From the Chiputneticook Lakes, the St. Croix River flows through rolling Appalachian scenery to Passamaquoddy Bay, one of Canada’s most historic estuaries. Native fishermen and traders travelled the river for millennia, and French colonization in North America began on St. Croix Island in 1604. As an international border, its waters were later crossed by British Loyalists and others who contributed to the founding of Canada. Today, the river’s scenery, historic communities, and traditional recreational fishing and canoeing continue to draw many people to the region, and the New Brunswick side of the St. Croix River has been proclaimed a Canadian Heritage River.