Beach Boardwalk at South Cape May Meadows — a beach in Cape May County, New Jersey — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 1.0 km (0.6 mi) SSE of West Cape May.
From the National Park Service
The first stop on Cape May MAC (Museums+Arts+Culture)'s Underground Railroad Tour (a Network to Freedom Program), the Beach Boardwalk at South Cape May Meadows, allows visitors to immerse themselves in a viewshed that contrasts non-slavery New Jersey and pro-slavery Delaware and Maryland. Across the bay, on the horizon, is Delaware, a slave state before the Civil War. Further down the beach is the Cape May Lighthouse, a true beacon to enslaved people who braved the dangerous currents of Delaware Bay to reach the free state of New Jersey. In the 1850s, Cape May, at the southernmost tip of New Jersey, was a vibrant summer resort and a meeting place for North and South, attracting both southern planters and northern abolitionists and Underground Railroad leaders. Many stories of freedom seekers crossing these waters are recounted on the trolley tour. William Still, coordinator of the Underground Railroad in the Mid-Atlantic wrote two vivid accounts. In one story from his book, The Underground Railroad, Still wrote that in 1860 six freedom seekers set out from Worchester County, Maryland: “The Delaware Bay lay between them and the Jersey shore, which they desired to reach. They did not calculate, however that before leaving the Delaware shore they would have to contend with the enemy. Near Kate’s Hammock on the Delaware shore, they were attacked by five white men in a small boat.” Bloodied and wounded the freedom seekers escaped and finally landed on this beach. In the morning they found an oyster boat captain who offered to take them to Philadelphia. “When they found the captain, they were not far from Cape May light-house,” wrote Still. Due west of the beach across the Delmarva Peninsula is Maryland’s Eastern Shore, the birthplace of Harriet Tubman. In the summer of 1852 Harriet Tubman came to Cape May to earn money as a cook to continue her freedom runs. That fall she left, crossing the bay and going back to the Eastern Shore to lead nine family members and friends to freedom. She may have returned to the city one or two other summers according to the New Jersey Historical Commission. A few blocks from the beach at the intersection of Lafayette and Franklin Streets is an area that in the 1850s was alive with the discussion and debates of Philadelphia’s Black abolitionists and Underground Railroad leaders who vacationed in Cape May. Harriet Tubman had a
Text: National Park Service (public domain) — nps.gov.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Beach Boardwalk at South Cape May Meadows the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 75° in summer but only 28° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:04 AM | 90° E | 7:12 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:35 AM | 59° ENE | 8:29 PM | 302° WNW | 75° | 14h 54m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:48 AM | 89° E | 6:59 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:16 AM | 120° ESE | 4:42 PM | 240° WSW | 28° | 9h 26m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Beaches facing east suit sunrise and west-facing beaches suit sunset; wet sand mirrors the sky color during golden hour.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:48 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:58 AM | 4:21 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:31 PM | 9h 44m |
| February | 6:25 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:29 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 45m |
| March | 6:46 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:47 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:34 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 5:56 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:04 PM | 13h 13m |
| May | 5:18 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:36 PM | 14h 18m |
| June | 5:03 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 53m |
| July | 5:16 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 38m |
| August | 5:46 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 42m |
| September | 6:15 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:17 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:37 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 6:43 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:47 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:50 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 6:15 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:23 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:16 PM | 10h 04m |
| December | 6:42 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:54 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 27m |
Local time (America/New York), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Beach Boardwalk at South Cape May Meadows, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 5 (suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:07 AM – 5:17 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:16 AM – 5:36 AM | 1.3 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:12 AM – 4:42 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:14 AM – 3:54 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:27 PM – 3:27 AM | 5.0 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:20 PM – 2:10 AM | 3.8 | 22° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:36 PM – 12:06 AM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 8:41 PM – 10:01 PM | 1.3 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:52 PM – 8:02 PM | 0.2 | 12° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.19 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 54% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (64%). August is the warmest month and February the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 59 | 58 | 59 | 68 | 73 | 80 | 84 | 84 | 81 | 76 | 68 | 64 |
| Low °F | 18 | 15 | 25 | 35 | 42 | 55 | 64 | 68 | 58 | 46 | 34 | 24 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 5.1 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this beach
- Slow shutter speeds (0.5–2 s) turn receding waves into streaks that lead toward the horizon.
- Watch for sneaker waves; never turn your back on the ocean on exposed coasts.
- Salt spray coats lenses quickly; wipe often and rinse gear afterward.
- Fog and marine layers can make minimalist images; don't give up on grey days.
- Time visits around low tide to reveal tide pools, sea stacks and reflective sand — check the tide widget below.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Winter storms bring dramatic surf on Pacific coasts; summer and autumn sunsets are popular on Atlantic and Gulf beaches.
Suggested gear: Tripod, ND filters, Rain cover, Lens cloths. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Tides
The nearest NOAA tide prediction station is Cape May, Atlantic Ocean, 170 m away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Beach Boardwalk at South Cape May Meadows, closest first.
Ghost Town
Lighthouse
State Park
Beach
Beach
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
LighthouseFAQ
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Sources
Location data: National Park Service. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.