These Are The Prettiest Spots to Watch a Winter Sunrise in New Jersey

Whether you're at the beach or in the mountains, a winter sunrise is spectacular

ISTOCK.COM/CARRIE THOMPSON / A Lake in the Delaware Water Gap

It’s natural to want to hibernate in January but there’s something special about a sunrise that will make even night owls want to get up early to see it in all it’s splendor, even in the winter.

ISTOCK.COM / LEEMBE / Delaware Water Gap

Photobook company Mixbook recently surveyed 3,123 people to ask where the best spots to watch a winter sunrise are in the country, and two New Jersey locations made the list.

Water Gap Overlook, which is located along the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, ranks 55th on the list. It’s located along the Appalachian Trail, where you can hike along the path. The overlook area offers views of both the Delaware River and the cliffs.

ISTOCK.COM/EDGAR FELIZ / Island Beach State Park

Island Beach State Park, a 10-mile barrier island from Barnegat Bay to the Atlantic Ocean, offers views of the Atlantic Ocean. No. 70 on the overall list, the Berkely Twp. area has pretty sand dunes, tidal marshes and seaside forests that line its pathways.

Meteorologists say sunrises and sunsets are spectacular in the winter because of the scattering, reflection and refraction of light, the survey found. And because the sun doesn’t rise until around 7 am in NJ in the winter, it means you can get up a little later, too.

ISTOCK.COM/JORGE MORO / Island Beach State Park

There’s also something magical about being near High Point State Park, or even the Poconos, and seeing the sun come up over snow-capped mountains. It delivers a whole new level of splendor to the sunrise.

We highly encourage visiting the Delaware Water Gap, Island Beach State Park or even your backyard at least once this winter to see the beauty firsthand.

The Top 10 Spots in America to See a Winter Sunrise:

  1. Hatcher Pass (Talkeetna Mountains), Alaska
  2. Pinnacles National Park, California
  3. 3 Great Island Trail (Wellfleet, Cape Cod), Massachusetts
  4. 4 Cape Lookout National Seashore, North Carolina
  5. Alabama Hills (Eastern Sierra), California
  6. Sleeping Bear Dunes (Empire Bluffs Trail), Michigan
  7. Lake Martin (Breaux Bridge), Louisiana
  8. Snow Canyon State Park, Utah
  9. Snowy Range Scenic Byway (Lake Marie Overlook), Wyoming
  10. Sugarloaf Mountain, Maryland

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