Buzz
Fossil hunting has long been a pursuit shared by both experts and enthusiasts, tracing back to the 1800s when 12-year-old Mary Anning and her brother Joseph unearthed an ichthyosaur skeleton near their Dorset, England home.
Today, numerous famous fossil sites are just a short drive from many of the nation’s major cities. For those curious about their discoveries, companies like Mid-Atlantic Fossil and Nature Adventures provide guided fossil-hunting tours led by professional paleontologists.
You: I discovered this incredible fossil! Can you tell me what it is?
Paleontologist: That’s just a rock.
If you prefer to explore on your own, we’ve compiled a list of locations where you can search for traces of ancient life. This list isn’t comprehensive, so you can also use Google to discover fossil-rich areas near you.
1. New Jersey
Big Brook, located near Freehold, New Jersey, is a fossil site just an hour from New York City. The fossils here are from the late Cretaceous period, making them 66 to 75 million years old. Bring a small shovel or trowel and a fossil screen (or a fine-holed colander) to uncover shark teeth, Mosasaur teeth, and the fanged teeth of an extinct fish called Enchodus.
2. Virginia
Stratford Hall, the birthplace of Robert E. Lee, is located near Westmoreland State Park. Both sites feature Potomac River beaches rich with Miocene-era fossils. While shark teeth of various types are common, the ultimate find is the massive Megalodon tooth, which can be as large as your hand and belongs to an ancient giant shark. Other discoveries include fossilized crocodile teeth, stingray dental plates, porpoise teeth, and whale bones.
3. Ohio
Caesar Creek State Park in Waynesville is home to a wealth of Ordovician-period fossils. With a permit from the park’s visitor center, you can legally collect fossils like trilobites, brachiopods, and gastropods. Ohio also boasts numerous quarries and rivers where marine fossils are abundant.
4. Texas
Texas offers several excellent fossil sites, including Post Oak Creek in Sherman, where fossilized shells and shark teeth can be found. Additionally, Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose features impressive fossilized dinosaur tracks.
5. Pennsylvania
A fern fossil site near Hancock Road in St. Clair exists, but it’s tricky to locate without a guide. The Montour Fossil Pit in Danville, PA, is easier to find—marked by a parking lot sign labeled “Montour Fossil Pit.” This Devonian-era site yields trilobites, snails, and brachiopods. Rock hammers and chisels are essential here, as the fossils are embedded in shale.
6. California
Capitola, located south of Santa Cruz, boasts Pliocene-era fossils on its beaches. At low tide, you can discover snails, clams, and sand dollars. San Francisco’s Ocean Beach also offers Pleistocene-era marine fossils like sand dollars. Sites such as Sharktooth Hill near Bakersfield are managed by museums or parks, which may limit collecting or require fees.
7. West Virginia
A quarry near Wardensville, West Virginia, is an excellent spot to discover Devonian-era fossils like trilobites. Located four miles west of Wardensville on Route 55, The Fossil Guy can provide detailed directions.
8. Colorado
Notable sites include the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument and the Florissant Fossil Quarry nearby. While collecting is prohibited at the monument, the quarry is a pay-to-dig location where you can uncover plant, insect, and even rare bird fossils. The Creede Formation near Creede, Colorado, is another great spot, though you’ll need to search online for exact coordinates.
9. Florida
The Peace River is rich with shark teeth, as well as the teeth and bones of large mammals such as camels and mastodons. (Yes, mastodons!) You can search the shallows with a snorkel and sifter or explore the riverbanks—but watch out for alligators. A small boat like a canoe or kayak is ideal for accessing tight areas. While no permit is needed for shark teeth, a permit is required for other fossils, so it’s wise to obtain one just in case.
Florida’s beaches are treasure troves for fossils. Manasota Key is known for shark teeth, including Megalodon, and some have even discovered bison and giant sloth teeth on Jacksonville Beach.
10. Maryland
Purse State Park features a Potomac River beach rich with Paleocene-era shark teeth and stunning Turritella fossil snail shells. Visiting at low tide is ideal, though the parking lot can be tricky to locate. Brownie's Beach in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, offers Miocene-era shark teeth, including Mako and Megalodon specimens.
Sources: The Fossil Forum, Cathy Young from Mid-Atlantic Fossil and Nature Adventures.
