🪨 Fossils
From shark teeth in Florida to dinosaurs in Montana, the US offers world-class fossil hunting for all skill levels.
Best Places to Find Fossils
Fairy Stone State Park
Stuart, Virginia · State Park
Hunt for Staurolite crystals that naturally form in cross shapes, known as 'fairy stones' or 'fairy crosses.' These unique formations can often be fou...
Calvert Cliffs State Park
Lusby, Maryland · State Park
World-famous Miocene fossil site. Collect fossil shark teeth (megs), shells, and marine mammal bones along 15 miles of Chesapeake Bay shoreline.
Flag Ponds Nature Park
Lusby, Maryland · County Park
Excellent Calvert Cliffs fossil hunting site. Shark teeth, ray plates, and marine mammal fossils on Chesapeake Bay beaches.
Potomac River Fossil Beds
Accokeek, Maryland · Public Land
Cretaceous fossil deposits along the Potomac River. Dinosaur teeth, bones, and plant fossils can be found in the eroding banks.
Venice Beach Fossil Beds
Venice, Florida · Public Beach
World-famous for fossil shark teeth. Venice is the Shark Tooth Capital of the World. Walk the beaches after storms for megalodon and other species.
Peace River
Arcadia, Florida · Public Land
Fossil-hunting in the Peace River using screens. Megalodon teeth, mammoth bones, giant sloth claws, and more. Canoe or kayak access.
Jupiter Inlet Fossil Site
Jupiter, Florida · Public Land
Fossil shell and shark tooth deposits along the Jupiter Inlet. Shell pits and dredge spoil sites in the area produce excellent fossils.
Boulder Field Fossil Site
Gainesville, Florida · Fee Dig
Fee-dig fossil site in north-central Florida. Screened fossil material from local river beds. Good family-friendly fossil hunting.
Lake Wales Area Fossils
Lake Wales, Florida · Fee Dig
Phosphate mining area in central Florida known for fossil shark teeth, whale bones, and other marine fossils.
Badlands Fossil Areas
Interior, South Dakota · USFS Land
Buffalo Gap National Grassland (USFS) allows limited fossil collecting of common invertebrates. Vertebrate fossils are protected. Rich Oligocene mamma...
Hell Creek Formation (ND)
Marmarth, North Dakota · BLM Land
World-famous dinosaur fossil beds. T. rex, triceratops, and other Cretaceous fossils found here. Surface collection of small fossils permitted on BLM ...
Ashfall Fossil Beds State Park
Royal, Nebraska · State Park
Remarkably preserved Miocene fossil site. Ancient rhinos, horses, and camels preserved by volcanic ash. Active dig site with museum.
Kansas Chalk Beds (Niobrara Chalk)
Oakley, Kansas · BLM Land
The Niobrara Chalk of western Kansas yields incredible marine fossils including mosasaurs, pteranodons, and giant fish. Invertebrate fossils collectib...
Tucson Gem and Mineral Show
Tucson, Arizona · Event
The world's largest gem and mineral show. Every February. Hundreds of dealers, exhibits, and events across the city.
Quartzsite Gem Show
Quartzsite, Arizona · Event
Massive January-February gem show in the desert. Hundreds of vendors, rockhounding field trips, and tailgating. A mecca for rockhounds.
Green River Formation
Kemmerer, Wyoming · Fee Dig
World-famous Eocene fossil fish beds. Multiple fee-dig operations where you can split shale to find 50-million-year-old fish (Knightia) and other foss...
Warfield Springs Fossil Area
Kemmerer, Wyoming · Fee Dig
Fee-dig fossil quarry in the Green River Formation. Known for well-preserved fossil fish and plant specimens.
American Fossil Quarry
Kemmerer, Wyoming · Fee Dig
Fee-dig fossil quarry in the Green River Formation. Excellent preservation of fish, plants, and insects. Guide assistance available.
Missouri Trilobite Beds
Sedalia, Missouri · Public Land
Road cuts and exposures in central Missouri producing Devonian trilobite fossils including the state fossil (crinoid).
Indiana Geode & Fossil Beds
Bedford, Indiana · Public Land
Southern Indiana creek beds and road cuts for geodes, calcite crystals, and crinoid fossils. Part of the prolific Mississippian bedrock.
Ohio Trilobite Exposures
Sylvania, Ohio · Public Land
Road cuts and exposures in northwest Ohio for Devonian trilobites, brachiopods, and other Paleozoic fossils.
Mississippi Fossil Beds
Jackson, Mississippi · Public Land
Pearl River and other Mississippi waterways for Miocene marine fossils. Shark teeth, whale bones, and shells.
South Carolina Fossil Beds
Charleston, South Carolina · Public Land
Coastal rivers and beaches for fossil shark teeth. The Cooper River and Ashley River beds are famous for megalodon teeth.
West Virginia Fossil Beds
Valley Head, West Virginia · Public Land
Road cuts and exposures for Carboniferous plant fossils, marine fossils, and occasional flint/chert specimens.
West Virginia Lithographic Limestone
White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia · Public Land
Greenbrier County limestone beds for high-quality lithographic stone and fine fossil specimens.
Pennsylvania Trilobite Beds
Annville, Pennsylvania · Public Land
Road cuts in central Pennsylvania for Devonian trilobites (Phacops, the state fossil), brachiopods, and corals.
Pennsylvania Anthracite Mine Dumps
Pottsville, Pennsylvania · Public Land
Coal mine dumps in the anthracite region for Carboniferous plant fossils (lepidodendron, sigillaria, ferns).
Alaska Fossil Beds (Point Hope)
Point Hope, Alaska · Public Land
Coastal exposures for mammoth tusks, bison bones, and Pleistocene fossils. Remote locations requiring serious expedition.
Delaware Bay Fossil Beaches
Lewes, Delaware · Public Beach
Delaware Bay beaches for fossil shark teeth, shells, and Miocene marine fossils. Best after storms. Similar to Calvert Cliffs across the bay.
Falls of the Ohio Fossil Beds
Clarksville, Indiana · State Park
World-famous Devonian fossil beds exposed on the Ohio River. Over 600 species identified. Some of the largest exposed coral reefs from the Devonian pe...
Tunica Hills Fossil Beds
St. Francisville, Louisiana · Public Land
Loess bluffs and creek beds for fossil shells and marine mammal remains. The Tunica Hills region exposes ancient Mississippi River deposits.
Iowa Crinoid Fossil Beds
Burlington, Iowa · Public Land
Road cuts and exposures in southeast Iowa for Devonian crinoid fossils, brachiopods, and corals. The state fossil is a crinoid.
Mammoth Cave Region Fossils
Cave City, Kentucky · Public Land
Mississippian limestone exposures around Mammoth Cave for fossil corals, crinoids, and brachiopods. Collecting prohibited inside the National Park but...
Connecticut Valley Dinosaur Tracks
Holyoke, Massachusetts · Public Land
Dinosaur Trackway in Holyoke — exposed sandstone with hundreds of dinosaur footprints. Collecting prohibited but viewing is excellent.
Mississippi Gulf Coast Fossils
Gulfport, Mississippi · Public Beach
Gulf Coast beaches for fossil shark teeth and shells. Eroding bluffs and dredge spoil islands produce Miocene and Pliocene marine fossils.
Nebraska Fossil Hills (Agate Fossil Beds NM)
Harrison, Nebraska · National Park
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument. 20-million-year-old mammal fossils. Collecting prohibited but the museum and trails are excellent. Adjacent publi...
Cumberland Plateau Fossils
Sewanee, Tennessee · Public Land
Road cuts on the Cumberland Plateau for Mississippian fossils including crinoids, blastoids, and brachiopods.
Brookfield Marble Quarries
Brookfield, Vermont · Public Land
Historic marble quarries for collecting marble specimens and calcite. Vermont is famous for its marble and granite industries.
Greenbrier County Flint Beds
Lewisburg, West Virginia · Public Land
Greenbrier limestone exposures for flint/chert nodules and Mississippian marine fossils. The Greenbrier Valley is rich in geological history.
Big Bend Region Fossils
Terlingua, Texas · Public Land
Big Bend area exposures for Cretaceous marine fossils, petrified wood, and agate. The region is rich in dinosaur and marine reptile fossils.