Midwest Road Closes Annually for a Massive Snake Crossing. Here's How to Spot It.

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Midwest Road Closes Annually for a Massive Snake Crossing. Here’s How to Spot It.
Thousands of people flock to Illinois' “Snake Road” every year to view the slithering serpent crossing

https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/hiking-and-backpacking/snake-road-closed-illinois-fall/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us%3Futm_source%3Dfirefox-newtab-en-us

Owen Clarke September 19, 2025 03:11PM

Forest Service Road No. 345, better known as “Snake Road,” winds for roughly two and a half miles through southern Illinois’ Shawnee National Forest, a region home to nearly 60 percent of the state’s reptile species.

And for over 50 years, it has intermittently closed to protect a massive snake crossing.

Each fall, between September 1 and October 30, and every spring, from March 15 to May 15, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) closes the road to vehicles and bicycles. During this time, around two dozen species of snakes slither from their winter dens in high limestone cliffs to their summer feeding grounds in LaRue Swamp.
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If you’re a snake-lover and want to visit LaRue-Pine Hills/Otter Pond RNA during the “movement,” be sure to check out the LaRue Pine Hills Snake Road group on Facebook, where over 6,000 serpent lovers offer insight on trail conditions and share snake sighting experiences. Visitor questions can be directed to “Snake Sentinels,” special volunteers trained by the USFS to collect data and identify various species crossing the road each year.

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By far the most common species, which accounts for over 90 percent of all sightings, is the venomous northern cottonmouth. Also known as a water moccasin, this darkly colored—usually near-black or olive brown—snake isn’t aggressive, but its bite is fatal without rapid administration of an antivenom. A cottonmouth is easily identifiable by its bright white inner mouth, which it flashes at potential predators. Cottonmouths are often patterned and born with bright yellow tail tips to attract prey, but as the snakes age, the tail tips and discernible patterns usually fade to a dull blackish color......................



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Cottonmouths are one of the more common snake to participate in the biannual movement (Photo: kristianbell/Getty Images)