Western Diamondback snake —file photo
We get many reports from trail users about snakes on the trail; most are rattle snakes some are gopher snakes. All snakes are part of the wildlife scene along the trail. Please leave them be. It was a very wet winter and spring thus more snakes are about. Our rattler friends are seen early morning on the trail as they lay in sun and warm up and late evening again on trail to keep warm. We have the Western diamondback, Sidewinder, and the Mojave Green frequenting the areas along the trail.
Mojave Green Rattle snake – file photo
I had a report of a rattler 38″ long on the trail this past weekend…..I’m curious how they got the snake to lay out so they could get that measurement without getting bitten. Oh, well a snake that long could be a Mojave green which are very poisonous. A Mojave looks much like a diamondback but has greenish hue and the diamonds fade out near the tail, not that I’m going to stick around and find out.
Every year we hear about dogs getting bitten near the trail; the primary reason is they are off leash. Protect your dogs by keeping them safe on leash.
