids with names like Needle Eye and Yarmony.

Your chariot: An inflatable rubber raft

Check into: Your riverside campsite, equipped with a hot shower and access to hiking trails

Geo Tours
Tel: 800 660 7238
Tours run from mid-May to Labor Day: $150 for an overnight trip; from $250 for a multiday trip, including all meals, guide, and spray jackets

Hiking the Blue Hills

Leave from: Boston

The jaunt: Bagging New England's taller mountains like Washington, Mansfield, or Katahdin might impress your polar-fleece-clad pals—but those peaks share a pesky habit of being located out in the middle of nowhere. On the other hand, you can hike the Blue Hills Reservation by barely leaving the Boston metro area. Just minutes from Beantown, in Milton, Massachusetts, the 8,500-acre park has 125 miles of trails, including the blue-blazed, nine-mile Skyline Trail that traces the softly rolling ridgeline. The highest point is the top of Great Blue Hill—just 635 feet (don't worry about bringing oxygen). The peak is home to the Blue Hill Observatory and Science Center, where meteorologists have been recording the climate since 1885. There are scads of other lookouts throughout the park where—on a clear day—you can drink in 360-degree views of the 'burbs and spot the buildings of both Boston and Providence. Thankfully, the reservation's creeks, hardwood forests, and pine trees create just enough distance from civilization for you to channel your inner Thoreau. The Houghton Pond beach is also the perfect spot for an après-hike splash.

Your chariots: The MBTA—which drops you in Milton after a 15-minute ride from South Station—and a pair of hiking boots

Check into: Reserve one of 20 rustic cabins at Ponkapoag Camp, a pondside retreat run by the Appalachian Mountain Club.

Appalachian Mountain Club
Tel: 781 961 7007
Weekend cabin rentals from $30

Blue Hills Reservation
Tel: 617 698 1802

Blue Hill Observatory and Science Center
Tel: 617 696 0389

Cowboy junket

Leave from: Dallas

The jaunt: Some of the Lone Star State's best ranches are so remote you have to fly there. Good thing the Rough Creek Lodge is just an hour and a half (i.e., less than one tank of gas) from the Dallas–Fort Worth area. The 11,000-acre resort has activities at every riding level, from lessons and gentle trail rides for greenhorns to advanced skills training and trots through the Texas Hill Country. Off the saddle, there's fly-fishing, croquet, clay shooting, and archery. (To satisfy the cowboy-size appetite you'll work up, Rough Creek's award-winning restaurant prepares filling dishes like grilled Texas quail, tea-smoked Moulard duck breast, and brown-butter plum tarts.) With a 650-foot zip line and rocket-building classes, you can almost think of this as a learning vacation on alternative forms of transportation. Because until scientists figure out how to run cars off of hay, the trusty steed might once again become the preferred way to travel.

Your chariot: You're on your own getting up there—Rough Creek is an 80-mile drive southwest of Dallas—but once you're there, it's all hoof power.

Check into: The 7,000-square-foot, eight-bedroom Owner's Retreat guesthouse, which sits on the private Chalk Mountain Lake and has enough space for your entire herd

Rough Creek Lodge
Tel: 800 864 4705
Doubles from $249 per person, including breakfast and dinner. Owner's Retreat is $2,500 per night.

Art and antiques in the Hudson Valley

Leave from: New York City

The jaunt: If you are looking for antiques sans the road show, Hudson is the place to go. A formerly down-at-heel town two hours north of Manhattan, Hudson has seen a major revival in the past few years, thanks to an influx of New York artists and writers who've converted its old row houses and factories into galleries and—especially—vintage furniture stores. Now there are a whopping 65 antique shops lining just five blocks of Warren Street, peddling everything from Danish midcentury armchairs to Biedermeier sofas to French Empire clocks—at way below Madison Avenue prices (note most shops are closed Wednesdays; for more info, visit the Hudson Antiques Dealers Association). Order up a post-browsing pint of Hefeweizen at bookstore/microbrew pub Spotty Dog and plan your excursion to Olana, the Persian-style home of Hudson River School artist Frederic Church, just a short taxi ride from downtown Hudson.

Your chariot: Amtrak has ten daily departures to Hudson from New York's Penn Station.

Check in: Stay the night at the Inn at Hudson. This circa 1905 Dutch-Jacobean cloister is right downtown and has four bright, antique-filled rooms.

The Inn at Hudson
Tel: 518 822 9322
Doubles from $200

The Spotty Dog Books & Ale
Tel: 518 671 6006

Olana
Tel: 518 828 0135
Open Tuesdays through Sundays, April through October; Fridays through Sundays, November through March.

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