Acadia National Park in Maine is a great destination for those who love sunrises. The ocean from mountain vistas and the glowing pink beach rocks are stunningly beautiful. A couple of day trails to try for an awesome sunrise include:
Cadillac South Ridge Trail
Day hikers can walk to one of the first spots in the nation to see the sunrise. The South Ridge Trail is a 7.2-miles round trip to the top of Cadillac Mountain, which is the highest summit on the Eastern seaboard. Though this hike would be done in the dark, with moonglow and flashlights, the trail is traversable. To reach the trailhead, from the village of Otter Creek in the national park, take Maine State Route 3 southwest. About 150 feet past Blackwoods Road, look for a trail crossing Route 3. Park along the side of the road in a gravel pull-off and take the trail on the road’s right/north.
Beehive Cliffs Trail
At 51 stories above the ocean, the Beehive Cliffs are another great spot to catch a sunrise. The challenge is you’ll need to do some significant rock scrambling on the 1.5-miles round trip trail, so this can be a dangerous and definitely is not kid-friendly. The payoff: Don’t expect many others – if anybody – to be at the summit. You can access the trailhead at the Sand Beach upper parking lot.
Ocean Path
Head straight to Bubble Beach, which is 2.6-miles round trip from the Sand Beach parking lot off of the Park Loop Road. The sunlight is spectacular on the beach’s rocks and attracts a number of photographers.
Want to see a great sunset instead? Try this one:
Bald Peak Trail
If you’re brave enough, this adventurous hike can make for a unique sunset experience, but you’ll need headlamps for the walk back. The trail is 2.7-miles round trip and goes to the peaks of both Sargent and Parkman mountains. At the Sargent Mountain summit are fantastic ocean views of Somes Sound and Northeast Harbor. The hike starts at Sargent Mountain Trailhead and descends slightly through the forest on the Hadlock Brook Trail.
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