Lake Hopatcong Webcam – New Jersey’s Largest Lake

The Lake Hopatcong Webcam stands on the fuel dock at Bridge Marina in Jefferson Township and looks out over the largest freshwater lake in New Jersey. Boats pull up to the pumps right below the lens, rows of covered runabouts and pontoons sit in their slips on the right, and open water leads across to a wooded hillside lined with houses and private docks. The wide-angle view is a quick way to check the wind on the water, the traffic in the channel and the color of the trees before you head out. It shifts a lot through the year, from crowded slips and crisscrossing wakes in July to orange and red woods in October and a quiet, lowered lake over the winter. Bridge Marina runs the camera around the clock.

About Lake Hopatcong

Lake Hopatcong covers about 10 square kilometers (4 square miles) in the hills of northern New Jersey and runs roughly 14 kilometers (9 miles) from end to end. Its shore is split between Sussex and Morris counties and four municipalities: Hopatcong, Mount Arlington, Roxbury Township and Jefferson Township, where Bridge Marina sits on Brady Road in the Brady Park neighborhood. The Musconetcong River leaves the lake at its outlet, now the site of Hopatcong State Park.

Much of the lake is man-made. Two natural bodies of water, Great Pond and Little Pond, were first dammed in 1750, and a dam for the Brookland Forge, built between 1750 and 1764, raised the water about 1.8 meters (6 feet). In 1831 the Morris Canal Company replaced that dam to supply its canal, lifting the level 3.7 meters (12 feet) above the original Great Pond and flooding the lake to nearly its present shape. The flooding left a ragged shoreline of coves and points. Halsey Island and Raccoon Island are the only true islands, while Bertrand Island and Liffy Island are now joined to the shore as peninsulas.

The marina itself has 96 slips and a fuel dock, and it rents boats, teaches boating lessons and runs a members’ boating club that reaches its 20th year in 2026. Because the Lake Hopatcong Webcam is mounted above the fuel dock, the boats closest to the lens are usually there to fill up before a day on the water.

Weather and Climate at Lake Hopatcong

The lake has four distinct seasons. July afternoons reach about 28 C (83 F), with nights near 19 C (66 F), and this is when the slips in the frame are fullest and the channel is busiest. Spring warms from April highs around 14 C (58 F), and by October days are back near 17 C (63 F) with nights about 9 C (47 F). Mid to late October is when the hardwoods on the far shore turn orange, red and gold, and the Lake Hopatcong Webcam showed exactly that in the third week of October 2026.

Winters are cold. January highs average about 2.5 C (36 F) and lows about minus 5 C (22 F), and most of the snow falls between December and March. The state lowers the lake each November and holds it down through the winter to leave room for spring meltwater and rain, so the water sits lower in the frame during the cold months. In a hard winter the lake ices over, and ice fishing, skating and iceboating take over from the summer boat traffic.

Things to Do Near Lake Hopatcong

Getting on the water is the obvious start. Bridge Marina rents pontoon boats by the day and runs small-group lessons with a professional instructor. The cruise boat Miss Lotta, a 17 meter (57 foot) SkipperLiner that sails from Nolan’s Point, offers brunch, sightseeing and themed cruises around the lake. Anglers come for bass, muskellunge, pickerel, perch, sunfish and catfish, and the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife stocks the lake with trout every spring. Herons, eagles and waterfowl are often seen along the shoreline.

On land, Hopatcong State Park at the lake’s outlet has a swimming area with lifeguards in designated sections, shore fishing and a boat launch. The Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum, open since 1955 in the old lock tender’s house of the Morris Canal, covers the Lenape who lived here, the canal era and the lake’s later history. For a hike, Mahlon Dickerson Reservation on Weldon Road in Jefferson Township spreads over more than 1,400 hectares (3,500 acres), with 43 kilometers (27 miles) of multi-use trails, Saffin Pond and Headley Overlook, one of the highest points in Morris County. Its campground takes tents and RVs from April to November.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More marina, lake and wildlife views from New Jersey and the Northeast:

• Atlantic City Marina Webcam
• Watkins Glen Webcam
• Duke Farms Eagle Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Lake Hopatcong located?

Lake Hopatcong is in northern New Jersey, on the line between Sussex and Morris counties, about 58 kilometers (36 miles) west-northwest of Midtown Manhattan in a straight line. The webcam is at Bridge Marina on Brady Road in Jefferson Township, Morris County.

What can you see on the Lake Hopatcong Webcam?

The camera looks down on Bridge Marina’s fuel dock and the boats tied up at it, with covered boats in their slips to the right and open water stretching to a wooded shore lined with homes and docks. Passing boats cross the middle of the frame through the boating season.

What is the weather like at Lake Hopatcong?

Summers are warm, with July highs near 28 C (83 F). Winters are cold, with January highs around 2.5 C (36 F), lows near minus 5 C (22 F) and snow mainly from December to March. Spring and fall are mild, and the hills around the lake show their fall color by mid to late October.

How big is Lake Hopatcong?

It is the largest freshwater lake in New Jersey, at about 10 square kilometers (4 square miles), or roughly 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres), and about 14 kilometers (9 miles) long.

Does Lake Hopatcong freeze in winter?

In cold winters the lake ices over, and ice fishing, skating, iceboating and ice sailing become the main activities. The state also draws the water level down each November and keeps it low until spring.

Where can you swim at Lake Hopatcong?

Hopatcong State Park, where the Musconetcong River leaves the lake, has a public swimming area with lifeguards on duty in the designated sections. Check the park’s notices before you go, since swimming seasons and rules can change.

What fish can you catch in Lake Hopatcong?

Bass, muskellunge, pickerel, perch, sunfish and catfish all live in the lake, and trout are stocked each spring by the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife. Anglers over 16 need a New Jersey fishing license.

Source: Bridge Marina