Dig With the Experts

Join us on Saturday June 13 and Sunday June 14 for our signature fossil dig  Dig With the Experts! Expert volunteers including scientists, leading fossil collectors, and experts on local geology will lead the dig through material from a freshly excavated section of the Lower Windom Shale and will demonstrate how to find Devonian Period trilobites, cephalopods, fish remains, brachiopods, corals, wood, and a range of other marine invertebrates. Thanks to our experts all volunteer collectors and paleontologists who travel to Penn Dixie to share their time and knowledge we are celebrating our 21st dig in 2026!

Dig With the Experts is our very popular, once yearly opportunity to unearth the best, most complete, and most unexpected fossils at Penn Dixie! We’ll have equipment do the heavy lifting and scientific experts on site to help with locating and identifying the best fossils. You’ll have to do your share of splitting and digging, of course, but you’re guaranteed to find something cool and interesting.

Things To Know: What can you expect at Dig With the Experts? Fossil enthusiasts from across North America plus the occasional overseas traveler will gather in Hamburg, New York for our biggest weekend of the year. The Town of Hamburg welcomes you with a range hotel and dining options. Our guests typically report good experiences in hotels such as Holiday Inn Express & Suites and Hampton Inn, while budget options tend to provide mixed reviews. Some guests stay in other parts of the greater Buffalo-Niagara area. Camping is available at Evangola State Park which is located along the Lake Erie shore approximately 20 miles from Penn Dixie. There are many dining options in the area, including waterfront restaurants, and attire is generally casual though you may want to change your boots before going out! The distance from Hamburg’s hotel district to Penn Dixie is about 2.5 miles and traffic is typically light. Unfortunately, we do not allow camping at Penn Dixie.

The dig commences at 9 am on both days. In recent years, 200+ fossil hunters have joined our Saturday dig and 150+ fossil hunters have joined our Sunday dig. In addition to our regular staff who are on hand to help, we are grateful for the participation of 15-20 expert volunteers each year. The dig is spread out over a broad area Penn Dixie has 54 acres and features large piles of newly excavated shale blocks. As a participant you’ll spend your time splitting rocks in search of various fossils, and our experts and staff will help you perfect your technique so you have the best chance of finding complete specimens.