Yes, it was an early morning, and yes, it was definitely worth it. We left our trailer at 4:00 in the morning to make the short, eight-mile journey to Acadia National Park. With our QR code downloaded that proved we had reserved our space at the top of Cadillac Summit, we arrived at the bottom of the hill, where a chipper park ranger greeted us.

Following the winding road, we made our way to our parking spot and grabbed our coffee, camera, and spotting scope to hike out to the granite rocks to watch the sunrise. Cadillac Summit in Acadia is where the sun first hits the United States as it rises (well, most of the time.) So we were excited to greet the sun as the Earth turned slowly to face it.

The sunrise would not officially occur until 5:51 a.m. This meant that we were standing in the dark for a bit. It was cold and windy. I was grateful for my sweatshirt but regretted not packing a stocking cap. Soon others were populating the rocks around the top of the hill establishing their location to witness the daily occurrence we often give little regard.

The sky began to show the pinkish-brown hues of light just at the horizon. Then those colors gave way to red and orange, signifying the coming sun. Over an hour of waiting rewarded us with the first peek of sunlight, and within minutes, the orb was too bright to watch. The welcoming light warmed us as we continued to take pictures. And just like that, the event was over, and we headed back to the truck to warm up and plot our next hike.

We chose to wander Cadillac Summit along the edge and then drove the Park Loop, stopping to watch the Atlantic break along the rocks. Then we made our way to a couple of the visitor’s centers to collect our much-desired passport book stamps and swag. After, we paused at a picnic location for lunch and then headed into Bar Harbor.

I am so glad I was able to experience this. If you are interested in joining the club, you will want to make your reservations to drive to the summit; otherwise, you will have to hike to the top.