Seize the Treasure of the Southern Maryland Seas!

Your Quest at Calvert Cliffs is to hike the Red Trail to the beach and hunt for fossils of the marine animals that lived in the warm shallow sea that covered southern Maryland over 15 million years ago. The Red Trail winds through woodlands and follows the course of Grays Creek, which widens into a marshland that is home to a variety of plants and animals rarely seen on upland trails. Finally, the trail opens to a breathtaking view of the Chesapeake Bay and a sandy beach where fossils eroding from the surrounding cliffs have washed ashore. The easy-to-moderate hike is a total of 3.6 miles round-trip, and depending on how much time is spent at the beach, the entire Quest may take several hours to complete. Enjoy the hike and the beach, hunt for fossils – the most common are sharks’ teeth. Before you leave, take a picture in front of the Calvert Cliffs Park Quest sign (with teammates and fossils) and make a rubbing of the model of the fossilized shark’s tooth on the interpretive sign at the Trail head in the space provided in your Passport. Later, make a print of the photo and attach it to your Passport. Your photo and rubbing will verify that you have completed this Quest. Enjoy your journey to Calvert Cliffs and your hunt for evidence of the Southern Maryland Seas!

Quest Information

Your Quest at Calvert Cliffs begins at the main parking lot where you will find the entrance to the Red Trail near the fishing pond. You may complete your quest any day of the week from sunrise to sunset. Remember to bring your Passport with you so you can make the rubbing of the sharks’ tooth model on the sign at the beach and remember to take a photo of your team by the sign (these will serve as your Passport stamp). Also remember to bring a camera, sunscreen, bug spray, and sufficient water for the hike and the time on the beach. Because of the constant erosion of the cliffs, access to the cliffs themselves is prohibited. Do not enter the restricted area as the cliffs are unstable and dangerous. Pets are not allowed on the trails.

Directions to Calvert Cliffs

Calvert Cliffs State Park is in Calvert County.

• Directions from DC and points northwest: Take exit #11 (Rt. 4) South from the Washington Beltway. Continue to Rt. 4 South for approximately 20 miles to Prince Frederick. Take Rt. 2/4 South approximately 14 miles south of Prince Frederick. Exit onto H. G. Truman Parkway and you will be facing the park entrance.

• Directions from Annapolis and Points East: From Route 50 West, take Rt. 2 South for approximately 25 miles. Rt. 2 will connect with Rt. 4 in Huntingtown; make a left at the light and continue on Rt. 2/4. Take Rt. 2/4 South approximately 14 miles south of Prince Frederick. Exit onto H. G. Truman Parkway and you will be facing the park entrance.