Cadillac Mountain

One of the top tourist events at Acadia National Park is visiting Cadillac Mountain. Interesting facts (thanks NPS website) include:

• Highest Point on the Eastern Seaboard
• The first place on the continental US to welcome a sunrise from October 7 to March 6
• Formerly known as Green Mountain
• Homeland of the Wabanaki people
• Original acreage for Sieur de Monts National Park
• Provides views of Frenchman Bay and the Porcupine Islands

If you’d like to drive to Cadillac Mountain, you’ll need a reservation. Securing a sunrise reservation can be difficult if you fail to prepare in advance. In our case, the first reservations for a sunrise were full. However, we knew another opportunity to reserve a sunrise spot would open two days prior to the visit. Be forewarned, you must be online the instant they open the reservation, or you’ll miss out. Sadly, we were unable to successfully book a sunrise time, so we slept in, ate breakfast, went to the LL Bean Outlet, then drove to Acadia for the drive up Cadillac Mountain.

L.L. Bean Outlet

The Acady Ladies spent the morning shopping. My travel purchases usually tally up to be magnets. Money for things is not my thing, but when your friends are excited about shopping, you go happily. L.L. Bean must have known we were coming as there was an outlet store in Ellsworth—within minutes of our hotel. Palpable excitement filled my travel companions as I excitedly proclaimed my support for their future hauls.

The purchasing party began as soon as we pulled into the parking lot at L.L. Bean’s large outdoor tent. We entered and found racks and racks of significantly discounted winter gear. At first, I looked on simply with support and interest. As time went on, however, I did the unthinkable. I tried on a coat. It fit, and I loved it. If you ever travel with me, please pull me by the arm and place me in front of the checkout counter at this exact moment. Otherwise, I’ll end up with two coats, two pair of shoes, a shirt, and a camouflaged sweatshirt. Did I mention they were discounted significantly AND I received a teacher’s discount AND there was free shipping? If not, there was, and I was surprisingly excited to get my first post-trip package when I’d arrive home less than a week later.

Cadillac Mountain

Our window for entrance into Cadillac Mountain drew near, so we headed to Acadia National Park. Park buses do not drive Cadillac Summit Road, so we prepared for parking problems. However, without a sunrise on the horizon, cars came and went with regularity. It heightened our chances for successful stress-free parking.

Several pullouts piqued our interest. We didn’t stop at every one, but we got a taste of what was to come. The azure sky, dotted with fluffy, white clouds, met the verdant landscape and took our breaths away. Each stop also provided signs sharing the importance of the stop, and we soaked it all up!

Eventually we made it to the top of Cadillac Mountain. We slowly circled the East Parking Lot with no success. As we wound our way through the West Parking Lot, spots appeared. We took the first one and ventured to the lookout. Each time I moved my head, I found a scene that made my heart swell. Maine was amazing!

Hannah and Madison headed to the East Parking Lot ahead of Tracy and me. They created wonderful memories where others took photos of them “hanging” off the edge. Tracy and I took a calmer, slower approach to the summit. We reacquainted ourselves with fellow travelers as we loosely searched for our friends. Rocky paths lead the way, and hundreds of people spread across the mountainside. We found our own piece of solitude and sat quietly, taking in Porcupine Islands. I couldn’t tell you how long we stayed, but I can certainly impart the peace and comfort this place provides.