Flag Ponds Nature Park: Fossil Hunting in Calvert County, Maryland
Updated July 2026
Flag Ponds Nature Park fronts the same Miocene Calvert Formation as nearby Calvert Cliffs, and its Chesapeake Bay beach gathers fossil shark teeth, ray plates, and shell fragments washed down from the cliffs to the north. The teeth here tend to be smaller and water-worn but are common and easy to find by sifting the surf line. Calvert County lists fossil hunting as a featured activity at the park. Reported finds include shark teeth, fossils. Below: coordinates, access notes, nearby spots, and trip-planning links.
Flag Ponds Nature Park photos
Public image records connected to this spot or its reported material.
Map showing Flag Ponds Nature Park in Calvert County, Maryland
Quick details
- Access
- Public area
- County
- Calvert County
- State
- Maryland
- Nearest road
- Flag Ponds Parkway
- Postcode
- 20657
- Coordinates
- 38.44150, -76.45500
Geology at Flag Ponds Nature Park
This spot sits on Chesapeake Group; St. Marys Formation, mapped as clay and sand that formed roughly 23 to 5 million years ago. Reworked sediments like these can carry fossils eroded from older beds upstream, typically as rolled bone fragments, teeth, and shell material.
- Mapped unit
- Chesapeake Group; St. Marys Formation
- Age
- 23–5 Ma (Miocene)
- Rock types
- clay and sand
- Elevation
- 130 ft
Geologic mapping via Macrostrat and the underlying state geological survey maps (CC BY 4.0). Bedrock at the surface can vary within a mapped unit.
Best time to visit Flag Ponds Nature Park
Conditions here are workable year-round, with typical highs from 45°F in winter to 87°F in summer.
Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, SOLOMONS station (8 mi away).
Land & collecting status
Generally open to casual rockhounding
Most public-tagged spots sit on BLM, U.S. Forest Service, or other federal land where reasonable hand collecting of common rocks and minerals is allowed. Confirm posted rules and active mining claims before you dig.
Public-land rules vary by agency, season, and field office. The RockHoundR app pulls live BLM, USFS, NPS, and tribal overlays so you can see exactly which agency manages the ground at this spot.
Sources & verification
Spot details combine the public RockHoundR location dataset, normalized mineral labels, agency land-status checks in the app, and community submissions. Coordinates are approximate until verified in the field.
Sources: RockHoundR public spot dataset, app land overlays, and local agency review before each trip.
Found at Flag Ponds Nature Park
Each chip opens all spots that produce that material; the encyclopedia link opens the full ID and field guide.
Nearby rockhounding spots
Other rockhounding spots within driving distance of Flag Ponds Nature Park.
- Chesapeake BayCalvert County, Maryland · 0 mi awayFossils
- Calvert Cliffs State ParkTop pick in MarylandCalvert County, Maryland · 3 mi awayFossils, Shark Teeth
- Prince George’s CountyPrince George's County, Maryland · 25 mi awayPetrified Wood
- Douglas PointTop pick in MarylandCharles County, Maryland · 43 mi awayShark Teeth, Fossils
- Purse State ParkTop pick in MarylandCharles County, Maryland · 43 mi awayShark Teeth, Fossils
- Sullivan CoveAnne Arundel County, Maryland · 44 mi awayAmber
- Mallows Bay ParkTop pick in MarylandCharles County, Maryland · 44 mi awayShark Teeth, Fossils, Quartz
- North Ferry PointAnne Arundel County, Maryland · 45 mi awayAmber, Fossils
Across the state line from Flag Ponds Nature Park
Flag Ponds Nature Park is close enough to the Maryland border that the next-closest rockhounding spots are in a neighboring state. Worth knowing if you are already on the road.
- ArlingtonArlington County, Virginia · 45 mi awayBlue Quartz
- QuanticoStafford County, Virginia · 47 mi awayPetrified Wood, Opalized Wood
- ArlingtonArlington County, Virginia · 47 mi awayJasper
- LaurelSussex County, Delaware · 48 mi awayIron Ore
- Stafford CountyStafford County, Virginia · 52 mi awayVivianite
- MinnievillePrince William County, Virginia · 53 mi awayAmethyst, Quartz
Flag Ponds Nature Park FAQ
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More rockhounding in Maryland
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