The image you see above is a Bortle Scale Map of New Jersey. Basically a Bortle Scale measures the astronomical observability of celestial objects in the night sky….huh? The different colors on the map represent how dark an area is relative to the amount of light pollution that is given off by large towns and cities.

Our goal to photograph the Milky Way is to find an area that is in a Bortle Class of 4, 3, 2 or 1. This is our best odds of getting a decent shot of the Milky Way Core. As you can see from the Bortle Class Map of NJ we are extremely limited where we can go to photograph the Milky Way. Most of NJ is a Bortle Class 5, however when photographing the Milky Way rising over the ocean we are shooting towards a Bortle Class 4 in some locations, which makes it possible to capture the Milky Way! So now that we have that out of the way lets talk about the absolute BEST locations to photograph the night sky in New Jersey.

1) Island Beach State Park

Island Beach State Park (IBSP) is one of my favorite places to capture the night sky in New Jersey. It’s also can be a pain in the butt as well because you are technically not allowed there at night unless you are actively fishing or you have to get a $60 “Special Use” permit. In the colder months they rarely patrol the beaches at night so pretending to be a fisherman (or fisherwoman) to enter IBSP is fairly simple. Just bring a fishing pole and some fishing tackle (ocean water fishing plugs) and show the guard at the entrance gate. I forgot to bring tackle one time and he called me out on it, so be sure to have everything! You can watch how that went, down below…

The further you drive into IBSP the further you are getting away from the dreaded light pollution that dominates are State. There are many places to park and photograph the Milky Way on the beach or along the road within Island Beach State Park. Since I like to include a foreground feature with my Milky Way photography, I typically go to Judges Shack. The parking lot for this shack is about 6 miles into IBSP from the entrance gate. From the parking lot it is about a 5 minute walk along the beach to get to Judges Shack.

Now typically you want to go there earlier in the Milky Way Season when the Milky Way Center is rising lower to the horizon facing east and south-east. As the Milky Way drifts higher in the sky and more south you will start to pick up some heavy light pollution. (see photo below – light pollution in the right side of the photo)

To find out the which months, dates and times work the best I recommend downloading PhotoPills or The Photographers Ephemeris (TPE). These phone APPs may seem a bit tricky to understand at first, but once you learn them it will really help you map out the best viewing spots for your photography locations. Island Beach State Park is arguably one of the darkest places in New Jersey so I highly recommend checking it out!

2) East Point Lighthouse

East Point Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse located near the mouth of the Maurice River in Heislerville, New Jersey. Built in 1849, The East Point Lighthouse has become a great foreground feature to be used in combination with the night sky. It’s location makes it suitable for both star trail and milky way photography! Sometimes photographing lighthouses can be tricky especially when they are very bright, however East Point Light is pretty subtle and not challenging to shoot at all.

The address for East Point Lighthouse is 10 Lighthouse & E. Point Rds., Heislerville, NJ 08324.

3) Long Beach Island (LBI)

LBI has become a popular destination to photograph the Milky Way in New Jersey. You don’t have to pay any fees like you do for Island Beach State Park and you don’t have to travel all the way down to the bottom of New Jersey to escape some light pollution. Most night photographers venture out to Barnegat Light which has a variety of compositions you can use for your foreground. Barnegat Light is fun to do star trails with and if you walk down the path, past the Lighthouse along the water, you eventually get to a large rock jetty which is great for a early season Milky Way (second photo below)

While driving towards Barnegat Lighthouse there are plenty of side streets which have pathways leading towards the beach and the Milky Way. You want to do this during the early Milky Way Season (March, April, May) while the Milky Way is lower to the horizon and it is still a ghost town in these beach areas, so finding a parking spot is easy to do. I like to look for side streets without harsh orange lights which typically cast shadows and ugly color on your foreground. During astronomical twilight I found a path that worked perfectly in Surf City on Long Beach Island.

4) Strathmere, Sea Isle City and Avalon

Strathmere has some beautiful pathways leading towards the beach, but it was a little challenging pulling detail out of the Milky Way. Probably because 16 miles to the north is Atlantic City lights which diminish the night sky visibility. Sea Isle is around 20 – 22 miles south of Atlantic City and the sky may be slightly darker which will be better for Milky Way shots.

Even further away from Atlantic City is Avalon Beach which is also one of my favorite places to go for decent Milky Way viewing.

Avalon is a further drive south than LBI, however I think it produces slightly better results. Typically you can find life guard stands or boats on the beach and use them for your composition.

5) Next on the list… Cape May, NJ

Cape May is a one of those classic beach towns that is resistant to change and I love that. You can see and feel the nostalgia as you explore this beautiful area. For milky way photography it is the furthest south we can go to get away from Philly and New York but we still run into a little problem. While the Milky Way is relatively good to photograph in Cape May, a south facing Milky Way starts to drift over light pollution from Maryland. (see photo below)

It’s not the end of the world, but it is something to consider when making the long trip down. There are plenty of trails and spots to explore in Cape May and the right composition can hide a lot of that light pollution. (see below)

Now I know what some of you are thinking… “These are all along the Jersey Shore coastline, but are there any spots inland?”

The short answer is yes, but it is not that great, which brings me to number…

6) Batsto Village and Wharton State Forest

Wharton State Forest is the largest forest in New Jersey and has some decent dark skies. One of the coolest (and slightly creepy) locations to photograph is Batsto Village. It is an old historic community site that has been dated back to the mid 1700’s! The historic structures here make for some interesting foreground features, however you are technically trespassing after sunset so proceed at your own risk. Below is a star trail image of Batsto Mansion!

Now it is possible to capture the Milky Way Galaxy here (or in the other areas within Wharton Forest), but it is quite faint and requires heavy editing to pull out detail in the core. For those interested in checking out Batsto Village, the address is: 31 Batsto Rd. Hammonton, NJ

So that wraps up the best spots to photograph the Milky Way in New Jersey. If you know some amazing locations in NJ that you would like to share feel free to leave a comment below. Also if want to learn how to take cleaner and sharper Milky Way photos then check out my youtube channel www.youtube.com/milkywaymike for tons of free information!
Don’t like to read? The video for this will also be available on my youtube channel!