Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park

Cadillac Mountain at Acadia National park is the viewpoint of all viewpoints. At 1,527 feet, you're standing at the highest elevation on the Atlantic north of Rio Di Janeiro. This of course translates into spectacular 360 degree views that include panoramic ocean views and an eagle eye perspective of the many natural wonders in and around the park. No doubt that's a high elevation, but when on top of the mountain you may feel like you're even higher. It might be the experience of being taller than everything around you, including vegetation. The vegetation is minimal on the mountain, yet it falls below the tree line. Somewhat of a mystery, one theory describes the ongoing effects of a devastating fire in 1947. However, when Champlain himself arrived in 1604, there are records of a bare mountain top. More likely, the heavy winds blowing over the landscape with nothing to slow them down, freezing temperatures in the winter, and large amounts of erosion caused by run-off provide the area with its unique rocky and seemingly lifeless surface. By contrast, this very attribute plays a significant role in attracting human life to walk the impressive rock formations and to soak in the uninhibited views. In fact, the view is so pure that between October 7th and March 7th, Cadillac Mountain is the first place in the United States to see the sunrise.

People have relished the stunning overlooks on this jutted landmass for centuries. Many have walked the terrain since the 1600's, including French explorer Samuel De Champlain who first trekked a great portion of the northeast. French explorer Antoine de Lamothe-Cadillac was honored with the naming of this mountain due to his early inhabitance and exploration of Acadia, as well as memorialized by the Cadillac automobile when the company was created on the bicentennial of Antoine's founding of Detroit, Michigan. However, it wasn't until the late 1800's rolled in when large amounts of people began visiting the mountain. People back then could either walk the crude dirt road or take the Cog Railway up the sharp west face of the mountain. A nice train ride up the mountain sounds like a great leisurely trip, but in order to get to the railway in those days you had to take a carriage to nearby Eagle Lake, and then a boat across the lake to the train. The few that made the voyage stayed at the Summit Hotel that was once located in an area behind the current gift shop. The hotel was in operation for only about 13 years between 1883 and 1896, and the downfall of the hotel was for sure caused by some of the same natural conditions that limited plant inhabitation, in addition to the difficult accessibility. Now, because of the well designed modern summit road built in the 1930's, Cadillac Mountain is one of the easiest summit's to reach in America.