5 great places to find fossils
Dinosaur Park
13200 Block of Mid-Atlantic Boulevard
Laurel
301-627-7755
www.pgparks.com/things_to_do/nature/dinosaur_park.htm
The park is open by appointment only, except for noon to 4 p.m. the first and third Saturdays of every month.
Matoaka
4510 Matoaka Lane
St. Leonard
410-586-0269
www.matoakabeachcabins.com/
A good spot for a day trip, although this bay getaway does have cabins for extended stays. Expect to find a variety of fossils; this is a popular collection spot for paleontologists.
Purse State Park
Potomac River on Wades Bay in Charles County
301-743-7613
www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/southern/purse.asp
Expect to find fossilized sharks’ teeth, bones and shell fragments at low tide. Check the tides for Liverpool Point before you come: www.dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/tides/index.asp.
Westmoreland State Park
1650 State Park Road
Montross, Va.
804-493-8821
www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/wes.shtml
Fossil/hiking programs are available from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
York River State Park
5526 Riverview Road
Williamsburg, Va.
757-566-3036
www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/yor.shtml
William & Mary professor Rowan Lockwood says, “You don’t have to be a professional to find fossils in York River State Park. They’re common and easy to find. The most common fossils in this area are seashells, clams, oysters, snails. You can also find fossil fish and whale bone and sharks’ teeth anywhere from 9 million to 4 million years old.” The park offers a “Fossil Frenzy Hike” at 10 a.m. on Saturdays ($2 per person, or $6 per family).
Visiting Colonial National Historical Park
Getting there
Take I-95 south to Richmond, Va., then I-64 to Williamsburg. Colonial National Historical Park is three hours, or about 170 miles, from Bethesda. A seven-day pass to the park is $10 per person (children 15 and under are admitted free). The pass includes access to Historic Jamestown, Yorktown Battlefield and the Cape Henry Memorial.
Where to stay
Not sure you want to be inundated with people in prefabricated waistcoats and tricornered hats? Twenty minutes west of Colonial National Historical Park, in Williamsburg proper, is the very non-touristy, four-diamond Kingsmill Resort (1010 Kingsmill Road, Williamsburg, Va., 800-832-5665, www.kingsmill.com). The resort is a Preferred Hotel, with high-end luxury, but it also caters to families and those interested in recreation.
While the charming desk crew takes care of all the details, you’re free to enjoy the resort’s spa and other amenities. There’s a “River of Decadence Chocolate Wrap” (a pomegranate sugar and cranberry scrub, followed by a chocolate truffle body moisturizing wrap), and the “Deep Woodlands,” an exceptional, deep muscle massage. Then have a “Yam & Pumpkin Peel” facial and a mani-pedi. After, finish with a fizzy mineral soak and volcanic clay treatment to get your fossil-hunting digits working with the tides. The average daily rate for a standard guest room is $169.
Fossil hunting tips
- Though “fossil hunting” that doesn’t disturb the land is encouraged in most places, fossil collection (the actual removal of fossils from a property) is prohibited on public land (national parks, national forests and state parks), as well as on private property without the owner’s clear consent. The Paleontological Resources Preservation Act of 2009 spells out some of the guidelines for fossil seekers and also the penalties for fossil theft and vandalism on federal land. Some parks allow limited fossil collection during certain events supervised by park staff, but the best way to legally “collect” fossils is by capturing them on your camera. Contact individual park and forest representatives for additional information.
- Archaeological material (arrowheads, suspected war artifacts) should be turned in to a park service representative.
- Google the area you’ll be visiting before you go to find out what the local fossils look like. After you’ve photographed those you find, try to identify them. If Google can’t help, look through museum sites, such as the Smithsonian’s at www.paleobiology.si.edu/.
Sarah Gilbert Fox is a novelist (under her maiden name, Sarah Gilbert), journalist, editor and artist living in Baltimore.
