East Point Lighthouse, N.J. Photography Location
The remarkably great star trail Image at the lighthouse below was done by Mike Ver Sprill, “Milky Way Mike.”
UNDER CONSTRUCTION MAKING SOME CHANGES TO DAY
EAST POINT LIGHT
Known as the Maurice River Light before 1913, it is a lighthouse located in Heislerville, New Jersey, on the Delaware Bay at the mouth of the Maurice River in Maurice River Township, Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States. The lighthouse was built in 1849 and is the second oldest in New Jersey, with only the Sandy Hook Light, which was built in 1764, being older. The light was inactive from 1941 and was nearly destroyed by fire in 1971. The United States Coast Guard reinstated the light in 1980. The exterior restoration was completed in 1999.
HISTORIC PLACES
East Point Lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 25, 1995.
This location is a sunrise, sunset, and Milky Way location photography hot spot. It is pretty much in the middle of no man’s land. We paired this up with our Cape May photography shoot. Plan your trip around the Milky Way being visible. You can create dynamic Milky Way images between April and October at this location. See our Dark Sky Photography Info page for more details about Milky Way photography.
THE BEAUTY OF EAST POINT
The East Point Lighthouse is a dazzling display of history and maritime beauty, located on the Southern Bayshore in Cumberland County, New Jersey. Built in 1849, it remains an active navigational aid, serviced by the United States Coast Guard and managed by the non-profit Maurice River Historical Society. This society has fully restored and furnished the lighthouse with its beacon, which serves as a year-round museum and a spectacular light at night. The two-story Cape Cod-style building is the second oldest lighthouse in New Jersey and one of only a few land-based beacons on the Delaware Bay. It’s also registered on the National Historic Registry.
East Point is known for its views, wildlife, sunsets, and rich history—allowing tourists, artists, photographers, and nature lovers to appreciate its natural beauty. Those wishing to visit the grounds and beach are open to everyone free of charge all year round. However, to tour the Lighthouse Museum and gift shop, please check the schedule for available dates and times. A picnic area and ADA ramp can be found on the premises. To learn more about this stunning site, visit their website.
HELP SAVE THE EAST POINT LIGHTHOUSE
Help save the NJ State/NJDEP-owned East Point Lighthouse from the threat of destruction! Contact the Governor of New Jersey and the commissioner of the NJ DEP and let them know you care about history and want to see preservation before it’s too late.
#saveeastpointlighthouse
WHEN TO GO TO THE EASTPOINT LIGHTHOUSE
Any time of year is suitable for general photography, but for photographing the Milky Way at East Point Lighthouse, you must go at a specific time to ensure the Milky Way is Visible. Midweek is the best. People come here to watch the sunset and most leave, but if you want the best chance of having the place to yourself at night, go in the middle of the week.
A complete renovation was done to the lighthouse recently. The bright red makes the building look dynamic. Do your daytime photography here, but don’t forget your nighttime photography.
This is a DARK SKY area that is good for Milky Way. So keep this in mind if you want to pair this up with a Milky Way trip.
Months: The Milky Way Core can be seen from March to October, disappearing below the horizon for the rest of the year. It appears in the early morning hours in March and becomes visible earlier each month. The best time to catch a glimpse of the core is during summer, when it can be seen immediately after sunset, providing an ideal viewing opportunity for stargazers and photographers.
New Moon: Timing is crucial to see the Milky Way. This celestial event can only be seen on clear nights without a visible moon, limiting the window for viewing.
Light Pollution: The best way to experience the full wonder of the Milky Way is to escape from areas with heavy light pollution. However, it may be possible to see some faint traces of the galaxy from places with mild artificial lighting; the most spectacular views can be found in remote locations far from cities and civilizations. Check out our How to Section for more details, including using a light pollution map to guide you to dark sky locations.
PHOTOGRAPHY BASICS FOR THE LIGHTHOUSE
Brush up on the basics for daytime photography, too, before you follow our instructions for how to shoot the Milky Way.
Shutter Speed – Find out more about how to shoot in shutter priority. This is used mainly for moving subjects to avoid motion blur.
Aperture – Shooting in aperture priority allows you to focus on your depth of field. It is mainly used for still subjects.
ISO controls how much light is let into your camera when exposing your picture.
White Balance – Color temperature. Cloud, shade, sun, and also custom settings.
HOW LONG TO PHOTOGRAPH THIS AREA?
This area can be explored and photographed in just a few hours. You will want to pair this up with other great photography locations.
WHAT PHOTOGRAPHY GEAR SHOULD I BRING?
- A Camera with a wide-angle lens.
- Tripod – For shooting flowers in aperture priority mode.
- Shutter release
- Polarizing Filter
- A zoom lens for sunset photography around the corner from the lighthouse.
WHAT ESLE SHOULD I BRING?
- Water and Snacks – There is no good food out here—not much along the way.
- Bug repellent!! Especially in the humid months.
LOCATION – HOW TO GET TO THE LIGHTHOUSE
East Point Lighthouse is located in Heislerville, Cumberland County, New Jersey. It’s west of Cape May and Avalon, other Milky Way photography hot spots. From the north, take Route 55 south to Exit 28A. From the south, take Route 47 north to Exit 16B. Once you’re on Route 49, follow the signs for East Point Lighthouse. The drive takes about an hour and a half from Philadelphia.
WHAT OTHER PHOTOGRAPHY IS NEARBY?
You can also see our New Jersey Milky Way Photography Locations here.
And other New Jersey Photography Locations here.
HOW BUSY DOES IT GET?
It’s not too bad, but the area resembles other New Jersey shore towns. We were at the lighthouse twice; only a few people were inside the lighthouse, and a few photographers were in the garden. It was midweek.
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Cape Harbor Motor Inn Information
715 Pittsburgh Avenue • Cape May • New Jersey • 08204 • Reservations (609) 884-0018
Cape Harbor Motor Inn
Complimentary trolley service into the Center of Cape May and its beaches ♦ Motel rooms and suites are available ♦ All rooms are non-smoking ♦ Cable TV ♦ Daily maid service ♦ Swimming pool Spacious sundeck ♦ Barbecue area ♦ Shuffleboard ♦ Ice cubes for your convenience ♦ Parking for one car per motel room ♦ Outdoor bike rack (bring bike lock) ♦ WiFi
Beaches Near East Point Lighthouse
Around the lighthouse, there are some very boring beach areas. The location is not good for photography but for stopping and working on your tan for a minute.
Cape May Beaches & Milky Way Photography
Cape May has some beautiful beaches. Sunset Beach is a good photography location with interesting foreground material for day or night photography. The Bunker is a neat place to photograph and a great spot to photograph the Milky Way.
EAST POINT LIGHT & CAPE MAY INFO
HOTELS
CAPE MAY MOTOR INN
715 Pittsburgh Avenue • Cape May • New Jersey • 08204 • Reservations (609) 884-0018 – See Images Above.
Do you want us to send our photography and ghost hunting friends to your hotel for their photography or ghost hunting trip? Put your hotel information here. We will put pictures of your hotel, the website link, the phone number and your information on your hotel.
Would you like to be a featured hotel like this article or this one? Please send us an email. You will be surprised at how affordable our prices can be.
This Motel offers you everything you need with a fabulous pool, immaculate rooms, great management at one of the best prices in the Cape May area. Look no further. This is your best bang for the buck. We highly recommend you stay here!
AREA INFO
East Point Lighthouse
Entrance Fees: None
Beach Fees: None
Cape May Beach Info & Policies
- Beach tags (ages 12 and up) are required on all beaches from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day during guarded hours. They are available at all beach entrances and at City Hall.
- The Cape May Beach Patrol protects the beaches from The Cove to Poverty Beach from 10 am – 5 pm from July 1 through Labor Day.
CAMPING
Add your campground here! Do you want us to send our photography and ghost-hunting friends to your campground to stay during their ghost-hunting trip? Put your campground information here. We will put a picture of your establishment, the website link, the phone number and your information on your campground to make it easy for our photographers and ghost hunters to find you. They are good at getting there in the dark.
Would you like to be featured in an article as a place to stay while doing photography or ghost hunting? If so, please send us an email. You will be surprised at how affordable our prices can be.
FOOD & DINING
Do you want us to send our photography and ghost-hunting friends to your Restaurant after their ghost-hunting or photography trip? Put your restaurant information here. We will put a picture of your establishment, the website link, the phone number and the information on your Restaurant to make it easy for our photographers and ghost hunters to find you.
WEATHER
Don’t forget that you can use a rain sleeve on your camera if it is raining. If it is bright and sunny, you want to use a low ISO such as 50 or 100.
If you photograph cloudy days, you can do running water or waterfall photography to help avoid the glaring sun. You can also use an ND filter to get long exposure for dramatic effects, even in the sunshine. If you ghost hunt indoors in abandoned places, be careful!
Go to our Photography Store after reading about waterfall photography or neutral density filters.
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