FOA President and CEO Eric Stiles. (Photo by Lily LaRegina/Friends of Acadia)

There are many remarkable places to watch the sunset in Acadia. Here, feldspar-flecked granite mountains rise directly from the Atlantic, and the twists and turns of the Maine coast offer sweeping western views over water—a rare sight in the eastern United States.

From the park’s southern edge, the setting sun silhouettes offshore islands against the open ocean.

From peaks on the Quiet Side, warm light glints across Blue Hill Bay. Evening settles over the wetlands of Great Meadow and along the steep shores of Somes Sound. Each setting offers its own stunning beauty.

Yet for many visitors, sunset (and sunrise) means one place: Cadillac Mountain. Each summer,
thousands gather at the summit to gaze westward over Frenchman Bay as the surrounding granite shifts from rose to amber to deep purple. I have come here often with my family, grateful for the reservation system that helps manage vehicle capacity. It is a special experience, and one of the park’s most beloved places to take in the views.

In 2021, Friends of Acadia funded a comprehensive accessibility study of 28 locations in the park in partnership with the National Park Service. On Cadillac Mountain, the study examined how visitors with varying mobility levels move through the summit area. It assessed parking, pathways, grades, and viewpoints.

The findings showed that while individual accessible features existed, they were not seamlessly connected. Without a designated pedestrian route between the summit’s two parking and visitor areas, people of all mobility levels had to move along the summit road itself—navigating moving vehicles, heavy traffic, and narrow shoulders, frequently in low light. The result was congestion and safety concerns in an already constrained space.

That’s why I’m excited to announce that this spring, with funding from Friends of Acadia, the park is breaking ground on a new accessible East-West Connector Trail at the summit of Cadillac Mountain.

The trail will create a wheelchair- and stroller-accessible path, allowing visitors to safely move between the larger East parking lot, with ocean views, restrooms, and amenities, and the smaller West lot, where thousands gather each year to mark the close of the day. Separated from the road by granite coping stones, the clearly defined pedestrian route will significantly improve safety for all visitors. It will also help protect Cadillac’s fragile plant communities by reducing the informal footpaths that form when people create their own trails to avoid traffic.

Thanks to your support, this accessible connector trail will soon make it easier and safer for people of all ages and abilities to experience the full grandeur of Acadia’s highest peak.

This project is part of our broader partnership with the park to enhance accessibility throughout Acadia. With your support, this work includes ongoing improvements to Acadia’s trails, carriage roads, and infrastructure, including the recently completed accessible viewing terrace at Bass Harbor Head Light Station and the beautiful new accessible boardwalk along the Hemlock Path at Great Meadow.

Thank you for helping us make Acadia a welcoming place for all to enjoy.