Head down to the limestone beds that run along Sugarcreek to search for fossils. Fossils are the remains of past life. They can include a wide variety of things like plant parts (leaves, tree trunks and seeds), animal parts (bones and shells) and even footprints. Under special conditions, an imprint left by a plant or animal may also become fossilized. Fossils are the only clues we have to the nature of life in Montgomery County millions of years ago. Different layers of rock contain different types and ages of fossils and reveal an Ohio startlingly different from the one we live in today.

The fossils found in MetroParks come from the Ordovician Period (450 million years ago) and the Silurian Period (425 million years ago). These include: brachiopods, bryozoans, trilobites, horn corals, celphalopods, crinoids and gastropods.

Collecting fossils is permitted only in the marked area. Follow the rules posted at the site. View fossil policy.