Energy finds in Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, North Dakota and Pennsylvania could give investors cheap, low-risk — albeit unconventional — entries into oil and gas now, and handsome profits later.

Western North Dakota and western Pennsylvania, by which I mean the middle of nowhere, are on track to become the center of the universe for energy companies over the next few years as geologists, speculators and attorneys battle for control of two of the most important and unusual oil and gas finds of the past three decades.

Before the battle is fully defined and winners are awarded the spoils, there’s plenty of time for investors to make low-risk bets that could generate great returns over the next few years. There are even cheaper opportunities north of these two hot spots, in Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, which share the same rich rock formations but have yet to attract as much interest.

It may be a little hard to believe that these forlorn areas — far from the glamorously derrick-dotted plains of Texas, Oklahoma and California — could yield the sort of riches that attract the diamond-studded-cowboy-hat crowd, but energy exploration has never exactly gone hand in hand with the tourist trade. So put on your mukluks and parka, get out your atlas and prepare for a visit to the Bakken and Marcellus shales.

Get More Reported More Oil and Gas Exploration In : Saskatchewan oil: Persia on the Prairies?