Waterloo Village is a ghost town in Sussex County, New Jersey. It sits roughly 4.2 km (2.6 mi) WNW of Stanhope. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Waterloo Village is a restored 19th-century canal town in Byram Township, Sussex County (west of Stanhope) in northwestern New Jersey, United States. The community was approximately the half-way point in the roughly 102 miles (164 km) trip along the Morris Canal, which ran from Jersey City (across the Hudson River from Manhattan, New York) to Phillipsburg, New Jersey, (across the Delaware River from Easton, Pennsylvania). Waterloo possessed all the accommodations necessary to service the needs of a canal operation, including an inn, a general store, a church, a blacksmith shop (to service the mules on the canal), and a watermill. For canal workers, Waterloo's geographic location would have been conducive to being an overnight stopover point on the two-day trip between Phillipsburg and Jersey City. It is currently an open-air museum in Allamuchy Mountain State Park. As part of the...From the Wikipedia article “Waterloo Village, New Jersey”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Waterloo Village the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:03 AM | 90° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:28 AM | 58° ENE | 8:35 PM | 303° WNW | 73° | 15h 07m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:47 AM | 89° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:21 AM | 121° ESE | 4:35 PM | 239° WSW | 26° | 9h 14m |
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
Weathered wood and rusted metal show texture best in low-angle light; overcast skies suit interiors and moody black-and-white work.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:52 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:05 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:56 PM | 5:26 PM | 9h 34m |
| February | 6:26 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:33 AM | 4:55 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:02 PM | 10h 39m |
| March | 6:44 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:48 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:33 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:52 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:07 PM | 13h 18m |
| May | 5:11 AM | 5:42 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 28m |
| June | 4:54 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:09 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:07 PM | 15h 06m |
| July | 5:08 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 50m |
| August | 5:40 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 49m |
| September | 6:13 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:17 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:38 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:43 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:43 PM | 6:20 PM | 6:48 PM | 11h 09m |
| November | 6:18 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:11 PM | 9h 55m |
| December | 6:46 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:01 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:04 PM | 9h 15m |
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 Waterloo Village, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 20° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 6 (bright 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 | 5:16 AM – 5:16 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:28 AM – 5:38 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:27 AM – 4:37 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:24 AM – 3:44 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:41 PM – 3:11 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:32 PM – 1:52 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:43 PM – 11:53 PM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:44 PM – 9:54 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:51 PM – 7:51 PM | 0.0 | 11° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| 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: 6 Bortle 6 — Bright suburban sky. The Milky Way is only visible near the zenith; the sky glows grey-orange in photos. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.16 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 51% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (64%). July is the warmest month and January 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 | 67 | 71 | 73 | 91 | 88 | 96 | 102 | 101 | 96 | 92 | 75 | 71 |
| Low °F | -2 | -3 | 0 | 24 | 33 | 44 | 52 | 53 | 43 | 28 | 14 | 6 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 4.4 |
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 ghost town
- Old buildings under the Milky Way make strong night images in dark rural skies.
- Look for details: door hinges, faded signs, square nails and window frames tell the story.
- Leave everything as you found it; removing artifacts from public land is illegal.
- Respect private property and closures: many ghost towns are on private land or protected historic sites — never enter unstable buildings.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
Season: High-elevation mining towns are reachable mostly from June to October; desert ghost towns are best in spring and autumn.
Suggested gear: Wide-angle lens, Tripod, Headlamp, Sturdy boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Private property: Many ghost towns sit on private land or protected historic sites. Respect signs, never enter unstable buildings and leave artifacts in place.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Waterloo Village, closest first.
State Park
State Park
State Park
Lake
State Park
Lake
Waterfall
State Park
State ParkCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Alosa Campsites26 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Rivers Bend Group Campground27 km (17 mi) · reservable
- Valley View Group Campground28 km (18 mi) · reservable
- Worthington State Forest Campground30 km (18 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Waterloo Village?
What time is golden hour at Waterloo Village?
Where does the sun rise and set at Waterloo Village?
Can you see the Milky Way from Waterloo Village?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Waterloo Village?
How far is Waterloo Village from Stanhope?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, Wikipedia. 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.