Traveling to Summerville to hunt for Shark Teeth and other Fossils

[Kroy]

Hello.

My son and I are heading to South Carolina to Summerville area and Folly Beach area to search for Shark Teeth. This is a big trip from California for 4 full days and we hope to find some great fossils. This is August 4th-7th. We are doing an excursion on the 4th. But for the next day or two it is quite hard to figure which creeks/rivers are OK to go to which will give us some luck. Any insights? Checked the forums but it has been hard to find exactly where to go. On the last day we head to Folly beach to see what is there. Any insight on what section to start with? I have been following the tide charts.

Thank you!
 

[Nimravis]

Good luck on your adventures, I cannot help, I have never been to that area.

[Brett Breakin' Rocks]

24 minutes ago, Kroy said:

Hello.

My son and I are heading to South Carolina to Summerville area and Folly Beach area to search for Shark Teeth. This is a big trip from California for 4 full days and we hope to find some great fossils. This is August 4th-7th. We are doing an excursion on the 4th. But for the next day or two it is quite hard to figure which creeks/rivers are OK to go to which will give us some luck. Any insights? Checked the forums but it has been hard to find exactly where to go. On the last day we head to Folly beach to see what is there. Any insight on what section to start with? I have been following the tide charts.

Thank you!
 

Hi there,

 

  Hopefully you have checked out Charleston Fossil Adventures ... they are a great organization and very informative.  Keeping my ear to the ground our members have been reporting that staying between the pier and the state park side has been the most productive for those heading to Folly beach.  Northbridge Park is also a good spot.  

 

  Of course with all of these the tides are important.  Low tide of course being the best time 'most' of the time.

 

  The creeks can be tricky and I would say that for what it is worth .. the time and effort just scouting them .. maybe is not worth your time budget.  Better to it the ground running so to speak ... 

 

Low Country fossil excursions is also a company working out of the area and they will put you on the fossils as well.

 

Good Luck,

Brett

[Kroy]

Hi. Thank you for the information. I haven't found a lot of information on Northbridge Park; but I will give it a try. And the Folly Beach note is useful for sure.

 

We are also giving LowCountry excersions a try. Charleston Fossil Adventures seem to do trips at the beach; which we will give it a shot ourselves. Now I just need to figure out what areas to go when the tides are high; which is why I am searching for inland creeks and rivers. But my research has run dry. I may have a lead but need to check it first.

Thank you

[Brett Breakin' Rocks]

35 minutes ago, Kroy said:

Hi. Thank you for the information. I haven't found a lot of information on Northbridge Park; but I will give it a try. And the Folly Beach note is useful for sure.

 

We are also giving LowCountry excersions a try. Charleston Fossil Adventures seem to do trips at the beach; which we will give it a shot ourselves. Now I just need to figure out what areas to go when the tides are high; which is why I am searching for inland creeks and rivers. But my research has run dry. I may have a lead but need to check it first.

Thank you

  Personally I think the material that comes out of Northbridge isn't as tumbled as Folly and can be quite varied.  Someone posted on FB yesterday a great little dolphin tooth with some fantastic preservation.  It's all dredge material in the end ... but it has some great variety. Northbridge is muddy so be prepared.

 

Good Luck,

Brett

[TNCollector]

My advice is to stick to the beaches and skip out on fossil hunting in the Summerville creeks. Most of them are owned by private landowners who do not find it very entertaining when outsiders start getting in the creeks. The creeks are also dirty and contain lots of glass. I certainly would not bring a kid in them either.

 

You will find just as many, if not more teeth on the beaches around Charleston. You will also find bones and other material from whales and other marine mammals. Any beach in the area that has had re-nourishment in the past few years will likely have teeth. Kiawah island is the only one that is barren of fossils. Do not forget to stop at the geology museum at the University of Charleston, it has a huge display of fossils from the area that are definitely worth looking at.

[Twinlukers]

Well my last time I was in the area your going to we found a nice Great White tooth on folly beach right next the the pier. We brought back several whale bones and at east 20+ teeth most sand tiger’s and lemon sharks teeth. 

 

But it I think it’s well worth going to Summerville if you do your creek research. The time frame is what you’ll have to plan around as the tides can make some of these creeks better then others. 

Check out this area!!

Note: look up Colonial Dorchester State Historical site..  you can park in the lot shown on the map. If it’s low tide you’ll be able to search the smaller side creeks as well but their are snakes in the area. Be careful.