Cadillac Mountain Sunrise

About this spectacle

Each morning from late September through early October, Cadillac Mountain — the highest peak on the eastern seaboard of the United States at 1,530 feet — becomes the first place in the continental U.S. to receive direct sunlight. Visitors gather at the open, wind-swept granite summit before dawn, wrapped against the chill, watching the eastern horizon ignite in layers of pink, orange, and gold. Below, the dark islands of Frenchman Bay emerge from the mist as daylight sweeps inland across Mount Desert Island. The experience is elemental: bare pink granite underfoot, salt air, the sound of wind, and the sense of standing at the continent's dawn edge. The summit road allows non-hikers to drive up, making this one of the most accessible mountaintop sunrise spectacles in the country. On peak foliage weekends the parking area fills well before first light.

When to go

May — Nov, peak Sep — Oct

Getting there

Nearest airport: BHB. Nearest city: Bangor.

Booking options

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