Sunrise on the Cadillac Mountain North Ridge Trail

Charles
Jan 12
4 min read

Updated: 2 hours ago

July 27, 2025, 4:00 AM - Jenkin's Beach, Dedham, Maine with destination of Cadillac Summit, Mount Desert Island from the Cadillac North Ridge Trail, Acadia National Park, Maine by Charles Rankin

Introduction

I woke up early from Jenkin's Beach and headed out around 4:00 AM with the goal to make it at least 1/2 way up the Cadillac Mountain North Ridge Trail by around 5:15 AM for the sunrise.

My black Yeti coffee mug in hand with some good coffee, a gift from my adventurous daughter, I got my pack and gear and some waters and left the camp early. The camp was completely quiet, and it was chilly and dark outside.

The ride from Jenkin's Beach to Ellsworth was quiet with a few logging trucks on the road and a few cars. Ellsworth would be bumper to bumper traffic of hundreds of tourists and locals heading to Acadia in a few hours. The drive through Trenton was the same with a few more cars and trucks of the people starting work early on the island. I pulled my National Park pass for veteran's and put it on my dashboard as I pulled into the Hull's Cove Acadia National Park Visitor's Center entrance and then on my way toward Cadillac. I parked along the side of the road a short walk to the trailhead. There were already about 7 or 8 cars and SUVs parked as others had the same idea from all different states. I grabbed my backpack and trusty Yeti mug of still warm coffee and got out of the warm Xterra. I walked up the road, over the stone bridge, and then was ready to start the Cadillac North Ridge Trail. It was just getting light out and the last of the stars and a little crisp for early August.

It was around 5AM now and I started to move up the trail over rugged granite rocks and past cairns wanting to get to an open area that looked over the Porcupines as I was in still in the old cedar trees at the beginning of the trail. I made it up about 1/2 way up the past over the rocks and past many cairns, while looking off to the east over Frenchman's bay and the Porcupine Islands around 5:20AM or so and was surprised to come across of about 4 or 5 others drinking coffee and talking and wrapped up in hoodies and sitting on the granite in a little clearing and said good morning and continued higher. I finally came to a wide open area that I could see the Porcupine Islands, Bar Harbor far below, and Frenchman's Bay. The sky was getting lighter and up the trail to the summit it was still dark. The sun finally shown above the horizon and the islands, hues of orange and red were incredible.

As I continued to the summit, groups of people and whole families coming down from the Summit. One woman had said the family left at 2AM to hike in the dark for the sunrise on the summit. It was a great hike as I continued to the summit. The sun rising higher as I hiked up the mountain past cairns and blue trail markers.

Hiking in the morning to see the sunrise on Cadillac from the North Ridge Trail is something I have been wanting to do for years. I was very fortunate to get the weather just right, with no rain or clouds only the morning sky.

Itinerary

Total time: From waking up to walking back into the camp at Jenkin's Beach about 9 hours

Total miles: From the Cadillac North Ridge Trail head to the summit 3 miles, walking around the paths on the summit and the gift shop and then back down to the trailhead, around 6 1/2 miles

Jenkins Beach to Mount Desert Island

Mount Desert Island to the Visitor's Entrance

Visitor's Entrance to the parking area and then walking to the trail head arrival at 4:48AM

Cadillac Mountain North Trail to the view of the sunrise and the Porcupine Islands

Sunrise view to the Summit of Cadillac Mountain

Summit of Cadillac Mountain back down to the trail head

Trail head to my Xterra and then getting clean t-shirt and socks and sneakers

Parking area to Trenton to get a really good cup of coffee and a blueberry scone at a local bakery

Bakery to Jenkins Beach in Dedham Maine on Green Lake to be swimming and having lunch with the family

Gear

iPhone13 Pro Max

iPhone mount on a tripod