Wherever there’s a coast in New England, there are usually plenty of places to put in a kayak and head out to sea for a salty run. Meanwhile, river rafting opportunities abound in every New England state, for nearly every level of paddler.

Vermont’s highlights include the Class II Batten Kill, which is best run in the summer and flows under four picturesque covered bridges; Otter Creek, a Class II, north-running river into Lake Champlain; the Class II Winooski River runs past stunning natural scenery and small waterfalls; and the Lamoille River, which ranges from flat water to Class III.

In New Hampshire, the Class II Connecticut River runs through logging country. Massachusetts’ Concord and Charles Rivers run past historic sites and wild ducks and geese, and offer flexible put-in and take-out spots, while the Deerfield River in Western Massachusetts takes paddlers through dense forests and open farmland. And with rapids rising in places to Class IV, it is the most accessible of the real white-water paddles in New England.

In Connecticut, the Housatonic River is an excellent Class II–III run in early spring and summer; and in Rhode Island, Great Swamp runs past wild ospreys and breathtakingly serene ponds.

The most pristine rivers in the region are in northern Maine, where the St. John and Allagash Rivers offer more than 100 miles of interconnected lakes and rivers, most of which are a gentle Class I or II in difficulty. The same can’t be said of the Penobscot and Kennebec Rivers slightly farther south near Baxter State Park. This is where serious kayakers and rafters go to get wet, with rapids rising to Class IV, and one stretch of Class V on the Penobscot that will test even the most experienced paddlers.