ken zirkel

I found myself headed for the in-laws house over Columbus Day weekend; they live in Nassau County, Long Island. My wife agreed to let me take an overnight lighthouse trip, and I decided that, starting from Nassau County, a tour of coastal New Jersey lights would be just the ticket. My timeframe was short: just Saturday morning to Monday night, but it would give me one sunrise and two sunsets. Given that my trip took place in early October, I had just short of 12 hours of daylight (Sunrise: 7AM Sunset: 6:30PM). Another benefit of October travel: the sunrise is remarkably late, about as late as it gets during the year. So it’s relatively easy to wake up for it.

This is a tour that anyone in the NYC/Nassau County area can take with just one overnight stay in Cape May, NJ. I visited seven lighthouses, climbed to the top of five of them, and could probably have squeezed in one more, if I had planned better. Most of the lighthouses in New Jersey are open at least some of the time, and in general these lights are very visitor friendly and easy to find. Click the photo to see the whole post.

Start: Depart Long Island around 8AM under overcast skies; I suppose if I had gotten up early, I could have photographed the sunrise at Fire Island Light. But I did not.

Absecon Light, Atlantic City around 11:15 AM

Absecon Light is an oasis in a blighted urban neighborhood. The lighthouse is surrounded by a tall security fence; outside the fence is a blighted urban neighborhood of empty lots, rundown Victorians, and more recent housing projects. In the distance you can see the glittering new highrises and casinos which seem so out-of-place in this former Victorian seaside resort. This new development is some distance away, toward the center of town, but obviously creeping closer; the Revel Entertainment building is under construction just a few blocks away. This glass-covered skyscraper is significantly taller than the lighthouse, and threatens to make it a small blip in the skyline.

Inside the fence perimeter, the keeper’s house is in an obvious state of disrepair. Inside is a gift shop and museum, and for US$7 one can climb the 228 steps to the top of the light. At each landing there’s a window with a view facing a different direction, and a small exhibit shows you photos of that view from different times in history. It’s a bit depressing to realize that the blighted city of today was, about a century ago, a magnificently beautiful Victorian escape. The grand Victorians of yesterday have been replaced by concrete bunkers and empty lots.

At the top of the tower you are greeted by a volunteer keeper and given a small card which certifies your climb to the top. It’s a cute little souvenir, and a thoughtful touch. Up at the top it’s quite blustery, but there’s a magnificent view of Atlantic City. You can also get a fairly good view of the interior of the magnificent Fresnel lens, behind which are two 300-watt incandescent bulbs.

After climbing the light, I decide to take a short walk to the famous Atlantic City boardwalk to see if I could get a good view of the light from there. On the way I pass a scene which looks straight out of the television program “The Wire”, as two black youths in sweatshirts are approached by a motorist in a Lexus. I’m wondering if a drug deal is going down, while simultaneously hoping that they don’t notice me carrying several thousand dollars worth of photo equipment. I pass unnoticed, but somewhat shaken, quickly take some snaps from the boardwalk, and head back to the gated fortress Absecon to get some more photos before heading south. The weather remains overcast and intermittently drizzly.

Hereford Inlet Light: 2PM

This is a small neighborhood lighthouse, not nearly as tall or imposing as the major lights on the coast. It’s owned by a small town, and kept up with evident pride by the locals. The light itself is a garden is a gorgeous “stick style” Victorian mansion, and the gardens are likewise stunning, and kept up with obvious love and care. The keeper’s dwelling has been converted to a museum, which you can tour; unfortunately you cannot visit the lantern room. The weather remained overcast and more drizzly than before.

At this point, I had to decide if I could make East Point Lighthouse. I probably could have made it, but at the expense of time at Cape May. Since it was my first time going to Cape May, I didn’t want to make that trade-off. I wanted some time to scout the area, as it is a major tourist attraction and I wanted to have time to climb the tower, scout the area, and get good photos.

Cape May Lighthouse: 4PM

I arrive at Cape May Light with plenty of time to climb the light (the hours were not posted online, but I believe they are 10-6). The design is nearly identical to Absecon (as is Barnegat, as well), and again I am greeted by a guide at the top of the tower. Cape May is a dramatic departure from Atlantic City, another seaside resort, but one which managed to maintain its Victorian charm. The main attraction at the Point, though, is neither the lighthouse nor other works of man, but rather the migrating birds. Tripods here are for spotting scopes, not cameras.

The sun peeks out from behind the clouds once or twice, but not for long enough for me to actually take advantage of it. Cape May Light is very much open from the East, so I can easily shoot with the sun behind the lighthouse in the West. However, walking around to the South, it’s very hard to get a straight shot of the light. Further around, to the East, you can get the top of the light, but it’s hard, if not impossible, to get an all-around “lighthouse on the sand dunes” kind of shot. It’s kind of frustrating, until a few minutes after sunset, the sun illuminates the clouds from beneath, creating colorful bands of pink.

I spend the night at the modest West Cape Motel, which was the only place I found with vacancy, after calling quite a few places. Turns out, it’s in the perfect location, just five minutes from the lighthouse. Rooms are quite reasonable and clean, and I spent a few dollars more to get a mini-suite with two rooms and a full stove and refrigerator.

Sunday Morning

Sunday I shot Cape May Light again for 7AM sunrise. My plan was, if the shooting was poor, I’d leave at 7:30 to head over to the East Point Light. However, I was enjoying myself, and shooting some macros of pondside flowers. I figured I’d split the time I would have spent going to East Point between Cape May and Barnegat.

Barnegat Light: 10:45 AM

Barnegat features a small lighthouse museum, and here, like elsewhere, you can climb to the top. The area is relatively open, and there are multiple opportunities for good views.

Barnegat is lovely lighthouse which is a focal point for people gathering. There is a fishing pier along the shore here, and many locals enjoying themselves here. I saw one father impress his young son by catching a big fish, an old guy dispensing advice to anyone who would listen, and a small brown mink dodging between the rocks. Also, this was the day of a footrace which terminated at the lighthouse. Good thing I did not try to come later, as the roads in town were jammed with car traffic and runners by noon.

Sea Girt Light: 2PM

Visiting Sea Girt Light takes some planning; it’s only open on Sundays between 2 and 4 PM. But it’s worth it. I arrived just before 2, got some external shots, and then toured the museum. There are numerous volunteer docents, and you can climb upstairs and up a rung ladder through a hole in a ceiling to the lantern room. It’s small and absolutely lovely.

Navesink Twin Lights: 4PM

Time is running out, as Navesink is only open till 5. I have an hour to climb the north tower to the lantern room, and explore the large museum inside. The building closes at 5, but the grounds are open a short while longer. However, it’s a hard lighthouse to photograph, as there are two lights connected by a long, low east-facing building. It might be worthwhile to return here for sunrise.

Sandy Hook: 5:25 PM

Unfortunately for me, Sandy Hook lighthouse closes at 5PM, but the grounds are open until late. I shot mostly from the West; as the light is partially surrounded by trees I didn’t even try other angles, as the sun was sinking low.

Then it was back to Nassau County.

Note: Depending on how early you leave NYC or how fast you go, you might also be able to squeeze in a ferry trip from Cape May to Lewes, Delaware (at least two more lights, plus a sea view of Cape May) for a cost of about two hours time; or a trip to the very quaint East Point Light on the Delaware River (adds about an hour of driving time, plus shooting time). I decided to spend more time at Cape May instead, mostly because I wanted to have time to scout out the area, and also to walk up the tower. Also, as I shot in October, the days are not as long as at other times of year.