# Absecon Lighthouse 2026-09-07 · Absecon Lighthouse · Atlantic City, New Jersey · Event New Jersey's tallest lighthouse — 171 feet, 228 visitor steps, and the original first-order Fresnel lens still in the watchroom — is the strongest Sunday morning climb candidate on the route. New Jersey's tallest lighthouse — 171 feet, 228 visitor steps, and the original first-order Fresnel lens still in the watchroom — is the strongest Sunda… --- Absecon is New Jersey's tallest lighthouse at 171 feet and the third-tallest masonry lighthouse in the United States. Its 228 visitor steps lead to the watchroom, where the original first-order Fresnel lens remains in place. That combination — height, original lens, urban setting — makes it one of the strongest climb candidates on the route. The tower was first lit in 1857 and decommissioned in 1933, but the site's lens is illuminated nightly. Restoration created a keeper's dwelling museum, an oil-house Fresnel exhibit and public grounds around the tower. The location also corrects a common visual assumption about Atlantic City. The city's maritime history did not begin with casinos and boardwalk entertainment. Absecon was there to solve a shipping problem first. Project-management note If Absecon becomes the Saturday stretch goal, do not attempt it unless Tuckerton is complete with comfortable margin. Otherwise make it the Sunday 8 a.m. anchor. A major tower climb is easier to budget at the start of a day than as the last required stop before closing. Worth noticing nearby The Atlantic City Boardwalk and Inlet are nearby, and the lighthouse is within walking distance of major resort development. During the Challenge, that density is a traffic and parking consideration more than a sightseeing opportunity. Stop facts Stop9TypeLighthouse siteAddress31 South Rhode Island Avenue, Atlantic CityTownAtlantic CityFirst lit / built1857Climb228 visitor steps; original first-order Fresnel lens at the top2026 night climbNoDefault dwell40 min SOURCE NOTES • Absecon Lighthouse --- ProbleMattic is written and maintained by Matthew Kulcsar, a software engineer, project manager, technologist, platform builder, emergency-services-trained helper, grandfather, and lifelong collector of broken systems, odd behaviors, and useful nonsense.