Cadillac Mountain reservations: how to book sunrise or daytime

Cadillac Mountain is the highest point on the Atlantic coast of the United States, and from May 20 to October 25, 2026, you need a vehicle reservation to drive up it. The reservation is sold online for $6 per vehicle and is not available at the park. It covers the road only, so you also need a park entrance pass for Acadia.

The system exists to limit crowding on a narrow summit road with little parking. If you plan your trip around sunrise or sunset at the top, treat the reservation as the first booking you make, before hotels and rental cars. Our Acadia National Park travel guide covers the rest of the park, and the broader USA guide covers entry rules and costs for international visitors.

The official NPS reservation page lists the current dates, price and slot times. Check it again before you book, since NPS can change the season.

Every motorized vehicle needs one. That includes cars, SUVs, motorcycles and scooters. A vehicle that holds a reservation can carry any number of passengers up to its capacity, so one booking covers the whole car.

You do not need one if you walk, hike or cycle to the summit, or if you ride in a taxi. There is no bus service on the road, so the Island Explorer will not take you there. If you have a larger vehicle, check the length limits before you book: vehicles over 21 feet, including bike racks and hitches, along with RVs and trailers, are not allowed on the road.

Everyone who enters Acadia also needs a park entrance pass. The 7-day vehicle pass is $35, and non-US residents aged 16 and over pay a $100 nonresident fee each on top of it, unless they hold an annual or America the Beautiful pass. The national parks fee guide explains who pays and how the $250 nonresident pass works.

Reservations are sold on Recreation.gov. Search for Acadia National Park, then choose the Cadillac Summit Road Vehicle Reservations listing under the activities. Use the official site only, and be wary of resale listings.

The booking windows are the part that catches people out. Release times are 10am Eastern, regardless of where you are.

For a busy date, log in a few minutes early, have your payment details saved and refresh at 10am sharp. Book only a slot you can reach on time. Save the confirmation and the QR code to your phone and also print a copy in case the signal drops at the gate.

A few other points. Each reservation is for one vehicle and one entry window. You must have a valid park entrance pass to enter the park, but the reservation itself is separate from the pass. If your plans change, check the cancellation terms on Recreation.gov, not at the park.

There are two types of slots. Sunrise reservations have a 90-minute entry window, and the start times vary by month, from about 4am to 7:30am. Daytime reservations have a 30-minute entry window, and availability runs from about 6am to 8pm. Once you are through the gate, you can stay as long as you like.

Sunrise is the most popular and the first to sell out. Early in the season and in October the sun rises later, so start times are later too; in midsummer a sunrise slot means an alarm well before 4am. Dress warmly either way: the summit is windy and much colder than the coast.

Sunset is also a favorite. Arrive 15 to 20 minutes before your window opens, since traffic backs up on the road. A daytime slot in the middle of the day is the easiest to book and gives clear light for photos, but it is the busiest time at the summit loop. For a longer plan around the island, see Acadia in 3 days.

You still have good options if you miss out. The simplest is to hike up. The North Ridge and South Ridge trails climb the mountain and are open to walkers, with views along the way. Allow 2 to 4 hours for the round trip, bring water and a windproof layer, and check conditions before you start.

You can also ride a bike, since cyclists do not need a reservation. The climb is steep, so it suits fit riders. A taxi passenger does not need one either, so a taxi from Bar Harbor is a way to reach the summit without booking a slot. Ask the taxi company about the pickup rules.

If the summit is not essential, there are other views. Sand Beach, Otter Cliffs, the Bubbles above Jordan Pond and Gorham Mountain all give sea and island views with no reservation. Sunrise from the shore near Bar Harbor can be as good as the summit and needs only a park pass. The best time to visit Acadia page explains how season and fog change the views.

The two release windows reward different kinds of travelers, so decide which one you are before you open Recreation.gov. If your flights and hotels are fixed, the 90-day release is the safe route, because it is the only way to lock a slot months ahead. Put the date in your calendar, set an alarm for 10am Eastern and treat it like a concert ticket sale.

If your dates move, or you can spare a day or two on either side, the 2-day release is the better bet. It holds the larger share of slots, and it lets you pick a morning after you have seen the forecast. A clear sunrise from the summit is worth far more than a guaranteed slot that opens onto fog, so flexible visitors often do better by waiting.

A sensible hybrid is to book one daytime slot 90 days ahead as a fallback, then watch the forecast and try for a sunrise or sunset slot at the 2-day release. Check the cancellation terms on Recreation.gov before you rely on this, since the rules on changes and refunds are set there and can change.

Whichever route you choose, line up the rest of the trip behind the reservation. A sunrise slot means an early start from the town where you sleep, so choose a base close to the road and leave a margin for traffic on the way up. Our Acadia in 3 days plan shows where the summit slot fits into a full itinerary, so you do not build a second early morning right after a late evening.

Not everyone needs this reservation, and some trips are better without it. Skip the summit road if you have a single day in the park. A 30-minute entry window, a narrow road and a wait for parking can swallow a morning that would be better spent on the shoreline or the carriage roads.

Skip it too if you dislike very early starts. A sunrise slot in summer can mean leaving your room well before dawn, in cold wind, for a view that fog can erase. If that sounds miserable, a daytime slot or no slot at all is a fair choice, and the park has plenty of coastal viewpoints that need no reservation.

Finally, skip it if your priority is hiking rather than viewing. The summit is best treated as a short stop with a loop trail, not a full day. Visitors who want long walks do better to put their effort into the ridge trails, Jordan Pond or Gorham Mountain and leave the summit for a different trip.

Maine weather changes fast, and fog is common on the coast. If the forecast looks poor for your slot, you have three practical options: move to a different slot if the 2-day release still has space, keep the slot and use it as a short, atmospheric stop, or let it go and spend the morning elsewhere. Rain can also make the summit loop slippery, so wear shoes with grip.

Keep an indoor or low-cloud plan ready. Jordan Pond, the carriage roads and the harbor towns still work in mist, and low light can suit photography of the shore. Ask your hotel about cancellation terms before you book, so a bad-weather day does not lock you into a night you no longer want.

• Forgetting the time zone. Releases happen at 10am Eastern, so a visitor booking from California or Europe needs to convert the time carefully.

• Treating the reservation as an entrance pass. It covers the road only; you still need the park entrance pass and, for non-US residents aged 16 and over, the nonresident fee.

• Arriving outside the entry window. A late arrival can cost you the slot, and a very early arrival will not get you in sooner.

• Bringing an oversize vehicle. Check the length limits before you rent, especially if a bike rack or hitch adds length.

• Buying from resale sites. Use the official Recreation.gov listing, and be wary of anyone offering a reservation for a higher price.

• Dressing for the coast. The summit is windier and colder than Bar Harbor, even in summer, so carry a windproof layer and a hat.

Adding it up for a car of four international adults: the $6 reservation, the $35 vehicle pass and a $100 nonresident fee per person aged 16 and over. The $250 Non-Resident Annual Pass covers the entrance and nonresident fees if you visit several parks on one trip, but it does not cover the $6 summit reservation.

Check your entry paperwork before you book flights. Many visitors need an approved ESTA before boarding. Add an eSIM for navigation and weather updates, and compare travel insurance for medical and flight cover. For transport planning inside the US, see our US transport guide.