Active Pursuits

The province has put together a well-conceived campaign to encourage visitors of all budgets to explore its outdoor attractions and activities. The provincial travel guide outlines dozens of multiday and day adventures ranging from a C$10 (US$9/£5) guided hike at Fundy National Park to C$276 (US$248/£138) biking packages that include inn accommodations and gourmet dinners. For more information on the program, call the tourism department at tel. 800/561-0123.

I recommend that readers with an adventurous bent think seriously about visiting the outdoor center at Cape Enrage, where you can canoe, rappel, rock-climb, and kayak -- all in one dramatic coastal setting.

Backpacking

Among the best destinations for a backcountry tromp are Mount Carleton Provincial Park and Fundy National Park, both of which maintain backcountry campsites for visitors. These two landscapes are quite different to hike through, however.

Bicycling

The islands and peninsulas of Passamaquoddy Bay lend themselves nicely to cruising in the slow lane -- especially Campobello, which also has good dirt roads for mountain biking. Grand Manan holds appeal for cyclists, although the main road (Rte. 776) has rather narrow shoulders and some fast local cars. Some of the best coastal biking is around Fundy National Park -- especially the back roads to Cape Enrage and the Fundy Trail Parkway, an 11km (6.8-mile) multiuse trail that hugs the coast west of the national park. Along the Acadian Coast, Kouchibouguac National Park has limited but unusually nice biking trails through mixed terrain (rentals available).

A handy guide is Biking to Blissville, by Kent Thompson. It covers 35 rides in the Maritimes, and costs about C$15 (US$14/£7.50). Look in local bookshops, check online bookstores, or contact the publisher directly: Goose Lane Editions, 500 Beaverbrook Ct., Suite 500, Fredericton, NB E3B 5X4 (tel. 888/926-8377; www.gooselane.com).

Bird-Watching

Grand Manan is probably the province's most noted destination for birders, located right on the Atlantic flyway. (John James Audubon lodged here when studying bird life more than 150 years ago.) Over the course of a typical year, as many as 275 species can be observed on the island, with September usually the best month for sightings. Boat tours from Grand Manan can take you to Machias Seal Island, with its colonies of puffins, Arctic terns, and razorbills. It's fun to swap information with other birders: On the ferry, look for excitable folks with binoculars and floppy hats dashing from port to starboard and back.

On Campobello Island, the mixed terrain also attracts a good mix of birds, including the sharp-shinned hawk, common eider, and black guillemot. Ask for a checklist and map at the visitor center. Shorebird enthusiasts flock to Shepody Bay National Wildlife Area, which maintains preserves in the mud flats between Alma (near Fundy National Park) and Hopewell Cape. Also offering excellent birding is the marsh that surrounds Sackville, near the Nova Scotia border.

Canoeing

New Brunswick has 3,500km (2,175 miles) of inland waterways, plus lakes and protected bays. Canoeists can find everything from glass-smooth waters to daunting rapids. In Kouchibouguac National Park, for example, there is a rental and tour concession based at Ryans Recreational Equipment Rental Centre (tel. 506/876-8918) from mid-May to mid-September (open weekends only Sept-June). More experienced canoeists looking for a longer expedition should head to the St. Croix River on the U.S. border, where you can embark on a multiday paddle trip and get lost in the woods, spiritually if not in fact.

Fishing

The Miramichi River has long attracted anglers famous and obscure, lured by the wily Atlantic salmon. In some considered opinions, this ranks among the best salmon rivers in the world, even though diminished runs have plagued recent years (as they have all rivers in the Maritimes). There are strict laws regarding river fishing of the salmon: The fish must be caught using flies, and nonresidents must hire a licensed guide when fishing for them. (There are occasional exemption periods from these rules, called Fish New Brunswick Days in early June, when you don't need to use a guide but still need a license; check ahead with your lodging if you are interested.) For other freshwater species, including bass, as well as open-ocean saltwater angling, the provincial restrictions are less onerous. Get up to date on the rules and regulations by requesting two brochures: "Sport Fishing Summary" and "Atlantic Salmon Angling." These are available from the Fisheries Section of the Department of Natural Resources, reached by phone at tel. 506/453-2440 or by snail mail at P.O. Box 6000, Fredericton, NB E3B 5H1. The website can be found at the always-memorable address www.gnb.ca/0254.

Golf

In St. Andrews, the Algonquin hotel's newly expanded and redesigned golf course is a beauty -- easily among eastern Canada's top 10, right behind the bigger-name stars on Cape Breton Island and Prince Edward Island. It features 9 newer inland holes (the front 9) and 9 older seaside holes that become increasingly spectacular as you approach the point of land separating New Brunswick from Maine. (All 18 of them are challenging, so bring your "A" game.) Service and upkeep are impeccable here, and there's both a snack bar on premises and a roving club car with sandwiches and drinks. Greens fees are C$79 to C$99 (US$71-US$89/£40-£50) for 18 holes (carts extra; discount at twilight time). Lessons are offered, and there's a short-game practice area in addition to a driving range; call tel. 888/460-8999 or 506/529-8165 for tee times. In Fredericton, Kingswood (tel. 800/423-5969 or 506/443-3333; www.golfnb.com/kingswood1.html) was recognized by Golf Digest as the best new Canadian golf course in 2003. It features 27 holes, a par-3 course, and a double-ended driving range. A round of 18 holes cost C$50 to C$65 (US$45-US$59/£25-£33) in 2007.

Hiking

The province's highest point is in the center of the woodlands region, at Mount Carleton Provincial Park. Several demanding hikes in the park yield glorious views. There's also superb hiking at Fundy National Park, with a mix of coastal and woodland hikes on well-marked trails. The multiuse, 11km (6.8-mile) Fundy Trail Parkway has terrific views of the coast and is wheelchair accessible. Grand Manan is a good destination for independent-minded hikers who enjoy the challenge of finding the trail as much as the hike itself.

An excellent resource is A Hiking Guide to New Brunswick, published by Goose Lane Editions. It's C$15 (US$14/£7.50) and available in bookstores around the province, or directly from the publisher, Goose Lane Editions, at 500 Beaverbrook Ct., Suite 500, Fredericton, NB E3B 5X4 (tel. 888/926-8377; www.gooselane.com).

Sea Kayaking

The huge tides that make kayaking so fascinating along the Bay of Fundy also make it exceptionally dangerous -- even the strongest kayakers are no match for a fierce ebb tide if they're in the wrong place. Fortunately, the number of skilled sea-kayaking guides has really boomed in recent years.

Among the most extraordinary places to explore is Hopewell Rocks. The rocks stand like amazing Brancusi statues on the ocean floor at low tide, then offer sea caves and narrow channels to explore at high tide. Baymount Outdoor Adventures (tel. 877/601-2660 or 506/734-2660), run by the Faulkners in Hillsborough, offers 90-minute sea kayak tours of Hopewell Rocks for C$55 (US$50/£28) adults, C$45 (US$41/£23) children. Other good kayak outfitters along the Fundy Coast include FreshAir Adventure (tel. 800/545-0020 or 506/887-2249) in Alma and Seascape Kayak Tours (tel. 866/747-1884 or 506/747-1884) on Deer Island, both charging basically the same rates as Baymount.

Swimming

Parts of New Brunswick offer surprisingly good ocean swimming. The best beaches are along the Acadian Coast, especially near Shediac and within Kouchibouguac National Park. If you're coming to this province mostly to dip your toes and set out a blanket, bear in mind that the water is much warmer (and the terrain more forgiving) along the Gulf of St. Lawrence than in the Bay of Fundy.

Whale-Watching

The Bay of Fundy is rich with plankton, and therefore rich with whales. Some 15 types of whales can be spotted in the bay, including finback, minke, humpback, the infrequent orca, and the endangered right whale. Whale-watching expeditions sail throughout the summer from Campobello Island, Deer Island, Grand Manan, St. Andrews, and St. George. Any visitor information center can point you in the right direction; the province's travel guide also lists many of the tours, which typically cost around C$40 to C$50 (US$36-US$45/£20-£25) for 2 to 4 hours of whale-watching.