Cadillac Summit Road Reservations
Two categories, two release drops, and three things the $6 does not buy you. Plus four ways up the mountain that need no reservation at all.
$6, Recreation.gov, and most of it drops two days out.
A vehicle reservation is required to drive Cadillac Summit Road during the season. Nowhere else in Acadia needs one — not the Park Loop Road, not Jordan Pond, not a single trail.
Sunrise and daytime are separate categories with separate inventory. Only 30% of each goes on sale 90 days ahead. The other 70% is released two days before, at 10 AM Eastern.
If you missed the 90-day drop, you have not missed your chance. Most of the tickets have not been sold yet.
📍 Screenshot your confirmation before you drive up
The check station scans a QR code on your confirmation, and the park says plainly that connectivity is unreliable in Acadia. Trying to load an email at 4:30 AM on the approach road is how people lose a reservation they paid for and planned around.
Print it, or download and screenshot it, before you leave your hotel.
2026: May 20 to October 25
Reservations were required to drive Cadillac Summit Road from Wednesday May 20 through Sunday October 25, 2026.
No 2027 dates had been announced when this was written. The park re-announces the system each year and the window moves, so check before planning a trip around a specific date. We’ll update this block when the dates land.
Sunrise and Daytime Are Different Reservations
Different inventory, different windows, different limits
This is the first thing people get wrong. They are not two times of day on one ticket — they are two separate products, and the sunrise one is deliberately harder to hold.
| Sunrise | Daytime | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry window | 90 minutes | 30 minutes |
| How many you can hold | One per seven days | One per day |
| Release | Same for both — 30% at 90 days, 70% at two days, both 10 AM Eastern | |
| Cost | $6 per vehicle, Recreation.gov only. Never sold at the park. | |
| Departure | No deadline. The road closes to vehicles at 9 PM. | |
| Re-entry | Not permitted. Go up once and stay up. | |
Sunrise entry windows shift through the season as sunrise does — roughly 4:00–5:30 AM in late spring, 5:00–6:30 AM in September, and 6:00–7:30 AM at the very end of October. Your confirmation gives your exact window.
Two Drops, Not One
The 90-day release is the famous one. The two-day release is the useful one.
90 days ahead — 30% of inventory
Goes on sale at 10 AM Eastern, 90 days before your date. This is the drop everyone sets an alarm for, and sunrise slots in peak season can be gone in the time it takes to type a card number.
Worth doing if your dates are fixed and far out. Not worth despairing over if you miss it.
Two days ahead — the other 70%
Released at 10 AM Eastern, two days before. This is where most of the tickets actually live, and most visitors never find out, because every article about Cadillac stops at the 90-day release.
If you are already on the island, this is your drop. Set an alarm for 10 AM sharp, two mornings before the sunrise you want.
Change it for free rather than rebooking
A reservation may be changed at no cost to another time or date, as long as you do it before the reservation time. So if the forecast turns, move it rather than writing it off — and if you genuinely cannot use it, the park asks you to cancel so somebody else can.
What a reservation is not
It is not your park pass. You need both. The entrance pass is $35 per vehicle for seven days; the reservation is $6 and covers one road.
It is not a parking space. The park says this outright — a reservation does not assign you a space, and summit parking is routinely full at sunrise and sunset. Arriving on time and finding nowhere to stop is the most common bad morning on this mountain.
It is not permission to be on Cadillac. It applies to vehicles on the summit road. Walking, biking and arriving by taxi all need nothing.
“I Couldn’t Get One. Can I Still Go Up?”
Four ways — and two of them are better than driving
Wait for the two-day drop
Seventy per cent of the inventory is still unsold until 10 AM Eastern two days out. If you are reading this in a hotel in Bar Harbor, this is the answer.
Walk up the North Ridge Trail · 4.4 miles round trip
Two to four hours over granite slope and stairs, from the Cadillac North Ridge or Kebo Brook trailhead. No reservation, no $6, and you get the ridge to yourself while everyone else queues for a space. Starting in the dark for sunrise is a real undertaking — bring a headtorch and know the route.
Or the South Ridge Trail · 7.1 miles round trip
Two to four hours, forested path onto open granite ridgeline with one iron rung. The trailhead is off Route 3 in Otter Creek just past Blackwoods Campground, with no road sign and shoulder parking only.
It is also the one route up the mountain where dogs are allowed, leashed to six feet.
Bike it, or take a taxi
Neither needs a reservation. The road is narrow and climbing traffic shares it with cars and pedestrians, so the bike option suits confident cyclists rather than a casual ride.
What will not work: waiting for a bus. The Island Explorer does not serve the summit of Cadillac Mountain. The free shuttle that solves your parking problem everywhere else in Acadia cannot help you here, and a campground booking does not come with summit access either.
Before you fight for a sunrise slot
Worth knowing what you are actually booking: the park states that Cadillac is the first place in the country to see the sun rise from October 7 to March 6 — and the reservation season ends October 25. The two overlap by nineteen days a year.
The full story on the sunrise claim — including who holds the title the rest of the year.
Practical Notes
- Per vehicle, not per person. One reservation covers the car and everyone in it.
- Motorcycles, scooters and mopeds each count as a vehicle and each need their own reservation.
- Bring the QR code. Printed or downloaded — the check station scans it, and signal is unreliable.
- No re-entry. Leaving the summit road ends the reservation.
- The park is cashless, and reservations are never sold on site regardless.
- Arrive about an hour before sunrise if that is what you booked. Your window controls entry, not a seat at the top.
Cadillac Reservations FAQ
Do I need a reservation to visit Acadia National Park?
No. A vehicle reservation is required only to drive Cadillac Summit Road. The Park Loop Road, Sand Beach, Jordan Pond, the carriage roads and every hiking trail need no reservation at any time of year.
You do need an entrance pass, which is a separate thing: $35 per vehicle for seven days.
How much is a Cadillac Summit Road reservation?
$6 per vehicle, booked through Recreation.gov. It is never sold at the park, and it does not include the entrance fee.
When do Cadillac reservations go on sale?
In two drops, both at 10 AM Eastern. 30% of inventory is released 90 days before your date, and the remaining 70% two days before. Sunrise and daytime reservations are separate categories with separate inventory.
Can I change or cancel a Cadillac reservation?
Yes. A reservation may be changed at no cost to another time or date, provided you do it before the reservation time. If you cannot use it at all, the park asks you to cancel so it goes back to someone else.
How many sunrise reservations can I hold?
One per seven days. Daytime reservations are limited to one per day. The sunrise limit is why a week-long trip gets you one attempt rather than several.
Does the reservation guarantee a parking space at the summit?
No, and the park says so explicitly. The reservation controls entry to the road, not parking. Summit parking is often full at sunrise and sunset, so arrive about an hour before sunrise rather than on the dot of your window.
Can I hike Cadillac Mountain without a reservation?
Yes. The reservation applies to vehicles on the summit road only. The North Ridge Trail is 4.4 miles round trip and the South Ridge Trail 7.1 miles, both reaching the summit, and neither needs a reservation. Arriving by bicycle or taxi is also exempt.
Is there a shuttle to the top of Cadillac Mountain?
No. The Island Explorer serves trailheads, carriage road entrances, campgrounds and the towns, but it does not go to the summit of Cadillac. There is no bus option for this one mountain.
Do motorcycles need a Cadillac reservation?
Yes. Motorcycles, motor scooters and mopeds each count as a vehicle, and each one needs its own reservation.
What do I show at the check station?
The QR code on your reservation confirmation, which gets scanned. Print it or save it to your phone before you set off — connectivity in the park is unreliable, and this is a common way to lose a reservation you paid for.
Planning the rest of the trip?
The 3-day Acadia itinerary — the Park Loop Road, Cadillac, and a free printable PDF with the map.
Cadillac Mountain sunrise — the claim, the qualifier, and what the summit is actually like at 5 AM.
The best hikes in Acadia — including both walking routes up Cadillac.