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Rattlesnake bite at the Backbone...

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#41 ·
I've seen rattlesnakes at Coyote Ridge, Indian Summer, Maxwell and Devils Backbone. The largest was at Indian summer. The most aggressive rattlesnake I've ever encountered was at Devil's backbone right before what use to be known as heart attack hill. I've never seen any rattlesnakes at Ginny Trail/Bobcat Ridge and I probably ride there more than the others. I also haven't seen any this summer so far.. and hopefully I won't.
 
#42 ·
My wife and I saw a rattlesnake sprawled across the entire trail sunning itself in late June this year right at the upper White Ranch parking lot. We were headed out for a hike with our daughter, I saw the snake probably about ten feet away and stopped my wife who thought it was just a stick. This was pretty early at around 7:00 am so it was probably still lethargic.
According to the net that lot is at 7,650', so they certainly range to that elevation.

I was high alert for that entire hike and spent those two hours actively scanning the trail and trail side. I was exhausted afterward. :eekster:
 
#45 ·
DIRTJUNKIE said:
Great photo and yes that is a California King snake. I used to see them all the time in the mountains east of San Diego. I was surprised when you posted this as seen in Colorado. So I googled it only to find they are rarely found in South West Colorado. You saw it in Marshall Mesa in Boulder correct? You should let Fish and Game know where it was sighted. They study all critters and thier movements.
Are king snakes found in Colorado
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Thanks, but not my photo, just got that on a Google image search when I was trying to find out what type of snake it was. It looked just like that. I'd never seen any like it before here in CO so I was really curious. It could have escaped from a snake owner too I imagine.
 
#46 ·
Speaking of other snakes, I saw one of these guys a couple years back on a trail in Superior

Milk Snake

Image


Scared the crap out of me as it slithered right across the trail as I was climbing up. Nothing quite like the adrenaline rush you get when a see a snake moving.
 
#48 ·
sgltrak said:
I saw one of those on Coyote Ridge a couple of years back and was really surprised, thinking it was a coral snake and that those are not supposed to be around here. Had to Google it when I got home and found it was not a coral snake.
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I believe the saying for telling a coral snake from a milk snake is

Red touch yellow, kill a fellow
Red touch black, fellow should smoke a hit of crack.

Could come in handy if you're out in the desert southwest. But the crack could be hard to find out there.
 
#49 ·
I also saw the same snake on Coyote a few years back (along the first ridge). I was surprised since I also thought it was a corral snake but I never found out (until now) that it is a milk snake. Didn't think those type of snakes were around here.
 
#51 ·
2melow said:
If you don't mind, we'll keep sending them up from Fort Collins. :D

Pretty sure EVERY egg hatched and the next several years will be rattlesnake plentiful.

Ironically there are a lot of bunnies this year and the Coyote population seems to be thriving as well. Go figure. Love mother nature.
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Oh, you can surely keep them all down there :p More oxygen and hippies for them to munch on :D

I am not scared at all of mountain lions, though. So send them up! They're just cute little kitties after all, right?
 
#56 ·
TomP said:
I believe the saying for telling a coral snake from a milk snake is

Red touch yellow, kill a fellow
Red touch black, fellow should smoke a hit of crack.
Click to expand...
Perhaps that is the LA version- but I think the rhyme has been around longer than crack has been around.

I first heard it as:
Red touch yellow, kill a fellow
Red touch black, scratch his back.

Not that I will be scratching ANY snake's back. Ever.
 
Discussion starter · #57 ·
MtbRN said:
This might be the incident the OP was referring to:
Mountain Biker Tells Of Surviving Rattlesnake Bite - Denver News Story - KMGH Denver

My apologies if it has already been posted.
Click to expand...
Thank-you for posting this, yes this is the bite incident I was referring to. And the story is exactly what was told to me. The dusk,the yucca plant and then realizing it was a rattlesnake that bit him. So now I will edit my initial post and add this link you provided, thank-you again.:thumbsup:
 
#58 ·
Interesting to read this thread...I have lived above 7500 ft since moving to CO, and have never seen a rattler. Right now I'm at about 8500, just a short ways away from the top of Centennial Cone, and some neighbors just told me of several rattlesnake encounters in the neighborhood. Eesh.
 
Discussion starter · #59 ·
SkiMtb said:
Interesting to read this thread...I have lived above 7500 ft since moving to CO, and have never seen a rattler. Right now I'm at about 8500, just a short ways away from the top of Centennial Cone, and some neighbors just told me of several rattlesnake encounters in the neighborhood. Eesh.
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I too find it interesting, especially the misconceptions of rattlesnake behavior and activity. The elevation misconceptionthat they are not found above 6000 feet. I have been Googling this and there are numerous sightings up to 9000 feet. The highest elevation I have seen them is at 7500 feet above Big Bear California.
Also many think they are not out during evening hours. Which is wrong, during hot summer months they stay in the shade during the day. And then are active hunting during evening hours. If the days are very hot upwards of 100° or more they stay active all night and into the next morning. Then return to a den or shaded area for the upcoming hot day. Plan your rides accordingly boys and keep your Witt's about you with eyes wide open.;)
 
#60 ·
SkiMtb said:
Interesting to read this thread...I have lived above 7500 ft since moving to CO, and have never seen a rattler. Right now I'm at about 8500, just a short ways away from the top of Centennial Cone, and some neighbors just told me of several rattlesnake encounters in the neighborhood. Eesh.
Click to expand...
I'll add to those Cone sightings. Last month when I rode the Cone I saw at least five young rattlers right on the singletrack. Five or six. Most appeared to be dead. Those snakes got strava'd. Must be some nest nearby.

Imagine rolling over an angry rattler and somehow picking it up off the ground with the tire and tossing it up right onto your critical areas. Don't tell me you haven't thought about it.

Seems like we are having one of those snake summers that comes around every once in a while. One year when I was a kid in Cholera Springs we had bull snakes and garter snakes all over the place. Huge bull snakes just hanging out in people's yards. It literally smelled like snakes. Freaked me out. That was a long time ago. Haven't seen anything like it until this year with the rattlesnakes.

Early settlers on the Front Range killed a lot of rattlesnakes. It's a major topic of conversation in old letters and memoirs and such. There is one account of some kids who lived south of Sedalia finding a nest of rattlesnakes on a ledge on Dawson Butte. Like a big ball of snakes.

Sorry for writing an essay about snakes. Freaking Day of the Animals, man.
 
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