Pinwheel Vista
Pinwheel Vista sits at 1,221 feet on the Western Highlands Scenic Byway, facing 291°, with the land dropping 686 feet within 600 meters of the overlook. The view spans west-northwest to southwest, taking in Maple Grange Park at 2.1 miles, Vernon Valley Lake Beach and a nearby beach at 2.3 miles, and Pochuck Mountain Sanctuary and Janet Van Gelder Wildlife Sanctuary at 3.3 miles. Farther out, to the west-southwest, lie a fishing village, sprayground, cliff jump, surf hill, and Hide Tide Wavepool, all between 3.6 and 3.7 miles out, along with Zoom Ziplines at Mountain Creek and Vernon Peak (1,400 feet) at 3.7 to 3.8 miles to the southwest. The facing direction is oriented 21 degrees off due west, putting it roughly toward the sunset; sunset times at this location range from 16:33 in December to 20:35 in June. The overlook is a considerable distance from major cities, with Newark 36.0 miles south-southeast, Jersey City 39.8 miles south-southeast, and New York 41.5 miles south-southeast.
What you’re looking at
Named terrain inside the view from this overlook, nearest first.
- Maple Grange Park464 ftwest-northwest · 2.1 mi
- Vernon Valley Lake Beach422 ftwest-northwest · 2.3 mi
- Beach425 ftwest-northwest · 2.3 mi
- Pochuck Mountain Sanctuary873 ftwest-northwest · 3.3 mi
- Janet Van Gelder Wildlife Sanctuary691 ftwest-northwest · 3.3 mi
- Fishing Village607 ftwest-southwest · 3.6 mi
- Sprayground607 ftwest-southwest · 3.6 mi
- Cliff Jump611 ftwest-southwest · 3.7 mi
- Zoom Ziplines at Mountain Creek1,351 ftsouthwest · 3.7 mi
- Surf Hill773 ftwest-southwest · 3.7 mi
- Hide Tide Wavepool668 ftwest-southwest · 3.7 mi
- Vernon Peak1,400 ftsouthwest · 3.8 mi
Light
This overlook faces sunset — 21° off square to it.
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Golden hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:02 | 19:10 | 18:34 |
| June solstice | 05:26 | 20:35 | 19:53 |
| September equinox | 06:46 | 18:57 | 18:20 |
| December solstice | 07:21 | 16:33 | 15:48 |
Local time (America/New_York). Computed for this exact position.
Where it is
- Newark36.0 mi south-southeast
- Jersey City39.8 mi south-southeast
- New York41.5 mi south-southeast
Take the scenic way to Pinwheel Vista.
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How high is Pinwheel Vista?
Pinwheel Vista sits at about 1,221 feet (372 m).
What can you see from Pinwheel Vista?
From Pinwheel Vista: Maple Grange Park (WNW, 2.1 mi); Vernon Valley Lake Beach (WNW, 2.3 mi); Beach (WNW, 2.3 mi); Pochuck Mountain Sanctuary (WNW, 3.3 mi).
Is Pinwheel Vista better at sunrise or sunset?
Sunset. The land falls away from Pinwheel Vista toward the sunset, so at sunrise the light is behind you. Exact times shift through the year; the page shows the current window.
What is the nearest town to Pinwheel Vista?
Newark, 36 miles SSE of Pinwheel Vista.
Drive to Pinwheel Vista with Byway
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Byways with this lookout
Day trips start here
- Skylands · 10 mi
- Sussex County · 13 mi
- Passaic County · 15 mi
- Suffern · 17 mi
- Lake Hopatcong · 20 mi
- Wyckoff · 20 mi
Locals make it Verified.
Pinwheel Vista — confirmed, rated, and photographed by people who actually pulled over. A local confirmation is what upgrades a lookout from Discovered to Verified. Zero hallucinations.
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Named places near this lookout
- Wawayanda Mountain Peak · 1.27 mi
- Highland Lakes Beach 1 Beach · 2.68 mi
- Pochuck Mountain Sanctuary Nature reserve · 3.29 mi
- Maple Hill Peak · 3.33 mi
- Round Hill Peak · 3.93 mi
- Browns Point Park · 6.61 mi
- Stony Creek Wildlife Sanctuary Nature reserve · 6.81 mi
- Emerald Forest Property Nature reserve · 7.06 mi