Outdoor Adventures in New England

Running from spring through early fall, New England’s whitewater scene transforms a number of the region’s twisting rivers into nature’s roller coasters. The Deerfield River in Western Massachusetts offers tamer rapids that are well-suited to newcomers and family groups, but there are stretches of Class III and IV rapids along this river for those seeking thrills.

Maine offers 32,000 miles of rivers and streams. Some of the most thrilling whitewater rafting can be found on Maine’s “big three”: the Penobscot, the Kennebec, and the Dead rivers. The sport’s epicentre is the Kennebec Valley, where outfitters like North Country Rivers lead expeditions.

Vermont is known for its superb swimming holes, and the Northeast Kingdom region has some of the best, including Montgomery’s Three Holes named for its three waterfalls, and Four Corners in North Troy, with diving cliffs and a thrilling rope swing.

For an adrenaline adventure, head to the Highflyer Zipline to soar over the treetops at nearly 60mph, arriving a mile away at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center. An early-morning ride with New Hartford’s Berkshire Balloons, provides views of three to four states at once with views from 50 to 100 miles above the terrain.  

The waters off Block Island in Rhode Island offer some of New England’s finest saltwater fishing. Chartered tours with Block Island Fishworks offering the chance to catch striped bass, bluefish, and more. Visitors can head to Newport for a one-hour “Try Sailing” lesson with the community sailing center Sail Newport, and see this legendary yachting capital in the most fitting way possible.

Sitting below the fabled Presidential mountain range, the AMC Highland Center offers guests easy access to several popular White Mountain hikes in New Hampshire. A Great North Woods standout is Umbagog Lake, one of the best paddling destinations in the East. The 11-mile-long lake and the adjacent Umbagog Lake State Park and Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge are home to loons, eagles, ospreys, moose, and myriad species of northern freshwater fish.