Canoeing

In the far north, 8,000-acre Lake Umbagog is home to bald eagles and loons, and is especially appealing to explore by canoe. In general, the farther north you venture, the wilder and more remote the terrain.

In the north, the Androscoggin River offers superb Class I-II white-water and swift flatwater upstream of Berlin; below, the river can be faintly noxious with paper-mill pollution, though it's rarely noticeable. Serious white-water enthusiasts head to the upper reaches of the Saco River during spring run-off, where Class III-IV rapids are intense if relatively short-lived along a 6 1/2-mile stretch paralleling Route 302.