But here and now, on Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park, overlooking the Gulf of Maine, Frenchman Bay, and Bar Harbor, we have the first sunrise in the United States—and it’s very clear that this is an important experience for the hundreds of people gathering here day after day to witness this particular rising. In addition to being both wet AND cold, you’ll be dealing with slippery granite. Hike or drive to the top for views of Bar Harbor, the Porcupine Islands and Frenchman Bay. Sunrise itself is almost two hours away, at 6:42, but some people, such as Cindy Paisner, from Massachusetts, have come early enough to see “first break,” the first changing of the light. Eastport was 5 minutes sooner sunrise. Katahdin or the 4,000 footers of New Hampshire’s White Mountains, but this coastal peak in Maine’s Acadia National Park is no stranger to superlatives. Sunrise on Cadillac Mountain. Be there 20 minutes before sunrise to get set up. 🌄 Tripod: Budget Option for Acadia Photography - Maine Terrain, Acadia National Park: 2 Secret Things to Do - Maine Terrain, Acadia National Park: 2 Cadillac Mountain Secrets - Maine Terrain, 🌄Is Acadia National Park Open During Winter? Again, there is a limited window to get day break at Cadillac Mountain right. Remember, you’re at 1500 feet elevation. I have lived in Maine my entire life but have had the good fortune to visit all 50 states and some of them many times over. The World North America USA Hancock County Maine Bar Harbor Cadillac Mountain. It's 1.4 miles one-way and fairly steep with rock faces to go across. The distance between the parking lot and the viewing area is less than .5 miles. We walk together on a pathway to the highest point, where Cindy and her partner, Jim, soon sit down and huddle under a blanket on a rocky knob, alone for a few minutes but amid a crowd within an hour and a half. By 6:00 the sizable parking lot was approaching full. The Cadillac Mountain North Ridge Trail is the shorter of the two and is one of the most popular hikes in Acadia National Park. My wife and I walked on the path that loops around this mountaintop, taking in what light there was overhead, from a moon a week beyond full, casting a silvery sheen on the water. Check a site like Mountain-Forecast to find out what the weather will be like on your sunrise dawn. Cadillac Mountain Drive or hike to the top of Mount Desert Island’s tallest mountain at daybreak and you will be the first person to view sunrise in the United States. Now it’s up to you and your car. My sweetheart asked me to marry him August 10th 1975 on Cadillac at sunrise. Getting to Cadillac Mountain’s North Ridge Trail. It’s worth the trek to witness the sunrise on Cadillac Mountain. Even by New England standards, 1,530 feet is a small mountain. Cadillac Mountain is commonly believed to be the first location in the United States to be struck by the sun's rays each morning. You definitely want to know what kind of weather to expect. Be sure to check out our Cadillac Mountain sunrise hike tips if you haven’t already. Almost 44 years later we are still together and still in love. The trailhead is located in the Blackwoods Campground. It is one of the most popular hikes in Acadia National Park. Bring extra blankets. As a peach glow appeared—or rather, broke—on the horizon 50 miles away, one thing that became clear was that the pleasure of this event wasn’t so much about what was happening in the sky as how the light was playing upon the water. Katahdin or the 4,000 footers of New Hampshire’s White Mountains, but this coastal peak in Maine’s Acadia National Park is no stranger to superlatives. The following morning the temperature was 40 degrees at 5:00 a.m., but a brisk wind made the air feel much colder. Several trips back to catch the sunrise at the summit, with kids, with dogs, it is still a thin place. In all my 48 years of coming to Cadillac we had never been there for sunrise and let me tell you how magnificent it was. After determining sunrise time, work backwards to schedule your morning. As clouds passed over, the silver sheen turned to a leaden gray, and as the sky suffused with a dark apricot, the sea took on that light too. There is no where in the U,S. Most people do one of two things.Â. There is no longer a locomotive engine to shuttle you up the mountain. Almost everyone in the park at that time is headed up the mountain. That’s when light comes, shapes, and forms, and climactically appears unmasked. Very special. Anybody have some good intel on this. Also, wind chill factor drops the temperature you feel significantly. Maine – Like life should be is definitely true. Born and raised in Buckfield on a dairy farm. 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