This Waterfront State Park Is One of the Best Places In America To Hunt for Fossils

Southern Maryland is known for its rich colonial history, incredible seafood, and scenic natural beauty. Along the coast, you can find charming waterfront towns and plenty of local parks to spend the day fishing or boating. What many don’t know is that one of the most unique state parks in the country is tucked along this stretch of shoreline with some of the best fossil hunting in the U.S.

Calvert Cliffs State Park is a 1,400-acre state park with a sandy beach, fishing pond and 13 miles of hiking trails. Named for the massive cliffs that stretch across 32 miles of shoreline, Calvert Cliffs is also a mecca for fossil hunters. “We have visitors to Calvert Cliffs State Park that have come from all over the world for fossil hunting,” says Samantha Kuss, a ranger at Calvert Cliffs State Park.

The cliffs were formed 10 to 20 million years ago when all of Southern Maryland was submerged in a warm, shallow sea. When the water receded, the cliffs were exposed and began eroding, revealing prehistoric remains. During the Miocene era, crocodiles, rhino species, and peccary (pigs) resided on area lands, while whales, sharks, and massive seabirds roamed the water. Due to the warmer climate, the area waters acted as a nursing ground for whales and dolphins, making it the ideal hunting ground for sharks. Megalodon–the largest shark to ever live–were frequent visitors back in the day.

Today, Calvert Cliffs State Park is one of the top coastal fossil hunting spots in the world. More than 600 species of fossils from the Miocene era have been identified at the park, including Chesapectens, Ecphora, shark teeth, and Miocene-era oyster shells.

While most fossil hunters can walk away with a few shark teeth and bone vertebrae, a lucky few have hit the jackpot with rare, coveted discoveries. Notable finds include a partial skeleton of a Miocene-era seabird, and a complete baleen whale skull weighing more than 650 pounds. In 2022, 9-year-old Molly Sampson was wading the shores of the beach when she discovered a 5-inch megalodon shark tooth bigger than her hand. The tooth belonged to an Otodus megalodon, a now-extinct shark that was once the largest marine predator in the world.

Unearthing Prehistoric Treasures

Calvert Cliffs became a state park in the 1960s but the area has been known for fossil hunting for more than a century. “Calvert Cliffs is world famous for its Miocene exposures,” says local geologist and area resident Dan Hamilton. “The Smithsonian has been collecting fossils from this area since at least the 1930’s.” Hamilton conducts guided fossil hunting tours through his company, Megalodon Adventures, and recommends fossil hunters time their visit to coincide with low tide.

To reach the beach below the cliffs, take the 1.8-mile Red Trail to the quarter-mile of sandy beach. Visitors are prohibited from digging directly in the cliffs or right below them, due to the dangers of erosion and landslides, but you can use a shovel to dig in the sand along the shoreline. Hamilton recommends fossil hunters search along the water’s edge where the waves break in search of whale bone vertebrae, crocodile teeth, and ray plates. “You’re looking for dark triangles,” Hamilton says. “And if you’re only looking for big ones, you’re missing a lot.”

Over the years, Hamilton has found his own unique treasures, including a preserved sea urchin, a 12-inch whale vertebra, and a 5,000-year-old spearpoint that can be traced to native tribes from the region. A rare find may be the goal, but for Hamilton, the sense of adventure and connection with nature is just as much a part of the experience. “Fossil hunting scratches the itch of treasure hunting,” he says. “But it’s also an area rich in beauty where you may see a bald eagle or Great Blue Heron while wading the waters.”

Take Home A Piece Of The Past

You don’t need any experience to try fossil hunting, since park rangers are on hand to help identify possible finds. If you want to gain more in-depth knowledge about paleontology, head to the nearby Calvert Marine Museum. Located just 15 minutes from the park, the museum is home to the Maryland state paleontology lab. You can view permanent exhibits on Calvert Cliffs, the formation of the Chesapeake Bay, and learn how fossils are preserved in the fossil prep lab.

Anyone can visit Calvert Cliffs State Park, whether to spend a day at the park’s beach or view the abundant wildlife in the park’s natural areas. There’s a fishing pond stocked seasonally with rainbow trout, picnic areas, and plenty of hiking along wooded trails and scenic tidal marshland. But it’s the fossil hunting that draws thousands of visitors annually. “Calvert Cliffs is such a unique opportunity for people to experience nature in Maryland in a way that’s not typical,” Kuss says. “There’s plenty of waterfront in the state, but not everywhere has these cliffs from millions of years ago that are packed with such incredible artifacts.”

Read the original article on Southern Living