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Purse State Park, Nanjemoy

3.6
#52 of 61 in Nature in Maryland
State Park · Nature / Park
Purse State Park is a former Maryland state park located on the Potomac River in Charles County that has been subsumed into the 1365acre 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. Fossil discoveries have included shark teeth and Cibicides.
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Purse State Park reviews

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TripAdvisor traveler rating
TripAdvisor traveler rating 4.0
24 reviews
Google
3.8
TripAdvisor
  • By megkat80
    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. You will 100% find teeth if you....  more »
  • By absalomhs
    Amazing place! Found over 300 teeth with 3 of us searching for around 5 hours. There is trash as mentioned in other posts and it’s more of an exploration beach than play in the sand but the water is....  more »
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Google
  • By Rhoda Pollard
    The forest was lovely and the 3/4 mile trail was easy. My granddaughters both enjoyed it. It led to a shore edge of the Potomac which was sadly very littered. Next time we visit the Nanjemoy WMA we will check out the Douglas recreation area.
  • By Mark OFfill
    Better quantity of sharks teeth a ray plates than Calvert Cliffs, Flag pond, or other location on the Bay. We collected about 40 of each in less than two hours (1 adult and two kids). The parking lot is about .42 miles from the beach but the trail is wide and relatively easy until the downslope to the beach. Great swimming in the warmish waters of the Potomac (kids loved it)! The beach is only about 4’ wide at low tide and much narrower at higher tides.
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