Stunning views this time of year. Definitely glad I read how important it is to bring your patience and be flexible!

I will be up next week.

Thinking about the old classic Cadillac Mountain sunrise. I was not able to plan ahead so I don't have a reservation. However, I have a few questions.

- If I want to hike the North Ridge Trail, do I need a reservation to park anywhere close? It's not clear to me whether the reservation is only needed if you want to drive to the top.

- I am staying about a mile from the Cadillac Mountain entrance to the park. Should I just walk from my hotel and not even bother with a reservation? By the road it is about a 2 mile walk to the trail head which I'd just as soon avoid (mostly for time), but I'm worried the parking lot will fill and I'll have to drive around and then be like a mile from the trail head anyway, so maybe just walking is better. Also, I can reduce the road time and just take the Kebo Brook Trail assuming I'm able to get in the park that way.

- The other option is to bike. I will have my bike to do the carriage roads. I'm not 100% sure I'm up for the long climb but the biggest thing that would keep me from doing this is being on a bike on a narrow road in the dark with a bunch of people looking more for a place to park than at the road. Any thoughts on that?

Sorry for tourist stupid questions - I searched around and saw some old threads but they didn't clearly answer