Home Essex CountyCaldwell The Best Spots to Watch the Sunrise + Sunset in Essex County

The Best Spots to Watch the Sunrise + Sunset in Essex County

by Olivia Fisher
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Essex County’s unique position along the Watchung Mountain provides multiple vantage points for both sunsets and sunrises at spots like Eagle Rock Reservation and Mills Reservation, but it doesn’t stop there. Combined with tree-lined streets, green space, and rooftop access, the county is full of numerous spots to sit back and enjoy the sky as it changes color. Here at The Montclair Girl, we curated a list featuring several of these spots to share with our readers — especially since it’s summer. Read on for a list of sunrise and sunset spots in Essex County, New Jersey.

What Our List Features

This list explores several Essex County towns featuring parks, businesses, and streets that afford great views for sunrises and sunsets. The streets, whether they are Bloomfield Avenue or something a little shorter, are ideal for driving or walking down, and even better if you live on them.

The Best Spots

Eagle Rock Reservation

The best spots to view sunrise and sunset in Essex County, hands down, are located in the Watchung Mountains. With high elevation, these mountain ranges afford views of Manhattan, Orange Valley, and more. Most are familiar with the reservation’s vantage point directly off Eagle Rock Avenue. One of Eagle Rock’s best-kept secrets is its entrance across the street from 86 Afterglow Avenue in Verona. This trail to the top is steep but worth it. Follow the trail to the stairs and climb them, once you reach the top there is a bench and a view of Manhattan. For those interested in a secluded and quiet area, this is the ideal spot. The section off of Eagle Rock Avenue is also a popular destination for high school seniors to visit on their last-first day of school.

Read More: How to Have a European-Style Summer in Montclair

Mills Reservation

Mills Reservation is primarily in Cedar Grove, with a very small section in Montclair. This county park has several trails, one of which follows along the mountain ridge providing viewpoints of Manhattan and Montclair. At the top, there is a small bench and rocks to sit on.

Riker Hill Art Park

Riker Hill Art Park might just be the Essex County Park System’s best-kept secret. This quiet and rarely crowded spot is well hidden and tucked into a residential neighborhood in Livingston. Unlike Eagle Rock Reservation and Mills Reservation, both part of the First Watchung Mountain, Riker Hill Art Park is part of the lesser-known Third Watchung Mountain. We suggest watching the sunset from this spot near the wayside markers and a handful of parking spots.

South Mountain Reservation

While the trees have grown just too tall for anyone to see Manhattan from the South Mountain Reservation, this reservation has a lot to offer. From waterfalls to boating and even a restaurant, the South Mountain Reservation offers a lot from its roughly 2100 acres. We suggest watching the sunset at the Orange Reservoir. Grab an Adirondack chair at the south end of the reservoir, sit back, and enjoy.

Other Honorable Mentions

 


 

Bloomfield

  1. Bloomfield Avenue
  2. Brookside Park
  3. Garden State Parkway

The Caldwells

  1. Bloomfield Avenue
  2. Grover Cleveland Park | 118 Brookside Avenue

Cedar Grove

cedra grove

  1. Bradford Avenue
  2. Cedar Grove Park
  3. Pompton Avenue

Livingston

  1. Eisenhower Parkway
  2. Interstate 280
  3. Shrewsbury Drive

Millburn

milburn

  1. Downtown Millburn
  2. Greenwood Gardens | 274 Old Short Hills Road
  3. Taylor Park | 100 Main Street
  4. White Oak Ridge Road

Montclair

  1. Alto |  690 Bloomfield Avenue
  2. Edgemont Park | 274 Valley Road
  3. Highland Avenue
  4. Lloyd Terrace
  5. Mountain Avenue
  6. Presby Iris Gardens | 474 Upper Mountain Avenue
  7. South Mountain Avenue
  8. Sunset Park
  9. Upper Mountain Avenue
  10. Yantacaw Brook Park | 30 Club Road

Newark

  1. Branch Brook Park
  2. Interstate 78
  3. Interstate 280
  4. Newark Riverfront Park
  5. Pulaski Skyway
  6. Weequahic Park

Nutley

  1. Centre Street
  2. Kingsland Park
  3. Park Avenue
  4. Washington Street

South Orange

  1. Grove Park
  2. Seton Hall University
  3. South Orange Community Pool | 5 Mead Street
  4. West South Orange Avenue

Verona

hilltop

  1. Bloomfield Avenue
  2. Claremont Avenue at the corner of Hamilton Road
  3. Fairview Avenue
  4. Hilltop Reservation
  5. Kip’s Castle | 22 Crestmont Road
  6. Verona Community Pool | 880 Fairview Avenue
  7. Verona Park

See More: Hoboken + Jersey City Wedding Venues With a View of NYC

West Orange

  1. Eagle Rock Reservation
  2. Bernard Dengan Memorial Park
  3. Chit Chat Diner | 410 Eagle Rock Avenue
  4. Howell Drive
  5. Interstate 280
  6. Montclair Golf Club | 25 Prospect Avenue
  7. Northfield Avenue
  8. Rock Spring Golf Club | 90 Rock Spring Road
  9. The Highlawn | 1 Crest Drive
  10. Undercliff Terrace South
  11. Woodside Terrace

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