Post Oak Creek is a popular fossil-hunting location for kids to have their own 145 million year old treasure hunt.  This creek is great for kids since it’s easy access and you will definitely take home some cool fossils without much effort.  Most fossil hunters come for the shark teeth, and you can expect to also see bivalves and maybe some fossilized animal bones.  During the Cretaceous period 145 million years ago, most of Texas was covered by a shallow sea and explains why you will find so many marine fossils. The easiest places to find fossils are where the deeper ground has been exposed by creeks, lakes, quarries and dams. There are well-known places to fossil hunt and lesser-known hidden places. Out of respect for the field, I will only disclose the ones that are already all over the internet that are great for kids to access.

Getting there:  Post Oak Creek is not marked, but is easily found by GPS navigation to the physical address listed below. The entrance to the creek is located next to Danny’s Paint and Body Shop. You will be fossil hunting in the creek under the bridge, so park on the roadside area. You will see car tracks where others have driven down closer to the creek, and I wouldn’t recommend that in case someone blocked your exit or getting stuck in the mud.

After you park on the roadside, follow the trail down towards the creek. There are some relatively steep steps to enter the creek, so expect to help younger kids. You will immediately find many fossilized oysters solidified in the bedrock layer. We discovered a shark tooth fossil within a few minutes right at the entrance, however expect this area to be picked over. From the bridge, there is a shallow area to the left (around 1 ft deep beside sandbars), and a deeper area to the right (around 3 feet deep). Naturally the shallow area will be the most common area, great for kids, and also the most picked but still many fossils.  

How to sift for fossils:
You can pick the water-covered creek area or the dry area up the shore. Simply throw a handful of rocks into the sifter, shake it to let smaller rocks fall through, and pick out the teeth you find. Another fossil hunter at this location mentioned the rule of thumb is to find about 4-6 shark teeth per hour per person, so with little effort you will be leaving with some teeth. A screen sifter is highly recommended for this area; you can find them online, make your own from online instructions, or try a kids beach toy sifter.   While you can find shark teeth without a sifter, your hit ratio will be much reduced.  The sifter we used was perfect since it has 3 different sizes depending on the substrate you are sifting, and we used the smallest sieve.  

To identify the specimens, check out North Texas Fossils shark tooth identification and explore the photographic index for other species.  We found shark teeth at this location that were ground down from eating oysters!

Open: all hours

Discounts: free

Special needs: The steps down into creek are a bit steep, so expect to carry small children down the steps. The creek is muddy, and there is not wheelchair access. Depending on the child’s needs and size, you could carry them down the steps and they could sit on a sandbar to sift. The creek is muddy, rocky and sandy, so it’s an uneven surface but doable. The water is shallow on the left side of the bridge.

Know Before You Go:

• Bring a sifter and this is the one we used with great success.  We didn’t need digging tools since it was loose rock. 
• You can sit on the rocks to sift or bring a stool or cushion if you need it.
• Water sandals, shorts or swimsuit.  There is a bit of trash and broken glass, so don’t go barefoot.
• Expect to get wet. Bring dry clothing and towels. No swimming here.
• Bring sunscreen, bug repellant, snacks, and water. Bring a container to put the fossils in, such as a plastic baggie or reusable container.
• Watch for snakes, but expect them to stay away since this is area frequented by people.

Post Oak Creek
2298 S. Travis St
Sherman, TX 75090

Fossil hunting in Texas:
Fossils are remains of plants or animals found in sedimentary rock, and fossil hunting is truly a treasure hunt with many fossils located across Texas.  Kids can get interested in science and try their own fossil digs to open the door to a paleontology profession. Our first time to Post Oak Creek was with the Dallas Paleontological Society’s PIT (Paleontologist In Training) Crew.   It was great to have a guide and assistance with species identification, and to meet families with similar interests.  If you are wanting to learn more about paleontology, I would encourage you to join a paleontological society to learn about the geology of Texas and where to find certain specimens. There are not enough paleontologists to discover all of the hidden fossils, and therefore they are often happy to train amateurs and volunteers to advance discoveries in their field. They often have kids programs that are an outstanding way to introduce paleontology to kids beyond a book or museum. 

It’s a common mistake for beginners to collect everything they find then bring it home to discard. Try to research in advance what you are searching for so that you don’t miss something really cool or bring home a bucket of heavy rocks.

Legal restrictions on collecting fossils
There are laws regarding collection of fossils to preserve for current and future generations. The Unites States Bureau of Land Management (USBLM) prohibits the collection of fossils from public land, including national parks, state parks and US interstate road cuts. The law states that a paleontological resource may not be collected from federal land without a permit with the exception of casual collecting.   The USBLM defines casual collecting as “collecting a reasonable amount of common invertebrate and plants for non-commercial use, either by surface collection or use of non-powered hand tools resulting in negligible disturbance of the Earth’s surface.” 

You can collect fossils on your own land, and you can find landowners that charge a fee to fossil hunt on their property.