Cadillac Mountain South Ridge

Cadillac Mountain South Ridge is the long-cut to the summit that bypasses the timed-entry reservation system gating the Summit Road — between October 7 and March 6 of each year, sunrise on Cadillac Mountain summit is the first place in the continental US to receive sunrise, and the road reservation lottery (90 days ahead via recreation.gov) sells out months in advance. Walking up the South Ridge from Blackwoods Campground (or the Acadia Highway trailhead) takes 3-4 hours and arrives at the same summit boardwalk where reserved drivers spent $6 for a slot. The trail is exposed pink granite with open ocean views from mile 1 onward, gaining 1,330 ft over 3.5 miles to the summit (7 miles round trip). Blackwoods Campground sits at the literal South Ridge trailhead — the trail starts 200 ft from the campground entrance, which makes this the rare Acadia hike where the rig basecamp IS the trailhead.