Dig for dinosaurs and other prehistoric life forms at these N.J. fossil sites (2024)

Do you dig dinosaurs? You’re in the right place. Did you know that North America’s first nearly complete skeleton of a dinosaur — a Hadrosaurus foulkii — was discovered in Haddonfield in 1838? The first mosasaur fossils to be documented on this continent also were found here in the Navesink Formation.

You, too, can discover something new — or, rather, something old — at nearby fossil beds and excavation sites. Millions of years ago, the areas where the fossil beds now lie were a shallow ocean. That’s why the fossils most commonly found in these beds are ancient sea creatures: prehistoric sharks, mosasaurs, turtles and giant crocodiles, as well as seashells, mollusks and other invertebrates. These prehistoric lifeforms that once occupied the area are still here, buried deep in the layers of earth, waiting to be discovered.

A good place to start is in Monmouth County, home to many of the state’s richest fossil beds. Early spring is an ideal time to look for fossils, newly unearthed by thawing snow and heavy rain, so grab your adventure gear (think: comfy clothes and waterproof shoes) and set out to make a prehistoric discovery of your own.

Welcome … to Poricy Park, with fossil beds that are well-known to collectors and where collecting is as easy as picking up seashells on the beach. Most fossils here date from the late Cretaceous Period of the Mesozoic Era from 145 million to 65 million years ago. Most common are oyster and brachiopod species, but you may find remains of an ancient, squid-like creature called belemnites. An easy and accessible spot for beginners, the fossil beds are open daily, dawn to dusk. You can bring your own digging tools or rent fossil screens and trowels at the nearby nature center. The Middletown Department of Recreation, caretaker of the beds, organizes public fossil hunts in summer and hosts private programs for schools, scouts and other outings. Visitors are asked to dig and sift in the streambeds and not the banks, as this hastens erosion, and to take home only their best finds.

Address:345 Oak Hill Road, Middletown

Continue your quest in nearby Colts Neck at the sprawling Big Brook Preserve. One of the state’s most unique environmental areas, Big Brook boasts a trove of fossils. Hundreds of specimens can be found here — from relatively common shark teeth to rare reptiles and Ice Age mastodons. Water erosion is hard at work here: Big Brook and surrounding brooks cut through the ground, eroding through “younger” layers of earth, and eating into the Pleistocene formations while ebbing away at the ancient Cretaceous deposits beneath. The fossils that accumulate in the gravel areas can be as many as 70 million years old. Discover them by walking the creek beds and examining the gravel. Be sure to only collect fossils found within the stream’s water line; it is prohibited to remove fossils above it. Take only five fossils per visit, and leave the rest for your fellow explorers.

Address: 88 Hillsdale Road, Colts Neck

It’s highly unusual, though not impossible, to find remains of land dinosaurs. If a rare dinosaur bone is found, it should be donated to a local museum or university so it may be catalogued and studied. One such place is coming soon to Gloucester County — the Jean & Ric Edelman Fossil Park Museum of Rowan University — where the public will encounter the ancient past and experience the area as it would have been when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. The fossil park remains closed during construction but will reopen with the museum in spring 2023. The only facility east of the Mississippi with an actively open quarry for public dig days, the park hosts thousands each year who are drawn to find the genuine, late Cretaceous fossils found at the site, including remains of terrifying mosasaurs, marine crocs, sea turtles, boney fish, shark teeth, brachiopods, sea snails and more.

Address: 625 Woodbury Glassboro Road, Sewell

Is there a budding archaeologist in your family? Let them explore at the Dino Dig Adventure at Liberty Science Center. The 1,750-square-foot permanent outdoor exhibition allows visitors to physically dig and uncover life-size, replica dinosaur fossils to learning more about ancient beasts. Dino Dig Adventure invites kids of all ages to celebrate prehistory through this interactive experience. Be immersed in the landscape of a real paleontological dig, explore three dig pits and find fossils from seven dinosaur species peeking out from beneath more than 60 tons of sand. Uncover replica fossils of bones, eggs — even dinosaur poop. An ankylosaurus-shaped canopy provides shade so little dino enthusiasts can dig the day away.

Address: 222 Jersey City Blvd., Jersey City

Kerry Serzan is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in The Star-Ledger. A lifelong NewJerseyan, she lives “down the Shore” in Sea Girt with her husband Joe and their children.

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2022 issue of Jersey’s Best. Subscribe herefor in-depth access to everything that makes the Garden State great.

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