A Cadillac Mountain Sunrise on the Summer Solstice

I’m sharing the following brief excerpted essay from my book Maine Ingredients in honor of the summer solstice.

A few weeks ago, I told you about my funniest bear sighting story and mentioned that we spied this particular bear up near Acadia National Park on the solstice during my 2022 artist residency.

Here’s the rest of that tale, explaining why exactly I made us travel way before crack of dawn just to SEE the crack of dawn.

In Maine Ingredients, the essay that follows is accompanied by a recipe for a Cadillac Mountain Sunrise — a cocktail that mimics the colors of a summer solstice sunrise via the union of an Aperol spritz and homemade Maine blueberry syrup.

all photos copyright Casey Barber – please be respectful and don’t use without permission!

I really thought we were going to miss out on the sunrise.

It sounded like the perfect experience when I realized the timing of our June stay in Acadia would allow us to take in the sunrise from the summit of Cadillac Mountain on the summer solstice—the longest day of the year.

Wapuwoc, the Indigenous name of Cadillac Mountain, translates to “white mountain of the first light.” And as the Wabanaki are the People of the Dawn, “the ability to see the sunrise from the summit of Wapuwoc before anywhere else in the Dawnland has always given the mountain spiritual significance in Wabanaki culture,” wrote Passamquoddy artist and educator Geo Neptune in their essay “Naming the Dawnland.”

Technically we weren’t seeing the first light in the United States in the summer, since the mountain summit only receives that honor from October through March. But I wasn’t about to let small details like that get in the way of my oh-so-great idea.

Even though we hit the road from Schoodic at 3:00 a.m., I could already catch glimpses of glowing pink coming from the horizon off the water. I freaked out the whole way to the park entrance, convinced I had somehow misjudged the timing.

Spoiler alert: We did not miss the sunrise. According to the board at the ranger gate, where we were one in a long line of cars crawling up the side of the mountain like patient ants, first light was at 4:12 a.m.

Cadillac, or Wapuwoc, is not a place to see a summer solstice sunrise in solitude, but the show doesn’t disappoint in the least because of its popularity. The slow burn of persimmon and ochre across the line of the horizon bleeds into the fading indigo of the heavens, imperceptibly spreading minute by minute, until all at once, a shining line of lava hits the top of the mountains across the Mount Desert Narrows.

So. If you’re visiting Acadia National Park and want to see the sunrise from the summit of Cadillac / Wapuwoc, here are some tips.

1. Secure a vehicle reservation for the summit — unless you’ll be hiking to the peak in the dead of night, which… more power to you if that’s your preference. You will need a specific sunrise reservation and all of the info you need can be found at the Acadia NPS site.
2. Check the sunrise time and make sure you arrive at the Cadillac Mountain gate least 15 minutes, if not a full half-hour early. Because you will not be the only one waiting!
3. Bring blankets or warm layers. Even in summer, Maine can be chilly and the wind gusts at the top of the mountain won’t make it warmer before the sun rises.
4. Enjoy the moment! I’m guilty of taking a million photos of everything (it’s kind of my purpose in life) but remember to capture the sunrise with your own eyes and brain and heart and body.

And bring a copy of Maine Ingredients to fully appreciate the entire Acadia region, including the Schoodic Peninsula!