Douglas Point: Fossil Hunting in Charles County, Maryland
- Minerals reported
- 2
- Elevation
- 120 ft
- Best months
- February to December
Douglas Point is one of the few Bureau of Land Management recreation areas in the eastern United States, protecting about 1,270 acres of Potomac River shoreline jointly managed with the State of Maryland. Its beaches expose the same Paleocene Aquia Formation as nearby Purse State Park and yield fossil shark teeth and ray plates. The BLM's own visitor materials describe the shoreline as a fossil-bearing beach. Reported finds include shark tooth, fossil. Below: coordinates, access notes, nearby spots, and trip-planning links.
Plan your visit
Generally open to casual rockhounding
- County
- Charles County
- State
- Maryland
- Nearest road
- Riverside Road
- Postcode
- 20662
- Coordinates
- 38.44270, -77.24970
Coordinates are approximate. Confirm the exact ground in the RockHoundR app, where land overlays show which agency manages the area.
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.
Access note: Free BLM and state land, open dawn to dusk, with trails to the Potomac shore from parking off Riverside Road. Loose fossils, shells, and shark teeth on the beach may be collected, but any fossil still embedded in the bank must be left in place and reported. Collect below the high-tide line and do not dig the cliffs.
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.
Best time to visit Douglas Point
Comfortable months (45 to 90°F highs)
Best months: February to December. Typical highs run 88°F in midsummer and 44°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 28°F.
Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, QUANTICO MCAS station (5 mi away).
Geology at Douglas Point
This spot sits on Chicamuxen Church Formation, mapped as gravelly sand that formed within roughly the last 3 million years. Reworked sediments like these can carry fossils eroded from older beds upstream, typically as rolled bone fragments, teeth, and shell material.
- Mapped unit
- Chicamuxen Church Formation
- Age
- 3 Ma to present (Quaternary)
- Rock types
- gravelly sand
- Elevation
- 120 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.
Today's weather
Is today a good day to go?
The app shows live weather, recent rain, and a daily rockhounding score for Douglas Point.
Get the appSources & 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.
- Maryland Geological Survey
- Maryland DNR state park rules
- Calvert Marine Museum fossil guidance
- Community submissions reviewed against published agency rules
Found at Douglas Point
Each name 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 Douglas Point.
- Purse State ParkCharles County, Maryland · 1 mi awayShark Tooth, Fossil
- Mallows Bay ParkCharles County, Maryland · 2 mi awayShark Tooth, Fossil, Quartz
- Prince George’s CountyPrince George's County, Maryland · 30 mi awayPetrified Wood
- Bear IslandMontgomery County, Maryland · 37 mi awayApatite, Epidote, Amphibolite
- Matoaka Beach CabinsCalvert County, Maryland · 42 mi awayFossil, Shark Tooth
- Flag Ponds Nature ParkCalvert County, Maryland · 43 mi awayShark Tooth, Fossil
- Chesapeake BayCalvert County, Maryland · 43 mi awayFossil
- Hunting HillMontgomery County, Maryland · 44 mi awayCalcite, Diopside, Garnet
Across the state line from Douglas Point
Douglas Point 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.
- QuanticoStafford County, Virginia · 5 mi awayPetrified Wood, Opalized Wood
- Stafford CountyStafford County, Virginia · 9 mi awayVivianite
- MinnievillePrince William County, Virginia · 16 mi awayAmethyst, Quartz
- CentrevilleFairfax County, Virginia · 29 mi awayAmethyst
- ArlingtonArlington County, Virginia · 29 mi awayBlue Quartz
- BrokenburgSpotsylvania County, Virginia · 32 mi awayBeryl, Feldspar, Quartz
Douglas Point FAQ
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More rockhounding in Maryland
See all 43 Maryland spots →
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