Oct 20-21, 2018: The Lighthouse Challenge of NJ - How Many Will You Visit?

Updated: Jul 17, 2020 Short URL: gonj.me/lighthousechallenge

October 20-21, 2018 -- The Lighthouse Challenge of NJ is a rain or shine, two-day opportunity to visit 10 land-based lighthouses. one museum and two life-saving stations. Participants may purchase a souvenir pamphlet for only $2 and have it stamped at each step of your journey!

This event encourages you to explore coastal New Jersey while raising the funds needed for the continued preservation of these beautiful historic sites! This is the only time of the year when all of the lighthouses agree to stay open at the same time for two days. Enjoy!

For more information, please visit:lhchallengenj.org


view by: County Location Name


Atlantic County, Cape May County, Cumberland County, Gloucester County, Monmouth County, Ocean County, Salem County


Atlantic County


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Absecon Lighthouse

Atlantic City, Atlantic County, NJ

Climb 228 steps up New Jersey's tallest lighthouse for views of the Atlantic City skyline, then stand next to the original first-order Fresnel lens at the top. The restored two-acre site has a Keeper's House museum, a gift shop, a Fresnel lens exhibit in the old Oil House and a community garden. Kids can join the free Wacky Wednesdays crafts all summer, and the lens is lit every evening.



Cape May County


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Cape May Point State Park

Cape May Point, Cape May County, NJ

Located on the southern tip of New Jersey, Cape May Point State Park is a key site on the NJ Coastal Heritage Trail, with an environmental center that houses a classroom for interpretive programs and a museum about the park.



Cumberland County


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East Point Lighthouse

Heislerville, Cumberland County, NJ

Wander the grounds and the bay beach at the mouth of the Maurice River, where the red-roofed 1849 lighthouse makes a classic photograph, especially at sunset. Birders come for shorebirds feeding on horseshoe crab eggs in spring and for raptors and songbirds after fall cold fronts. Anglers fish for stripers and weakfish here in spring. In July, diamondback terrapins come ashore to lay eggs on the beach.



Gloucester County


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Tinicum Rear Range

Paulsboro, Gloucester County, NJ

Climb the 112 step spiral staircase inside an 85 foot lighthouse tower for a view of the Delaware River, the Philadelphia skyline and the airport. The tower stands in the middle of a baseball complex in Billingsport, and the Tinicum Rear Range Lighthouse Society leads the climbs on scheduled days. It is one of the stops on the Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey every October.



Monmouth County


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Sandy Hook Lighthouse

Highlands, Monmouth County, NJ

Climb 95 steps and a nine-rung ladder with a park ranger to the top of the oldest operating lighthouse in the country, still guiding ships into New York Harbor. Tours are free and first come, first served, and the Keepers Quarters next door is the Sandy Hook Visitor Center. Children need to be 48 inches tall to climb. Parking at Fort Hancock is free.



Sea Girt Lighthouse

Sea Girt, Monmouth County, NJ

Tour the keeper's house, from the parlor up to the lantern room, at the last live-in lighthouse built on the Atlantic Coast. Exhibits include a rare Fresnel lens, a 1903 keeper's logbook and two lifejackets from the 1934 Morro Castle fire. Guided tours run Sundays from mid-April to late November, and the Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey stops here in October.



Twin Lights Historic Site

Highlands, Monmouth County, NJ

Climb the two stone towers of this 1862 brownstone lighthouse station for views over Sandy Hook, Raritan Bay and the New York skyline. The museum and grounds are free, with picnic tables on site, and the north tower is free to climb in the off-season. Guided tours with a historian are available on request. The station looks more like a castle than a lighthouse.



Ocean County


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Barnegat Light House

Barnegat Light, Ocean County, NJ

Take the short Maritime Forest Trail, then follow the inlet-side paths over the dunes to the beach and out along the south jetty walkway. Picnic tables sit along Barnegat Inlet, and anglers cast from the bulkhead for striped bass and bluefish. The big draw is the lighthouse: climb 217 steps to the top of the 169 foot tower for views of the bay, the inlet and the ocean. Parking and entry are free.



Tuckers Island Lighthouse Replica

Tuckerton, Ocean County, NJ

Climb the tower of this replica lighthouse for a view of the Seaport, Tuckerton Creek and Lake Pohatcong. Inside are exhibits on New Jersey maritime history, shipwrecks, lighthouse keepers and the U.S. Lifesaving Service, plus an upstairs Tuckerton Railroad exhibit with a working model train. The lighthouse is the entrance to Tuckerton Seaport, and it still lights at night.



Salem County


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Finns Point Rear Range Light

Pennsville, Salem County, NJ

Hike the Grassland Trail from the lot on Lighthouse Road, then look up at a 115 foot black wrought iron range light that came from Buffalo by train and mule wagon. The refuge around it has a second trail through forest and busy spring and fall bird migrations. Climb about 130 steps to the lantern room on the days the tower opens. Fort Mott State Park's old gun emplacements are a short drive away.


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