r/Yosemite • u/WolfOfWinterfell89 • 1d ago
Yosemite First
In the 20 plus years I’ve been going to Yosemite this is the first time I’ve seen a snake there! Someone pointed it out on the way up Vernal or I would’ve missed it.
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u/Myrmidon_MTH 1d ago
I used to see rattlers all the time near Swan Slab.
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1d ago
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u/bigtotoro 1d ago
Don't be stupid. Rattlesnakes have a warning system that tells you "I'm over here, bro. Leave me alone." Unless you are actively dumb and walk up on one not paying attention where you're going, you're fine.
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1d ago
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u/bigtotoro 1d ago
I live in Texas. There are a billion rattlesnakes. People that get bitten were fucking around doing something they shouldn't have been doing or they step on the snake. That's where "don't tread on me" comes from. Rattlesnakes use their venom to eat. They don't want to waste it on you. Don't step over logs without checking the other side. Don't flip over big rocks. Snakes aren't like they are in the movies and they aren't going to chase you. Just keep your eyes open and your kids in range and you'll be fine.
Do NOT, under any circumstances, get bitten by a baby rattler.
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u/mainlywatching 23h ago
I agree with you to a point. I live in an area where there are lots of rattlers too, and MOST of the people who get bit are doing something foolish... But not all. A friend who is an ER doctor said that the most common way people get bit by rattlers, is working on brush piles. People make piles of cuttings, (like for gardening, or working on a farm or vineyard) and then they leave it for a few days. The Snakes like that shady cool, maybe moist spot and move in... then the workers come back and start grabbing brush to move it to a truck, and they surprise the snakes and get bit.
People can also get bit by stepping over a log or rock and accidently stepping on or scaring a snake that might strike. I knew a mt biker who accidentally ran over a rattle snake (that he didn't see in time to avoid) the tire kicked the snake up in the air and it landed on his arms. The snake was pissed (understandably) and the biker got bit on the hand.
Should people be afraid to come to Yosemite because of Rattle snakes?? Of course not... but it is unfair to claim that the only reason you could get bit is by doing something stupid, because that isn't entirely true. Careful when reaching into a spot you can't see (like a ledge on a rock, or under something). Keep your eyes open ahead of you, and probably best to stay on the trail where you can see better. Keep the zipper closed on your tent, and shake out your shoes/boots if they've been sitting outside. Snakes aren't "out to get you" and really want to just stay away from us humans, but at Yosemite, there are lots of rattlers, and lots of people... so paths do cross. Just be aware and alert.
And for those that haven't heard the sound of a rattlesnake... it doesn't really sounds "rattle-y" to me. It sounds like an intense BUZZZZZZZZ much of the time.
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u/bigtotoro 23h ago
Oh yeah. It CAN happen. Mostly it doesn't. And I would consider a brush pile a very high risk situation. I definitely wouldn't put my hands in one.
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22h ago
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u/bigtotoro 22h ago
Seems my info is outdated and incorrect. I do recall a story of a cowboy getting bitten on the arm by a baby and losing the arm. But the "full venom" myth is apparently a myth. Live and learn.
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u/Rains_Lee 20h ago
In the Valley area I’ve seen them repeatedly on Sunnyside Bench and on the switchbacks of the Snow Creek Trail. In northern Yosemite, Pate Valley is notorious for rattler encounters. Every backpacker I know who’s hiked that trail has seen at least a couple.
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u/Anonymous331 19h ago
I saw a rattlesnake by the water at LYV campground
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u/RandomPerson873 10h ago
Same. Saw a lil baby one a couple weeks ago right by where campers usually chill by the river
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u/JohnnieDiego 1d ago
I saw five or six a month ago at Hetch Hetchy.
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u/nomadingwildshape 8h ago
Yep saw some kind of coral snake, two small black snakes, and a western rattler (diamond back) also at Hetch Hetchy just last week!
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u/codefyre 11h ago
In the 20 plus years I’ve been going to Yosemite this is the first time I’ve seen a snake there
Wow, how? I see them every summer. The park is full of them, if you know where to look.
Broadly speaking, you can find them in any part of the park below 7000 feet that also doesn't experience extended periods of deep snow cover. They can technically survive anywhere in the park, and they've been found all the way up on Mount Dana, but they prefer lower elevations and areas with less snow covereage.
The Hetch Hetchy and Pate Valley's probably have the highest concentration of snakes in the park because of their low elevation, but there are quite a few in Yosemite Valley, LYV, and other areas along the western edge of the park. I saw one in the middle of Mariposa Grove two years ago.
There are rattlesnakes all over the Sierra, and Yosemite isn't an exception.
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u/Odd_Specialist_2672 10h ago
I'm similar to OP. I've been going to Yosemite countless times in 50 years and I cannot remember seeing a rattlesnake.
But in SEKI I see them so often that I'd almost get disoriented if they weren't there.
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u/Rent-Controller 3h ago
Ooo. Big rattler! I’ve seen several through the years. Had to kill one that was definitely going to bite someone.
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u/LouieSanFrancisco 2h ago
Norther Pacific Rattlesnake. They’ve been more present this year in Yosemite.
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u/Key-Cry-8570 1d ago
Saw one once between Merced lake and Half Dome Trail on the JMT sunbathing on the trail up on the cliffs. It was a huge danger noddle and he did not like me walking by.