The best opportunities for seeing wildlife in New England occur along the water. Many animal tours offer chances to see seals and seabirds off of the New England coast. Even inland, you are much more apt to stumble upon a moose or black bear from the vantage of a kayak than hiking along a trail. Most of New England’s fauna is harmless—the charismatic megafauna of the western states has been mostly hunted to extinction, despite dubious reports of mountain lion sightings that crop up periodically. Even so, use caution when approaching a moose or black bear—especially if its young are in the area. You don’t want to get on the receiving end of antlers or claws.