Located in Sussex County, New Jersey, High Point is a mountain peak at about 548 m (1,798 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Matamoras, about 6.2 km (3.9 mi) away (High Point lies SSE of town).
High Point is a mountain peak within High Point State Park on the border of Wantage Township and Montague Township, Sussex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located in the portion of the state known as the Skylands, it is the highest elevation in the state, with a peak elevation of 1,803 feet (550 m). The closest city is Port Jervis, New York, which lies to the northwest. Besides being the highest peak in New Jersey, High Point is also the highest peak of the Kittatinny Mountains. Three states – New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania – can be seen from the summit. At the peak is the High Point Monument, a 220-foot (67 m) obelisk, built in 1930 as a war memorial.From the Wikipedia article “High Point (New Jersey)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At High Point the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (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 72° in summer but only 25° 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) | 5:26 AM | 57° ENE | 8:36 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 10m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:47 AM | 89° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:22 AM | 121° ESE | 4:33 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 11m |
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
Summits catch first and last light — alpenglow can turn rock pink or orange minutes before sunrise and after sunset while valleys stay in shadow.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:52 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:06 AM | 4:12 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:25 PM | 9h 31m |
| February | 6:26 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:33 AM | 4:54 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 38m |
| March | 6:44 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:48 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:33 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:51 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:07 PM | 13h 19m |
| May | 5:09 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 30m |
| June | 4:52 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:08 PM | 15h 09m |
| July | 5:06 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:04 PM | 14h 52m |
| August | 5:39 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 51m |
| September | 6:12 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:16 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:38 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:43 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:42 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:47 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:18 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:29 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 53m |
| December | 6:47 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:03 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 13m |
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 High Point, 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 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 | 5:16 AM – 5:16 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:28 AM – 5:38 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:28 AM – 4:38 AM | 2.2 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:25 AM – 3:45 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:43 PM – 3:13 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:33 PM – 1:53 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:44 PM – 11:44 PM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 8:44 PM – 9:44 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:51 PM – 7:51 PM | 0.0 | 10° | 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: 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 ≈ 19.89 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 52% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (70%). 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 | 64 | 70 | 72 | 90 | 88 | 94 | 99 | 101 | 95 | 88 | 76 | 67 |
| Low °F | -14 | -19 | -8 | 18 | 28 | 37 | 47 | 48 | 37 | 21 | 5 | -5 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 3.5 | 4.1 |
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 mountain peak
- Clouds around the summit add drama — a clear blue sky is often the least interesting condition.
- Photograph the peak from a lake, meadow or ridge at sunrise when the face that looks east lights up first.
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer at high elevations — plan summit hikes for early morning.
- Snow on the summit holds detail best when you expose for the highlights and lift shadows later.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
Season: Early summer keeps snow on the peaks with green valleys below; autumn adds aspen or larch color in many ranges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Lightweight tripod, Warm layers, Microspikes in shoulder seasons. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of High Point, closest first.
State Park
Lake
National Wildlife Refuge
Waterfall
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Fire Lookout
Botanical Garden
WaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph High Point?
What time is golden hour at High Point?
Where does the sun rise and set at High Point?
Can you see the Milky Way from High Point?
Do you need a permit to photograph at High Point?
How far is High Point from Matamoras?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, 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.