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There’s a 12-acre park in Atlantic Highlands where you can see four of New York City’s five boroughs, the Verrazzano Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, One World Trade Center, and the Sandy Hook Lighthouse – all from a single overlook.
Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook sits at 266 feet above sea level, making it the highest point on the Atlantic seaboard from Maine all the way to the Yucatan Peninsula. That’s not a typo – this little hilltop in Monmouth County holds that distinction.
It is one of my favorite places to visit when I need to find some calm – and it always serves as a reminder of all that we lost in 2001 – and how we should appreciate every day we are given. These images were taken in June 2026, but no matter what time of year you go, the views never get old!
How it got its name
In 1816, a surveying expedition named this headland after Dr. Samuel Latham Mitchill, a physician, naturalist, botanist, and U.S. Congressman who measured its elevation using a barometer.
Mitchill was a fascinating figure in his own right — he held degrees in both medicine and law, taught chemistry and natural history at Columbia College, rode on Robert Fulton’s first steamboat, helped excavate one of America’s first mammoths, and was so encyclopedic in his knowledge that Thomas Jefferson reportedly called him “the Congressional Dictionary.”
From threatened hilltop to protected park
For much of its history, Mount Mitchill was mostly barren and unkempt, with a private refreshment stand and picnic area on one of the lots. In the 1940s, there was an effort to make it a state park, but it didn’t happen.
Then came the real threat — developers planned to build a second 10-story apartment building on the site, to match one already approved on the Highlands side of the crest. Local residents pushed back hard, and in 1973 the Monmouth County Park System acquired the land with NJ Green Acres funding, saving it from development for good.
The park system built parking and viewing areas, planted oaks and cedars to control erosion along the steep slopes, and preserved a remnant of old-growth chestnut oak forest that still survives there. In 1995, the overlook got a full upgrade with redesigned parking, interpretive panels, and landscaping.
A place of remembrance
Mount Mitchill first became a commemorative site in 1980, when the park system installed flagpoles and a plaque honoring the eight soldiers who died during the U.S. Embassy hostage crisis in Iran.
But September 11, 2001 changed this place forever. The smoke from the World Trade Center attack was visible from Mount Mitchill, and on that day and for months afterward, hundreds of people came here to watch, to grieve, and to reflect. Monmouth County lost 147 residents in the attacks.
In 2002 a memorial committee formed, and after reviewing 30 design proposals and raising nearly $300,000 in donations, the Monmouth County 9/11 Memorial was dedicated on September 11, 2005.
It has three components: a timeline walkway that chronicles three hours of the events of that morning, a granite base engraved with the names, ages, and hometowns of all 147 victims, and a limestone eagle sculpture by Marlboro artist Franco Minervini — clutching an actual steel beam salvaged from the World Trade Center towers. Seven birch trees and a large grass field represent the four hijacked planes, the three buildings attacked, and the field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
At the end of the path, an opening faces the exact spot where the Twin Towers once stood. Today, you see the Freedom Tower in their place.
What you’ll find when you visit
Beyond the memorial and the views, there’s a playground for kids, interpretive panels about the area’s geology and history, and panaviewers to help you pick out landmarks across the water.
The park is open daily starting at 7 a.m., year-round. It’s a small park – you won’t need more than an hour – but it’s one of those places you’ll be glad you stopped.
📍 460 Ocean Boulevard, Atlantic Highlands, NJ 07716
🗓️ Park opens at 7 a.m. daily, year round. Closing time is 9:30 p.m. through July 26; 9 p.m. July 27-August 23; and 8:30 p.m. August 24-September 13.
Have you been to Mount Mitchill? What was it like for you?
