This Southern Illinois Road Shuts Down So Venomous Snakes Can Cross

I don't like snakes, but they do make for compelling viewing on YouTube or in documentaries or wildlife series. They're also fun to write about, in spite of the fact that they give me the willies.

Speaking of the "willies," this annual occurrence is good at bringing them around.

LaRue Pine Hills Snake Road in Southern Illinois

For multiple venomous serpents (cottonmouths, copperheads, and timber rattlers) and a couple of frog species that seldom make it up here (the southern leopard frog and the bird-voiced tree frog), there's a very important gravel passageway known as Snake Road, and you'll find it in Union County in southern Illinois. On one side, there are cliffs, and on the other, a swamp that's part of the Mississippi River. Here's a rare find for someone far more enthusiastic about it than I would be.

Reptiles and amphibians cross the road in the fall from the swamp to the cliff bottoms, where it's warmer. In the spring, they reverse course. Last year, spring came early.

When Is Snake Road Usually Closed?

Vehicles may travel Snake Road for the other eight months, but from March 15th through May 15th and from September 1 through October 30th, the road belongs to them and to any pedestrians who want to give it a shot. (I won't be joining you, just so you'll know.)

I truly appreciate his enthusiasm for discovering a cottonmouth. We must all find happiness wherever we can...even if it's next to a poisonous serpent.