flag ponds nature park

Cool park to enjoy nature and see how the environment works. Great place to take children and teach them about the outdoors.

I visited Calvert County in 2012, on a fossil hunting trip along the western coast of Chesapeake Bay. I read in a travel guide that Calvert Cliffs State Park is a prime location for finding 100 million year old shark teeth, so I decided to give it a go. I combed the beach for a while, even digging some shallow pits on the beach in the hopes of finding some good specimens but came up with nothing. It was still a nice morning on the beach and the path from the parking lot to the ocean was particularly scenic as it winds through a marshland filled with wildlife. This summer, after reading about how easy it was to find shark teeth and other ancient fossils on the coastline of Calvert County, I decided to try my luck again. This time, my destination was Flag Ponds Nature Park, about three miles north of Calvert Cliffs and thus a tad shorter ride from DC. The ride down there was easy—the hardest part is getting out of DC. But once you’re on US 4, the route is a straight shot through an area of suburban strip malls with every conceivable amenity for errand running, which is what I did on the way back. There’s a $6 fee to park for non-residents, but there are no other charges. The visitor’s center, right next to the parking lot, provides a good background on the park and has displays showing the types of fossils found on the grounds of the park. Millions of years ago, this area of Maryland was under water—that’s why there are shark teeth and other marine fossils such as dolphin bones all over the place. The 10-minute walk down to the beach brings you through a nice forest dotted with swampland and little inlets connecting to the bay. On each side of the pathway, one type of tree dominated. The ranger on site told me they were pawpaws. When I got down to the beach, I walked along the shoreline and sifted through the sand and shallow water to find anything resembling a shark’s tooth, which look like this:I spent about 15 minutes strolling up and down the beach doing this but found nothing but a bunch of broken mussel and crab shells and tons of little rocks of all shapes and sizes. Again! It didn’t matter that I was unsuccessful again. I still had a good time. The beach was nice and the view out towards the bay was beautiful. Ollie seemed to really enjoy the place too, with the exception of getting little prickly seed pods all over the shrubs near the edge of the woods. I could tell they were very painful to him and he spent the next 15 minutes picking them out of his paws with his teeth. Tips:• Bring a picnic lunch, or simply stop at one of the hundreds of fast food places on either side of the highway as you’re driving down• Be wary of the little prickly seeds that can be very painful to dogs • Bring a digging tool and be patient while looking for fossils

An awesome and unique place to visit! Not your typical beach, this place also offers short, easy and interesting scenic hikes along numerous trails. The beach is a half mile walk from the parking lot. Be sure to stop in at the little museum/info centre to view the various shark teeth displays so you know what to look for on the beach. The Park Rangers here are very friendly and look like they really enjoy their work. Getting to the beach also entails walking through a small stream of water. Beach was quiet earlier in the day but filled up with lots of people later in the day. It was fun looking for shark teeth and seeing various shells and sea glass in the sand too. After enough sun, we strolled through the forest which had interesting scenery at times that looked like the movies, Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, could have been filmed here. This place will be remembered as one of my favourite places!

Great little beach spot just 90 minutes from DC. Hoping the half mile walk and lack of services keeps it rugged.

Flag Ponds is a lovely spot for a quick beach break! It's about an hour from DC, straight out Pennsylvania avenue. Get there around 10 to find a good spot (it didn't get crowded but the parking lot did fill up). The water was warm, with gentle but constant waves. We could walk out quite a way and the water never got more than a few feet deep. All the reviews are right: it's a half mile walk from the lot to your spot on the sand - downhill going out and uphill back to the car. Most of it's shaded which made it more pleasant, but next time I'm packing everything in a backpack. Tons of shells to sift through and, yes, shark teeth.

My family and friends had a great time at the Flags Pongs Nature Park beach area...that is, in between the hauls to and from the distant parking area. We had 3 adults, 5 kids, and a full days worth of food, drinks, beach toys, pop-up tent, cooler and everything else you can think to bring with us to haul on "15 minute walk" to the beach. This was no easy task, especially considering there is a hill in there (downhill on the way to the beach when you still have energy, uphill on the way back when you're already drained from a day of fun). Lesson learned: pack light! Besides the haul, we had a great time. The kids played in the sand and found a few shark teeth. The sand was a little rough to walk in because of the twigs and other beach debris, but we had water shoes that made it more tolerable. We did see one jelly fish, but were glad to see it before it really got to us. Two other great things were that the beach area wasn't crowded and it only cost $6 for a van full of out-of-towners when other MD state parks charge $7 per person. Overall, we'll definitely go back but with a much lighter load. Going back in the early fall is a good option since the water and climate will still be warm even though most of the local pools and swimming areas that normally have life guards will be closed after Labor Day.

We didn't have time to do the long hike to the beach at Calvert Cliffs, so we opted for this smaller park and were not disappointed. The walk is down hill to the beach, so it's obviously going to be up hill the whole way back! We were able to find a bunch of shark tooth fossils, and the beach was pretty empty the whole time we were there. It was a nice relaxing visit.

An easy walk to a nice beach. What fun it was to look for shark teeth! The ranger station displays were very interesting.

Came here to hike, and see the cliffs and was not disappointed. The walk refreshing and the trails clean. Not to buggy and even though it was an extremely humid day I enjoyed it very much, the dunes were pretty and the observation deck was also very nice. If you want to go for a nature walk, it is enjoyable and pleasant.

This is a very nice secluded beach. this is not a typical beach with boardwalk and all the tourist stuff. this is beach present in a nature reserve, need to hike half mile from parking lot. there is a lot of soft sand. if you are interested in collecting shells and fossils this is a great place to go. there is a lot more shells and fossils on the beach. with some diligence you can get shark, and sting ray tooth on the beach. we even saw a very large sting ray swim very close to the beach almost at touching distance. that was real coolthe only thing i didn't like is you can see the nuclear power plan from the beach. i just hope they don't discharge in to the sea.

A short hike down to the bay, with numerous other trails to investigate if you wish, this was a great afternoon! Nice water and sand with the challenge to find shark teeth buried in the sand, the grand children had a blast! Be prepared for an uphill cLimb after the day. Bathroom facilities are available. Pack a lunch and make it a day!

My kids and I go here often. It's cheap and the walk to the beach isn't bad at all. I'm not in the best of shape and even I can do it :) The sharks teeth are plentiful...make sure you bring a ziploc baggie to bring them home in. It is pet friendly, so bring your dog along. The kids love collecting sharks teeth and swimming in the bay. The bathrooms are clean and there are water fountains and even a dog bowl for the dog to drink from. During the spring and summer months, bring tick repellent if you plan to walk the trails or to the pond. If you're only walking to the beach you should be okay though. This is a great place to bring your cooler and lunch and spend the day.

only 1/2 miles hike from handicapped parking area, to pen beach on the bay with lots of shells and some shark teeth, fossils of both present with the modern... good birding, saw a bully bald eagle steal a fish from an osprey which prompted good discussion of the thieving/scavenger nature of our national symbol and how Ben Franklin was pushing the cunning and resourceful wild turkey instead (not the dumb birds you eat on the holidays)

My family which includes 2 kids loves Flag Ponds. We go there all year weather permitting. Its affordable for in-state or out-of- state visitors but if you plan to go often, get the annual pass. Even at the busiest times we've never had parking issues. There is handicap parking available as well. Stop in at the visitors center and check out the fossils and other info they have. There are bathrooms located before you get to the beach and there is an outdoor shower to wash the sand off. This park is dog friendly w/a leash of course. We love clean and well marked paths going to the ponds, pier and beach. The beach is a natural bay beach. You'll find shells, fossils, driftwood and crabs. Jellyfish will become more noticeable in July depending on the weather. We go to several other beaches in the area and the jellyfish dont seem as bad at Flag Ponds though. I highly recommend you visit because its great for all ages. The staff are wonderful as well.

Beautiful, well-maintained park in Calvert County Maryland. Minimal entrance fee. Nature trails for hiking. Nice un-crowded beach. Half mile walk to beach was very pleasant. Was very happy with the bathrooms near the beach. The shower was very nice as we were able to wash all our chairs and toys off before heading back out.