100 Million Years of Camping? Dinosaur Remains Found at Cherry Hill Park

While doing some routine maintenance over the winter, a staff member discovered what they thought might be a fossil. We contacted some paleontologists from Prince George’s County’s Dinosaur Museum, and they confirmed that we had found fossilized dinosaur remains and requested to dig further.

Since then, they have uncovered “one of the most extensive collections of dinosaur remains on the East Coast”, according to Dr. Winnifred Baygoh and Dr. Aaron Stream, the team’s lead scientists.

“Dating back to the Mesozoic Era, when this region was intermittently submerged in water, these remains include theropods, like Pichatentasaurus hammox, hadrosaurs, like Motorhomidon Orcabin, and mosasaurs, including Smorasaurus grahamodon.” Dr. Baygoh explained. “It’s interesting that these remains were uncovered at a modern-day campground, as we believe it’s possible that the herd of hadrosaurs, at the time it began fossilization, was also undergoing a seasonal migration. It seems that despite the harsh environments of the Mesozoic Era, camping finds a way.”

Limited physical evidence creates ambiguity, but the researchers are skilled at reading these ancient clues. “There’s evidence of fire near these ancient beasts: so either they were relaxing around a campfire, or possibly perished in some sort of large forest fire,” said Dr. Ross Geller, one of the paleontologists. “Several other fossils were found at the bottom of a flooded basin; perhaps an ancient swimming pool. And some remains had been torn apart by large teeth, suggesting there may have been a cafe on-site.”

We are honored to be a part of this discovery and we are taking advantage of every opportunity to support the research team and involve our guests in this historic moment. For the remainder of the dig, our pools will be converted to holding tanks for excess soil. The splash park will be used to clean off fossils, and our tractor will be used to transport piles of dirt and bones. 

We’ve let the research team know they can hang out and relax at any site they choose during their breaks - so you might be treated to a visit from a scientist during your stay! And don’t worry about noise from the dig; the team reassures us that while they will occasionally have to run backhoes late into the night, they’re happy to wait until 5:30am before getting started each morning. The digging may occasionally cross into active campsites, so check in with the office to find out if you’ll be near the fun!

Can’t make it this season? Don’t worry, excavations will be ongoing for the next 2-17 years, depending on what the paleontologist team uncovers.