Cadillac Mountain is a 1,528-foot summit located on the Mount Desert Island in Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor, Maine. It was named to honor the French explorer Antoine Laumet de La Mothe Sieur de Cadillac.
The peak was formerly known as Green Mountain until 1918, when the name was changed to pay homage to the French explorer Cadillac, who owned land in the region in the 18th century, according to ohranger.com.
The Green Mountain Cog Railway operated to the summit from 1883 to 1893, which also served a hotel that burned down in 1895, according to ohranger.com.
Cadillac Mountain is revered as the first location where the sun's rays are believed to strike the U.S. each morning, according to summitpost.org.
The mountain has numerous trails leading to the peak, as well as a paved road to the summit, which allows easy access to the novice or experienced hiker, according to summitpost.org.
Heavy visitor traffic during the summer months has severely eroded soil and vegetation along the trails, according to nps.gov.
Swarms of black flies and mosquitoes plagued Native Americans living on the island during the spring, forcing them to relocate to the coast, and still harass hikers today, according to summitpost.org.
