Cadillac Mountain Summit
Cadillac Mountain Summit is the highest point on the eastern seaboard, sitting at 1,530 feet inside Acadia National Park and famously one of the first places in the United States to catch sunrise. The open granite summit gives you a sweeping 360-degree panorama, with Frenchman Bay, the Porcupine Islands, and the Atlantic stretching out to the east, making it ideal for wide compositions at first light. A 24mm or wider lens works well to capture the full sweep of the bay with the pink and orange sky above. Sunrise draws crowds, so arrive at least 30 minutes early to secure a good foreground position; moving to the left side of the main lookout area gets you noticeably fewer people in frame. The bare pink granite itself makes a strong foreground element, especially with puddles after rain. Parking fills fast, so consider the road conditions and reservation requirements before you go. (Acadia National Park, Maine, United States)
