While rattlesnakes are found in almost every part of the U.S., they’re especially common in the American Southwest and Mexico.
Have you ever seen a rattlesnake in the wild? Was it near your campsite or were you off hiking or exploring somewhere? If you answer yes, after you vote please leave a comment and tell us your rattlesnake story. We want to hear!
The FREE RVtravel.com newsletter is filled with great RV information, advice, and news written by RV experts, delivered right to your inbox. Never any SPAM and we will NEVER sell your information! When you subscribe, you'll get three checklists that every RVer should have as a thank you!
A Permanent Address for RV Freedom — Full-time RVers trust America’s Mailbox for mail forwarding, residency help, and reliable support from the road.
Our most popular articles this week:
SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOUR RV?
Good news! We have more than 3,500 articles in our “RV Maintenance and Repair” category, so we’re confident we can help you solve the problem. In addition, did you know you can search our website using the search bar at the top of every page for keywords or topics that interest you or that you need help with? Yep, we’ve got you covered!
Everything on sale for RVers right now. Yes, right now! Click here.
Please follow our rules for commenting.
Not a rattler, but Copperheads, especially in spring when they are sunbathing on a rock
We had the same experience while walking Watkins Glen State Park in PA. On one of the walls overlooking the Gorge, a copperhead was just laying there watching people pass by. It was amazing how many wanted to get a close up picture of the snake.
I was born and raised in the Southwest and still live there. I was raised on a ranch and one warm fall day while feeding cattle I saw over 25. We have had horses, cattle and dogs bitten by rattlesnakes. You just learn to respect them and keep your distance from them.
Yes, when I was running in the county park. He was sunning on the pavement. Luckily saw him before it was too late. Scary!
We were hosts at a a BLM abandoned ghost town at Lake Valley NM. We saw rattlesnakes daily.
You get used to them. Just be aware of your surroundings.
A few years ago I was hiking along the Little Missouri River in Arkansas when I had to do what bears do in the woods so I did what I teach my Scouts to do. I went about 100 feet off the trail poked around with my walking stick to be safe and went about my duty. I heard what I thought was a June bug but when I looked there was a pigmy banded rattlesnake about 2 feet from me ready to strike. I thought my time was up, he caught me with my pants down, what a way to go. I could do nothing but stay very still thinking what a way to go. Bandy (I named it) didn’t like what I was doing so started crawling away giving me – my opportunity to get away. I am sorry to say I didn’t bury my deposit. I have very short legs but out hiked everyone in my party the rest of the day.
By the way, a few months later I was bit by a cotton mouth, not as dramatic.
Happy trails
Many times. Gorgeous and fascinating animals.
Wintering in the southwest see rattlers yearly but the number of them depends on the mouse population. Seems the drier the year, the less mice and less rattlesnakes.
Living in southern Colorado and now in Arizona, we always look before we step out of the house and RV. Walks near our house and on hikes are always a time to be alert.
This is a different situation, my husband worked for a cement company south of St. Louis, MO. They were opening up a new quarry which involved tree removal and much excavation of rocky areas. It was a shame in retrospect because it meant the loss of habitation for tens, if not hundreds, of snakes, not just rattlers. The snakes were not killed and they did eventually move on to other areas along the Mississippi.
I grew up in South Alabama and spent lots of time hunting and fishing. I’m 73 now and spent time outside and I have never seen a live rattler in the wild.
But a copperhead in a field on a farm.
While walking my dog in Florida on a nature walk in a public park in Tarpon Springs, I heard her bark and then heard the tell tale rattle. Luckily, she was on a leash and I could pull her away from the snake which was only about a foot and a half away from her!
I have never come upon a rattle snake in the wild which has always surprised me since I was born and raised in southern Idaho which has supposedly lots of rattlers. In my younger years I spent a lot of time out in the foothills, mountains and prairies but never run across one.
We live in Arizona and camp and hike all the time. We have seen many rattlers over the years. The most memorable was the one we saw while hiking and the stupid tourist ran over with his hiking pole to poke it while yelling “honey take my picture”. Nope he didn’t get bit but should have.
I have lived in South Texas for 67 years so…..
When I was finishing Infantry Training at Camp Pendleton CA in 1962 I was on a compass exercise with my fire team. As the leader I didn’t have any steel on me to affect the compass including my rifle. Watching the compass heading I almost stepped on a rattler sunning in a depression in the ground. I froze, my teammates ask what happened, I told them I was about 3’ from a rattlesnake, they came closer having nothing but blank ammunition they proved that blanks can kill with the hard cardboard packing at the end of the cartridge. Several rounds of blanks ended the threat of being bitten. Our trainer NCO picked up the rattlesnake and said he was going to eat rattler for chow later, don’t know if that was true or not as he returned to base camp that night while we pitched tents.
The O’Neill Park area of Camp Pendleton is full of rattlers. We stay in the RV at the base but never in O’Neill. I have been bit by a rattler in 1976.
Although there are rattlesnakes in Indiana, I’ve never seen one. I have seen plenty of Copperheads though.
Grew up on a farm where seeing rattlesnakes were common. Several times when walking through tall grass have taken a step and heard one at your feet. Last one was a couple of years ago when walking to our motorhome when workcamping in Texas when a fairly large rattler was curled up underneath the steps.
Not yet, but I’m still hopeful. I could use a new belt and hatband.
Yes, more than once. And I’ve been bitten by a rattlesnake.
I was in charge of the refueling element in a convoy and there were a couple of rattlesnakes in the area.
They were tasty.
I used to perform volunteer telephone support for Wycliffe at their Dallas, TX center. It is located on what is called rattle snake hill. I would encounter them on a daily basis.
When we moved to west texas my first encounter was in the toilet, lucky we had a two-bathroom house that particular toilet had a 5-pound rock on it all summer long.
Several times in our yard back at Sequoia NP. Most memorable, though, was the pair of them “dancing” (battling for a female) along the trail on our daughters first grade field trip! Right on the edge of the trail, with 25+ first graders!
Yes..but.. A really big one coiled under a bush about 2 feet from the restrooms at Organ Pipe National Monument last year and several over the years along highways in Montana and North Dakota. These places not exactly ‘wild’.
Yes twice while hiking the Appalachian trail. Once in Tennessee and other time in Virginia
Seen many, killed several. Kind of hard to live for 76 years in the West and not have seen multiple rattlesnakes. Most memorable was a 5′ one coiled up at the foot of some concrete steps at Dinosaur Ridge when giving a geology-fossil tour for 35 fifth graders. They all wanted to see it!
Too many times to count.
Several copperheads though. Threw them in the bushes, they eat mice, beneficial.
Came upon a Rattler while horseback riding with a friend. I was in the lead and told my friend to stop and back up. We were very close and the rattler was coiled up on the trail. I just kept my horse very still and held on in case he reared up. As it was after about 5 minutes (which seemed like a lifetime) the rattler decided to move off the trail back into the brush. Then we were able to move forward on our trail ride. I must admit the horse was smart enough to not panic while I sat terrified on top of him. I miss my Danny as he was a great horse for trails. I rescued him from an abusive situation at 9 years old and had him till he died of a heart attack at age 30. He was part quarter horse and part Mustang. I credit the Mustang in him for his wise trail sense as I always felt safe with him.
Awww, Danny sounds like a terrific and very smart horse. It must have been devastating to lose him after having so many good years together, Teresa. Thank you for your heartwarming story. Take care. 🙂 –Diane
Hundreds of times in my younger years.
In my backyard I was picking up my hot tub cover pieces after a microburst blew it in half and left half at my neighbors the other just behind my house. I lifted the piece behind the house and found a 4′ coiled rattler under it. It was somewhat cold so it took him a couple of seconds to prepare to strike, giving me enough time to move away. That was enough outside work for me. I went inside and had a few Old Fashioneds.
Crossing a wash on foot in Death Valley, CA I got the warning rattles of what sounded like a large colony of rattlesnakes surrounding me. Moving very slowly I retraced my steps backing up to safety. An unmistakable sound and an unforgettable experience.
Not a live one, fortunately others on the trails usually scared them or killed them (seen plenty of them headless). It’s the one phobia I have – even garter snakes freak me out.
Hi, Not. I grew up on about one acre of unimproved property with no other houses around. We had lots of garter snakes and they didn’t bother my sisters and me. We’d pick them up and pet them. But I can still remember, almost 7 decades later, the distinctive smell on my hands afterwards. Have a great day, and enjoy the sunshine. (Good day to go hunt for snakes. 😆 ) –Diane
About six years ago we were staying in Lone Pine CA. off highway 395 taking in all the local sights. We took a picnic lunch to the Alabama hills to see where many westerns were filmed. We spotted a sign that that led us to a small three acre area where some of the outdoor action was filmed for the “Lone Ranger”. My wife stumbled across a rattling sound in a bush by a distinctive looking boulder. I got a picture of the four footer before he disappeared under the rock. Fast forward about five years and I was having our truck serviced and was in the waiting room where the TV was playing an old episode of the Lone Ranger. I notice a distinctive looking rock where the Lone Ranger was kneeling on one knee around a campfire with a cup of coffee speaking with Tonto. I grabbed my smart phone and recorded about ten seconds of the scene. I then sent it to my wife for her to look at with a message ” where is this?” She wrote back, “thats where I spotted the snake”. True story.
I said yes, but not while hiking or even camping but when we was clearing out a large piece of property, 16 acres, 50+ years ago. We came across and killed at least 6 of them.
There are clusters of them in my area so a few times in the past several years I’ve run into one. Never had an issue as when I heard the rattle I just stopped and slowly backed away.
Seen quite a few in New York, Georgia, Utah and Colorado. I killed one once and ate the meat….quite tasty.
Most people don’t look close enough to tell a rattlesnake from a bull snake. They look similar and the bull snake can imitate the rattle sound. If you get bitten it’s usually because you stepped on the rattlesnake. Bull snakes are very docile if you know how to pick them up. I would no more kill a rattlesnake than I would a bear, wolf, or a horse. Well… maybe if I was really hungry
We’ve been f/t Workampers for 10 yrs now, volunteering or working for pay all over the country. AZ gave us the highest number of rattler experiences. I’ve run across rattlers while going to our jobs, while on hikes, and out on picnics. One time, we had our cat outside in her zippered enclosure while we were in our lounge chairs. I got up to get something from inside the RV, startling a 6’ Western Diamondback that had been slithering under the coach toward our cat. The snake balled up & rattled, startling our cat who jumped against the far side of her enclosure, tipping the enclosure on its side, and she speedily ‘hamster caged’ herself away from the snake. Snake curled up defensively under our steps, stopped rattling after a bit; we called the agency’s designated mtnce person who came & removed the snake to safer (for us as well as for the snake) territory.
One rattlesnake, one cottonmouth, two copperheads. The copperheads were in a campground, the other two were near my house.
Lots of times while fishing….Just back off & you will be okay….DO NOT attempt to get it out of your way….
Yes but about 57 years ago in our backyard…I was under 10. A few years after that we woke up to the deck of our houseboat covered in water moccasins and mom sweeping them off.
My record is 10 in one year. That included two males wrestling for the hand of a fair damsel.
Lots of rattlers on the farm in Nebraska. Caught a baby and took it to Biology class. The teacher pickled it.
Yes many during hunting while living in New Mexico and Arizona. Some became hat bands and a couple belts. Hate snakes but most survived another day. My brother loves rattle snake meat and it doesn’t taste like chicken. Most were eliminated where I was keeping cattle. And with cattle roaming in the area does not keep them away that’s a myth the same as a lasso in a circle will stop them from coming inside of the circle another myth.
While on a college Botany field trip to the Bergen Swamp, outside Rochester, NY, we saw a coiled Massasauga rattler. I stood behind the professor and when he saw me “hiding” behind him, he explained that it’s bite wouldn’t kill me – maybe make me “deathly ill”. My question to him was, “Is there really a difference?” I’ve been terrified of snakes ever since I was 16 and put my foot in a hole while walking through an Adirondack Park area. I pulled it out covered with small snakes falling off. Needless to say, I ran away.
The venom of a massasauga is more toxic than that of most other rattlesnakes, but the amount it injects is relatively small compared to those snakes. … These venom-less bites, called dry-bites, occur in about 25 percent (and possibly as high as 50 percent) of all rattlesnake bites.
The eastern massasauga rattlesnake found in Michigan. We found them swimming in a shallow part of a lake near Cheboygan and it was cool but if they touch you you do not have much time to get help. So yes, we found rattlesnakes….in Michigan.
Had a rattler in our backcountry campsite in the Grand Canyon. He just hung on a branch of a bush at night waiting for a mouse or something. Our camping party slept on the picnic tables about 30′ from him. He didn’t bother us.
Living in the Southwest I’ve seen many, many, rattlesnakes. One thing nice about rattlers is they usually give you a warning if you are getting too close.
Sorta kinda in the wild. It was in a private reserve in s Central Fl where some well off people had wilderness cabins and a private pool, cafe, and airstrip. DH was enjoying the nature that had been part of his growing up and his boss had awarded him a long weekend there for good work on a difficult project. We were on an almost-dusk walk along the shellrock road to see the deer, armadillos, bull bats, cottontails and anything else that might be worth seeing. I almost stepped on a 4 footer rattlesnake that had been basking on the warm road. Iwas surprised to see how thick they are thru the middle. Years later we attended a beast feast and had rattlesnake as an appetizer. Delicious- tastes like prime grade beef. We’ve seen coral snakes around our retirement cottage, all we did was stop walking barefooted on the lawn. Coral snakes are mostly crepuscular. Never been really scared of snakes- they have their place in this world. I’ve had to stop people from killing “mutant coral snakes”
(tiny ring neck snakes that eat cockroaches) black snakes, indigo snakes, corn snakes, hognose snakes and my favorite is the flower pot snakes I occasionally find in my planters flowerpot snake | reptile | Britannica
The rattlesnakes I’ve seen have all been within about 1000 ft. of a water source–pond, creek, lawn with sprinklers. I worked in a 7000 acre state park for 8 years and saw them frequently, not far from water. My strategies? Wear ankle height boots, as I often stepped over them before I saw them. Their first reaction is to freeze and camouflage. While they do that you can look behind you and back away. If they’re scared (or hungry in the spring) they might rattle to warn you. Again, step away. Don’t poke or prod them. One dark night before the moon rose, we encountered one on a fireroad. We couldn’t see if it was still there, and it wasn’t wide enough to walk by it. We waited about 20 minutes, then threw some rocks in that direction, then listened. With no response we cautiously walked forward, and it was gone.
I’ve gently urged them off of trail with a hiking stick several times.
And once off of a dirt road which had a lot of traffic leaving a Henry Coe Back Country camping event. That one was really big, and really mad when prodded to leave, but eventually it did. I know I saved its life.
When I was a Rogue River guide, we found a large rattler smack in the middle of a beach our group was assigned to camp on for the night. Chasing that one away with a stick, it, turned down to the river and the swam across it rapidly, making someone floating by in a raft very nervous, but it continued on to the other bank. As long as you don’t get too close, and can move away quickly if necessary, there’s nothing to worry about.
Had one two days in a row in Southern Wyoming ,under our trailer. They were prairie rattlers. It was mid September and we were the only ones in the campground so I shot them. We then packed up and left.
Yes, in a parking lot at a Buffalo jump in Montana. Wife had our small, 9lb, pup on a leash and she was barking and pulling to get to it! My wife looked and saw it. It was a few feet away, but she had alerted her to it! Watched go across the parking lot and go under a rock hear the sign explaining the location!