Cadillac Mountain is the most popular part of Acadia National Park. In fact, it is so popular that you need a pass to drive to the top. You can get a pass for under $10 (2024) on the park’s website. You’ll need to show the QR code, your National Park entrance fee or pass, and your ID. Then you are allowed to drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain. The views from the top are spectacular, and this is a must-do activity in Acadia.
Reservations
This mountain is so significant because of its height. It rises to 1,530 feet, making it the highest point on the eastern seaboard. You can see for a long way, which made it so busy that as of 2021, traffic is monitored through the reservation system.
When you get to the top of Cadillac Mountain, there are two lots. The west lot is most popular at sunset, and the east lot is generally preferable for sunrise. Reservations for both go quickly, so plan ahead. Here is more information about the reservations. You will need a separate one for sunrise viewing. 30% of the Reservations open up 90 days before the reservation date, and the rest just 2 days before. Put a reminder in your phone, so you don’t miss the date you are hoping for.
Trail
There is a small gift shop at the summit, and a paved walking trail. This trail runs only about a third of a mile and goes just below the rim on the east side of the east parking lot. This is so visitors can find a prime spot for viewing the sunrise, which is hugely popular since the sun first greets the United States from Cadillac Mountain in Acadia. There are also information signs along the trail about the park and the area around the park. This short walk is paved, but there are a few steps in some places, so it is not wheel friendly the entire way around. Luckily, you can get to the large viewing area with wheels, just don’t try to go around.
We spent about an hour exploring the top of Cadillac Mountain and enjoying the views. We went in the evening and it wasn’t too crowded, but even with a reservation parking can be tricky since people can stay as long as they want. We recommend first thing in the morning, or in the evening.
Sunrise
We also did a sunrise reservation. Actually, we did one for each day, so we had one for both mornings. This was lucky, because it was rainy the first day, and the clouds limited visibility, so we didn’t even bother to make the drive. The second day it was still cloudy and drizzly from all the rain, but we went up just to see what we could see. It wasn’t much. The views were nice, and we did get a tiny bit of sun shining through, but not the spectacular sunrise we’d hoped for. We were glad we had another reservation. If you love sunrises, this is a great spot worth getting up for! Our sunrise was around 5:15 AM, and we got up there about 30 minutes before, so it was an early morning!
A trip to Acadia National Park isn’t complete without a trip up Cadillac Mountain, so we recommend that as you plan your vacation, you pick a day and make sure to reserve your trip to the summit. We chose to pay extra and get multiple reservations, assuring that we’d have at least one chance to see the sunrise! If you don’t get a reservation, here are some other fun things we did in Acadia National Park.
