Adventure New England: An Outdoor Vacation Guide

For some people, New England is bed-and-breakfast land, cradle-of-the-revolution mecca, and antique-shopping paradise. But New England is also a prime destination for the outdoor adventurist. There are ponds and lakes and Atlantic swells, gentle hills, granite ledges, craggy peaks, dense forests, salt marshes, and river valleys full of foliage and wildlife. You can do the usual (hike, bike, canoe, kayak, mountain climb, sail, fly-fish, and camp) or indulge in a little caving or bear-tracking. Whatever activity you opt for, the scenery is hard to beat, and the compact nature of New England makes it easy to get from point A to point B.

The authors, Diane Bair and Pamela Wright, introduce 77 adventures throughout New England. In the "Canoeing" chapter, you'll find a six-day trip down the Allagash, a camp-and-canoe jaunt in Maine's North Woods, wild-water running in New Hampshire, an inn-based canoe ramble along the Winooski River, and a women-only hike-and-paddle in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. There are chapters devoted to kayaking and windjamming, sailing and fishing, hiking and horse packing, mountain biking, rock climbing, scuba diving, gliding, skiing, and hot-air ballooning. Each trip features contact information, details on how to get there, rates, maps, what to bring, the skill level required, plus several pages of narrative describing the authors' experience and giving a real feel for the adventure. And to assist with planning, the authors have also included individual maps that locate all the outdoor adventure options state by state. --Stephanie Gold