Caesar Creek Lake Emergency Spillway
Waynesville, Ohio
brachiopodstrilobiteshorn coralbryozoansgastropodscrinoids
Public land, rules apply · Free with permit
Caesar Creek Lake Emergency Spillway
The Corps cut an emergency spillway straight through 440-million-year-old Ordovician seafloor, and the result is the finest free fossil site in Ohio: brachiopods and bryozoans everywhere, horn coral, gastropods, and the occasional Isotelus trilobite, Ohio's state fossil. Ohio's Geological Survey lists it among the state's public collecting sites with one condition attached — get your permit from the Army Corps of Engineers Visitor Center first, so build that stop into your route rather than driving straight to the dam. Collect from the spillway floor only.
The card catalog
| What you can find | brachiopods, trilobites, horn coral, bryozoans, gastropods, crinoids |
|---|---|
| Access | Public land, rules apply — Free with permit |
| Fees | Free, but you must first pick up a fossil collecting permit in person from the Army Corps of Engineers Visitor Center on N. Clarksville Rd. — Ohio's Geological Survey lists it as a requirement and gives (513) 897-1050 for the center. Call to confirm the center's hours before you build a trip around it. |
| Season & hours | The spillway itself is open year-round in daylight, but the visitor center's hours gate the permit, so a holiday or off-season arrival can leave you without one. Skip the trip after heavy rain, when the spillway holds water. |
| Kids | Family-friendly — About as good as fossil hunting gets for grade-schoolers: the spillway floor is flat, open, and thick with brachiopods you can spot standing up. The Corps goes over the collecting rules when it issues your permit — expect limits on tools and on how large a piece you may carry out, and no climbing the cut walls — which conveniently removes most of the hazards. |
| Official source | Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources, Ohio Geological Survey |
| Last checked | Checked against its source August 16, 2026 |
Hours, fees, and access rules change. Verify with the operator or land agency before you go.
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Before you go
What does Caesar Creek Lake Emergency Spillway cost?
Free, but you must first pick up a fossil collecting permit in person from the Army Corps of Engineers Visitor Center on N. Clarksville Rd. — Ohio's Geological Survey lists it as a requirement and gives (513) 897-1050 for the center. Call to confirm the center's hours before you build a trip around it. Hours, fees, and access rules change. Verify with the operator or land agency before you go.
When is Caesar Creek Lake Emergency Spillway open?
The spillway itself is open year-round in daylight, but the visitor center's hours gate the permit, so a holiday or off-season arrival can leave you without one. Skip the trip after heavy rain, when the spillway holds water. Hours, fees, and access rules change. Verify with the operator or land agency before you go.
Is Caesar Creek Lake Emergency Spillway good for kids?
Yes — Caesar Creek Lake Emergency Spillway works for families. About as good as fossil hunting gets for grade-schoolers: the spillway floor is flat, open, and thick with brachiopods you can spot standing up. The Corps goes over the collecting rules when it issues your permit — expect limits on tools and on how large a piece you may carry out, and no climbing the cut walls — which conveniently removes most of the hazards.