Cadillac Mountain Sunrise

This is a surreal feeling after hiking up the mountain

From October 7^th through March 6^th this is the first place to see the sun rise in the United States. Cadillac Mountain is within Acadia National Park along the coast of Maine. The summit of Cadillac Mountain reaches 1,530 feet. You can hike or drive to the top. I’ve done both and like each experience. The summit area is developed and frequently busy. This is a surreal feeling after hiking up the mountain. There are bathrooms as well as gift shop.

Juvenile Bald Eagle

If you are looking to hike to the top, the Cadillac North Ridge Trail (4.4 miles roundtrip) and Cadillac South Ridge Trail (7.1 miles roundtrip) connect to the parking lot at the summit. There are other trails that can take you there, but all go vertical pretty quickly. Although it is not a long hike, it is a steep hike.

If you are driving, you should know a vehicle reservation is required from mid-May to mid-October (this is in addition to a National Park Pass). It is a beautiful drive, with more observation points than if you hiked it. There are a few pull off’s that are certainly worth it. One of these pull off’s is where I took this photo of the sunrise breaking through the thick coastal fog.

Birch Polypore

This land had been inhabited by the Wabanaki people for thousands of years. The Maliseet, the Passamaquoddy, the Penobscot, and the Micmac tribes were the peoples that called this land home for roughly 12,000 years.

Hawk Count (Hawk Migration Association of North America’s Raptor Migration Database) is an organization that observes raptors from the heights of Cadillac Mountain. During the raptor migration season Schoodic Institute and National Park staff help count these migrating birds. Here is a link to their data.

During the raptor migration season Schoodic Institute and National Park staff help count these migrating birds

Did you know?

Cadillac Mountain used to be known as Green Mountain.
Acadia National Park gets about 4 million recreational visitors each year!
Acadia National Park was formed on January 19, 1929. Before that, the park was referred to as Lafayette National Park.
The name for Acadia National Park is derived from “Arcadia” an area in Greece that resembles this area.
Acadia National Park hosts more than 1,000 different plant species!
Acadia National Park has over 150 miles of hiking trails!
Back in 1947, 10,000 acres of Acadia caught fire due to drought conditions. It forever changed the landscape of the park.