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Purse State Park is a former Maryland state park located on the Potomac River in Charles County that has been subsumed into the 1,365-acre (552 ha) Nanjemoy Wildlife Management Area. As the Purse Area, the former park is known for fossil hunting on the beaches of Wades Bay at the southern end of the Nanjemoy WMA.
While Calvert Cliffs has the reputation as the beach to go to for fossil hunting, you can find shark teeth and other fossils all over Mayland's southern shores, including Purse State Park. It's a great, quiet little beach away from the kind of crowd Calvert tends to get.
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Purse State Park is a wooded undeveloped area for hunting, bird watching, fishing and fossil hunting. It has a waterfowl blind, a trail to the waterfront, and a parking area off Maryland Route 224.
Purse Area is a former state park that offers hunting, bird watching, fishing and fossil hunting on the Potomac River. It is part of the Nanjemoy Wildlife Management Area and has no facilities or fees.
- 10200 Riverside Rd, Nanjemoy, 20662, Maryland
- (301) 743-5161
- What to Do at Purse State Park
- Finding The Fossils
- When to Go
- How Much Time Do I Need to Spend at Purse State Park?
- What to Bring
- What Kind of Fossils Can I find?
- How Old Are The Shark Teeth?
- Getting There & Parking at Purse State Park
- Good to Know Before You Go
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There are several activities at Purse State Park. The most popular area: 1. Fossil hunting 2. Playing at the beach in the water area (when you’re done fossil hunting of course!) 3. Walking on the unmarked trails 4. Nature walk & bird watching 5. Photography 6. Bring a picnic
As you come to the beachfront, pick a spot to set-up and off you go. There is shade where you can set-up. You start your search right in the sand just by digging around a little. Otherwise, head right into the water. Even just digging around in the shallow water, you’ll go home with several shark teeth so this is even great for the littlest ones in...
Before heading out to Purse State Park, you’re going to want to check the tide. Purse State Park is a quiet and secluded narrow strip of land. Since this is such a narrow strip of beachfront at low tide, during high tide there won’t be much space available. That’s why, we recommend only going at low tide. You can check the tide table here. Select P...
Once you have your timing down, plan on having a 2 – 3 hours of fun with the kids. This makes for a great day trip! If you’re short on time, it only takes about 10-20 minutes (depending on if you have kids with you) to get to the beach area. You can spend 30 minutes digging around for fossils and skip the extra time for playing around at the beach.
You don’t need to bring much with you. A little sense of adventure and these few recommendations to consider: 1. Sturdy shoes for walking on the trail 2. Flip flops or sandals for the beach area 3. Water shoes for the water (the shore is rocky as is the shallow water) 4. Snacks 5. Plenty of water 6. Something to carry your finds back home. 7. Sunsc...
You can find fossils from sharks (sand tiger sharks, mackerel sharks), Turritella (snails), Eagle Rays, bones, shell fragments, fish and even crocodiles (occasionally) which all lived during this time period (as described below).
Purse State Park is a part of the Paleocene Epoch which is about 60 million years old. When a gigantic meteor hit earth, this area was covered with shallow water which made it perfect for the sharks listed above.
On your way, simply plug Purse State Park into your GPS. There is a very small lot across the street from the trail head where you can park. It can only hold about 10 – 12 cars. You’ll need to keep watch as you’re getting close to the park as it’s a small dirt area on the left directly off the road so it can be easy to miss. Take the trail head abo...
There is no admission feePurse State Park has no bathrooms, so plan accordingly.There’s also more space for kids to play and have a picnic.Don’t forget the sunscreen and bug spray! You may not always need the bug spray but better to have it just in case.Learn how to find fossilized shark teeth and other ancient creatures at Purse State Park, a secluded beach along the Potomac River. Get tips on when to go, what to bring, and how to get there.
Purse State Park is a small undeveloped park with trails, fishing and fossil hunting on the Potomac near Smallwood State Park. It has no facilities, but offers scenic views and access to the river by portage.
24 reviews. #1 of 3 things to do in Nanjemoy. State Parks. Write a review. What people are saying. “ Would go back! Sep 2020. My husband and I enjoy searching for shark teeth. We almost didn’t stop here because of the negative reviews. We found a little less than 250 teeth in about two hours.
