Things to know before you go!
Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve is owned and operated by the Hamburg Natural History Society, Inc. The dig site is a hidden gem just 10 miles south of Buffalo.
Visitors can find and collect 380 million year-old animal and plant fossils that once flourished in an ancient tropical sea that covered WNY. In 2011, The Geological Society of America ranked Penn Dixie as the No. 1 fossil park in the country.
Day Trips Around Rochester, New York
Keep the fossils you find
When we spent the day at Penn Dixie, we rented a bucket of tools ($5 for two hammers, a chisel and a pair of safety glasses) to share among the three of us.
It would have been helpful to bring something to kneel on since the ground is where the action is. A sit-upon we used to make in Girl Scouts would have been perfect! Next time we’ll bring our own tools along since there is always a risk of them all being rented out.
Bring a few containers for fossil-finds since you are able to keep anything you find. You’ve got to have a keen eye to discover the fossils, many of which are smaller than pebbles. It was fun being an amateur paleontologist for a few hours!
Penn Dixie strives to be mobility- and family-friendly, offering five shelters, picnic tables, benches, portable toilets, and over 4,100 feet of paved trails for wheelchairs, walkers, strollers and wagons.
You may not think when you first pull into the lot that you could spend a whole day there among the rocks, but when you are focused on just a small piece of land, searching for the tiniest of fossils, time slips away. It is a simple, engaging experience.
Penn Dixie’s October Earth Science Day
Every October, Penn Dixie hosts Earth Science Day. From their website:
Learn about Western New York’s natural history, ecology, and resources through interactive exhibits and demonstrations in a family-friendly setting. Experience hands-on learning under the big tent from groups like The Buffalo Zoo, Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens, Hamburg Library, Reinstein Woods, SUNY Buffalo Geology Department, Past & Present Rock Shop, and many more.There is no charge for admission. Thanks to a generous donation, the first 210 children to arrive will receive complimentary fossil collecting trowels. For those interested in learning more about natural resources, our friends at Earth Dimensions will demonstrate the operation of a drill rig during the event. Plus — stick around or return for a fall stargazing program.
More information about Penn Dixie
Cost: There is an admission fee
Located in Blasdell, roughly 80 minutes / 80 miles from Rochester (get directions)
More information: penndixie.org/
You can learn even more about our fascinating geologic history at the Museum of the Earth in Ithaca.
The Museum of the Earth focuses on life beginning in the Cambrian Period, but it covers Earth’s history spanning 4.5 billion years.
Explore these moss-covered rock formations near Rochester, such as Little Rock City in Ellicottville and Thunder Rocks in Allegany State Park.
Geologic History of the Rochester Area
These day trips into Rochester’s geologic history will remind you just how amazing our corner of the Earth is.
The bluffs in Chimney Bluffs State Park are fragile drumlins, like all of the truncated drumlins along this section of shoreline.
Have you been to Penn Dixie Fossil Park & Nature Reserve?
Your insights and experiences are valuable. Please share them in the comments.
People often ask me if I get free access to places while exploring. The answer is no unless I’m invited to previews or granted behind-the-scenes access as part of my media role. Generally, I don’t mention my project, Day Trips Around Rochester, NY, because I want the same experience you would have. I create and share content simply because it brings me joy. I would appreciate your support—a cup of coffee or two to help fuel future field trips—if you have found valuable information here that has helped you explore the Rochester area.
All four rock parks are in the same general area and have the same general appearance for the same reason: They were all formed at the same time by the same thing- violently flowing water. This same appearance is found in James Clark Reservation State Park south of Syracuse and there the State of New York correctly identifies it as catastrophically flowing water. Debris flows in fact.