Cadillac Mountain on Mt. Desert Island, Maine is not a big mountain. In fact it is only 1,530 feet high. But the views are terrific. From the top you have more than 180 degrees of ocean and harbor views, and you can see for miles... on a clear day.
Due to it’s height and longitude and latitude, many argue that it is the first place in the United States where you can see the sunrise. But others argue that Mt. Katahdin at 5,600 feet, but further inland, deserves that honor.
Access to the top of Cadillac is easy via a winding road that opened first in 1931 (and clearly has been maintained and improved since then). The road terminates at a parking lot that is often full at mid-day. Unfortunately, even during an early summer sunrise, this means a traffic jam of people, especially in recent years.
I have never been there at sunset, but I understand that that too is spectacular. There are at least two hiking trails leading to the top. My favorite starts at the Black Woods Campground.
Lichen on the Granite Boulders
As beautiful as it can be atop Cadillac, Maine weather is unpredictable. And along the immediate coast there can be fog and a cold mist, even while a few miles inland it might be bright and sunny and warm. That’s what this day was all about!
Winter Berries
On this day I felt sorry for visitors who were hoping for a nice scenic view. But the top half of the mountain was in a cloud, and it was cool and windy and misty-wet. Many visitors had their camera slung over their shoulders but few were taking pictures. I saw a few selfies being taken, all with fog for a background.
Because I didn’t want to go away without a few pictures, I gave up on the “big scenic iconic shots” and focused my attention on more intimate pieces of the landscape, as shown in the four images above.
