Who Sees the First Sunrise in America?
Three places in Maine have a claim, and the winner changes with the season. This works it out from the sun’s position rather than repeating the postcard version.
Today: Saturday, August 15, 2026
First light lands on Mars Hill at 5:26 AM EDT, 2m 5s ahead of Katahdin.
| Place | Sunrise | Behind | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mars Hill | 5:26 AM EDT | leader | 533 m |
| Katahdin | 5:28 AM EDT | +2m 5s | 1606 m |
| West Quoddy Head | 5:30 AM EDT | +4m 19s | 15 m |
| Eastport | 5:30 AM EDT | +4m 26s | 10 m |
| Cadillac Mountain | 5:32 AM EDT | +6m 43s | 466 m |
Who leads, and when
Computed day by day for 2026. The last column is the biggest lead each place opens up during its stretch, which is a fairer measure than the margin on the day it takes over: that is always a second or two, because that is what a changeover is.
| Dates | First light | Biggest lead |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 to Jan 24 | Cadillac Mountain | 34s |
| Jan 25 to Mar 15 | West Quoddy Head | 30s |
| Mar 16 to Sep 27 | Mars Hill | 2m 47s |
| Sep 28 to Nov 17 | West Quoddy Head | 30s |
| Nov 18 to Dec 31 | Cadillac Mountain | 39s |
Why it moves
Three things compete. Going further east obviously helps, and West Quoddy Head at Lubec is the easternmost land in the country. Going higherhelps too, because it lets you see over the curve of the earth: Cadillac’s 466 metres is worth about five minutes, and Katahdin’s 1,606 metres about ten. And in summer the sun rises well north of east, so going northwins, which is Mars Hill’s season.
Cadillac is the famous one because height is the most visible advantage, and because it is the easiest of the three to drive up. It is not the year-round answer.
- Mars Hill: Higher and much further north than Cadillac, close to the New Brunswick border. Wins for roughly half the year, which surprises most people.
- Katahdin: The highest point in Maine by a wide margin, but far enough west that its height never quite pays for the longitude.
- West Quoddy Head: The easternmost point of land in the United States. Almost at sea level, so it wins on longitude alone.
- Eastport: The easternmost city in the United States, a few miles north of West Quoddy Head and a few seconds behind it.
- Cadillac Mountain: The tallest mountain on the Atlantic coast of the United States, and the one with the famous claim. Its height is doing the work, not its longitude.
How this is calculated, and where it is wrong
Sunrise is computed with NOAA’s solar position algorithm for each site’s coordinates and summit elevation, using the standard 0.833 degree allowance for refraction and the sun’s radius, plus the horizon dip that elevation earns.
The important limitation: this assumes every site looks out at a flat sea-level horizon. Cadillac and West Quoddy Head genuinely do, because they face open ocean. Mars Hill and Katahdin look out over land, and real terrain in the way would push their sunrise later than the figures here. Treat inland results as the earliest possible moment rather than the observed one.
Margins under 20 seconds are inside that uncertainty, so the page says the day is too close to call rather than picking a winner.
Common questions
Does Cadillac Mountain really get the first sunrise in America?
Only for part of the year, and by a much smaller margin than the claim usually suggests. On our calculation Cadillac leads for roughly ten weeks around midwinter. For most of the year the first light lands on Mars Hill in Aroostook County or on West Quoddy Head at Lubec.
Why does the answer change through the year?
The sun does not rise due east. In summer it rises well north of east, which favours places further north, and in winter it rises south of east, which favours places further south and east. Elevation matters too: standing higher lets you see over the horizon sooner, which is worth about five minutes on Cadillac and ten on Katahdin.
When is the best time to watch sunrise from Cadillac Mountain?
Between early October and early March, when the Cadillac Summit Road is usually open and the sunrise vehicle reservation is not always required. Check the park before travelling, because the road closes for winter and reservation rules change season to season.
Where is the easternmost point in the United States?
West Quoddy Head in Lubec, Maine. It is almost at sea level, so it earns its place on longitude alone rather than on height.
Plan the trip
- Acadia National Park for the Cadillac Summit Road, reservations and park access.
- Bar Harbor is the base for a Cadillac sunrise, and Lubec for West Quoddy Head.
- Mars Hill and Millinocket cover the inland contenders.
- All Maine.com tools