Shawnee National Forest, one of Southern Illinois most treasured jewels! Even after being born & mostly raised here, I sometimes forget some of the cool places we have in our own backyards. Great video Jim!
i'm a 2 time SIUC graduate but never made it to shawnee, but i was there long enough to know that although SI is economically desolate, it is rich with natural beauty.
Great video such a beautiful area and its nice that the snakes are protected for their migration they are part of the ecocsystem that keeps the area healthy, this is their home and have been doing this for 100's of years, I have great respect for snakes
@@ronaldmiller3619if your area has few snakes naturally then the ecosystem hasn’t evolved with them and depend on them as much as this one does. Obviously snakes are very important for the southern Illinois ecosystem
I grew up on the chattahoochee, down near Columbus, GA. Cottonmouths were everywhere. One morning, we went water skiing after a storm the previous night. I like to trick ski and thought I would grab some sticks and throw them to shore as I skied. I was about to pick up one about 4ft long until I saw it “swimming”. I almost fell.
Fascinating day trip. I'm more into watching Wyoming elk migrate, but this really kept my attention. You didn't announce the total number of snakes you featured. Nice that it ended with beautiful flowers and butterflies. I subscribed.
Im digging it. You included a bit of everything, I remember meeting you here at Snake Road. I think you and I are the only ones that walk the road with just a 20oz soda and some rythm in the pocket. 💨👊.
Wow, you got some great shots. What an awesome one of that huge cottonmouth swallowing it's prey. Love the rough green snakes. They are so cool with the way they move. Glad you got some of the racers. Shows they will not chase after you and attack you like so many people think. Stand their ground yes, but they will not chase you down. Awesome video.
Awesome glad you enjoyed it. It is 95% cottonmouths theres gotta by thousands there. I'm down in Arkansas and Oklahoma digging crystals hoping to stop at snake road on the way back to IL.
Love the tiger swallowtail! I almost stepped on a cotton mouth, until it opened its mouth, and that striking white " cotton " gave me the warning. And I backed away , and thanked it! In the shadows with a really dark snake that Bright white mouth is striking. Great video, thanks for taking us along! Cool salamanders!
I raised a baby Cedar Waxwing with my Parents when I was like 8 yrs old. It would come when called and was the best pet- way better than a parakeet. We have a ceramic display of 2 eating berries, and I know the sounds instantly when a flock flies over the house. I actually has to house a drunk one 3 summers ago and released it next morning. I don't know what the snake was eating, maybe a bullhead catfish seeing as how it's a shallow swamp, but it could have been anything. You're guess is as good as mine. Thanks for watching 👍
@@JimHerbertOutdoors They’re definitely my favorite birds. We live in the upper Midwest along the Mississippi, so we get several small flocks migrating through every fall. You are so right about their distinctive song; I usually hear it for the first time while raking leaves. We have a tall juniper right outside of our sunroom and they love to land in that bush and eat the purple berries, even feeding them to each other. We also have several flowering crabapples and they pick the little fruits clean. The only time I’ve seen them really drunk was when we lived in Houston, TX. Many people had large holly trees there and a small flock could strip a tree of berries in half a day, and then they would sit around, stoned, and occasionally one or two would flop to the ground. I read that they have a rapid and inefficient digestive system, so they extract some nourishment from otherwise toxic fruits without building up dangerous levels of poison in their systems. Finally, I am originally from W KY, just across the Ohio River from southern IL, so have actually walked on the snake road before. I am an admirer of snakes - at a distance - and I remember it as a very adrenaline-filled afternoon. I just discovered your channel with this video, and have subscribed. I am a retired geologist, so I look forward to watching some of your crystal videos as well!
If you look closer that wasn't a double it was a triple there was another one a little further away from the second one. Great video Clay from mobile Alabama
The very young cottonmouths almost look like copperheads. As they get older, they go from brownish to dark olive green and almost black. Also as they darken in color, it’s harder to see the bands on their bodies.
I have always wanted to go there to see these snakes but not brave enough to do so. Thanks for the great video !! What are those really long black ones on the cliffs you were showing? Are those venomous too ?
Oh okay ty, they are good looking ones but I am not going anywhere near them as close as you do …. I think I saw a similar one crossing my trial when I was walking in one of the trails in starved rock park few years ago and it was early in the morning and it went very quick and I didn’t know what kind of snake it was. I was glad I didn’t step on it :)
Hi from Ohio! Just came across your channel by chance. I loved this video! Very unique. I like snakes, think they are fascinating!❤ You mentioned though in another comment you were chased by some of the snakes! Were you serious? Ugh! I was thinking it would be cool to go there to see a snake migration, but No thank you!, haha 😆 Anyways, I look forward checking out your other videos! I definitely smashed the 'like' button 😊
Thank you ! It was a joke snakes don't chase people :) . If you've never been to snake road you should go this October. Usually 3rd week of October is 👍 . They literally just lay there. You meet people from all over the world, there to photograph snakes 👍
@@JimHerbertOutdoors Black racers will chase you if you chase them and turn and run. I did not believe it when my dad told me about it as a child. We had stopped at a friends river camp and i saw a racer and chased it. I turned around to run back and the snake chased me. Scared me to bad as I could not climb onto the car since I was about 4 or 5. It did nothing to me just went on its merry way. I live in Florida and was in the woods all the time as a child in the 60s and played with snakes all the time. My dog was a rattlesnake killer. He would pick them up and crack them like a whip and break the snakes neck. Love your visit to this park. I could not imagine camping there as all the snakes would want to cuddle at night to keep warm.
Honestly it should be called "cottonmouth road". Some days you can easily see over 50 on the actual road itself, not including hidden ones along the sides 👍. Thanks for watching ✌️
several weeks ago I saw a brown colored snake in my back yard, we used to have a lot of hog nosed snakes because we had a lot of toads but when it dried up we had less toads which made less snakes.
OMGOSH…. I find snakes fascinating, I would never kill one just because it’s a snake. For certain, I don’t want to be friends with them.😂 I respect them for their importance in our ecosystem. Great video. Not a walk I would take, but glad you shared it.
Great video, calmly stated and informative. I’m from the U.K. and am so envious of the variety of snakes to be seen in the USA, especially all those wonderful cottonmouths on the road. I’m visiting my son in Boston in September and am tempted to visit this road to see the reverse migration. What would be the optimum week to provide the best chance of sightings?
@@JimHerbertOutdoors I found your video to be fascinating! What was that large black snake going up the hillside? Thanks for sharing this! I love snakes.
@@JimHerbertOutdoors Fascinating. What a gorgeous snake! I feel very sorry for the birds, though, since they are rapidly declining in numbers already 😞
A couple of year,s ago I was camping down in the Shawnee and got pic of a mountain lion ,in 20 year,s only 8 had been seen ,they just pass through area he or she ? Was killing deer !my Dog knew he was around ,and wanted no part of that ,he spooked horse,s and mule,s !
That's cool to hear. They are definitely out there 👍 One time we saw something run across the road and still don't know what it was . Could have very well been a mtn lion
The noise at the start shut it off very quickly for me, but I came back because I live near a high desert hotsprings and snakes crossing the driveway leaves multiple trails a day in spring and fall. Three species den here but tend to come and go on different days. The largest of the cannibalistic Great Basin Gopher snakes come and go last. Mother nature gives the little guys and rattle snakes a head start.
Had somebody complain about the original music so a buddy literally just edited it last night. Can't win with you people 🙄 lol. But it's all good, I'm happy with it, you can't please everybody I guess 🤷 . Thanks for watching. I would love to visit a desert habitat - the closest I have been to "desert" is western Kansas. Wanting to get out towards AZ next year 👍
Interesting video. Seeing that many snakes in one hike seems almost surreal. I had a small (maybe 15-18") Southern Pacific Rattlesnake in my backyard a few weeks ago. First one I've seen in 20 years of living there. We moved him down the ravine a ways. I have nothing against them but I hope he doesn't return. 🙃 Just one old guy's opinion here but the intro music feels like a mismatch for the cool nature in the video.
Thanks. It's all good 👍, somehow that music is copyrighted even though I got it from a video editing app , so I'll probably have to change it sometime soon. I'll try and go with something better
All the cottonmouths you'd ever want to see. I thought Snake Road was known for it's timber rattlesnakes. Maybe they come out later. Not complaining though, I like water moccasins.
I always try to get snakes off the road; I think ignorant people run them over on purpose. Heartbroken one day dozens of bull snakes/gopher snakes killed on a very busy two-lane highway, no way to help the situation. Fortunately, a place i know where the salamanders cross just a certain time is lightly travelled. I still used to stop and give them a lift!
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
Shawnee National Forest, one of Southern Illinois most treasured jewels! Even after being born & mostly raised here, I sometimes forget some of the cool places we have in our own backyards. Great video Jim!
i'm a 2 time SIUC graduate but never made it to shawnee, but i was there long enough to know that although SI is economically desolate, it is rich with natural beauty.
Nice vid and especially being able to hear the sounds of nature instead of music..well done buddy from the UK
Thanks 👍
Great video such a beautiful area and its nice that the snakes are protected for their migration they are part of the ecocsystem that keeps the area healthy, this is their home and have been doing this for 100's of years, I have great respect for snakes
That's awesome I wish everybody had the same views as you do 👍
Unless they bite you then you say kill the damn snakes
I live in Mn have some snakes. We do fine up here without snakes
@@ronaldmiller3619if your area has few snakes naturally then the ecosystem hasn’t evolved with them and depend on them as much as this one does. Obviously snakes are very important for the southern Illinois ecosystem
@@ronaldmiller3619even then the snakes you do have serve their purpose like any native species
Thanks for letting me know where not to go.
Haha! 😂
Great video, felt like I was there enjoying the walk with you!! 🙏👏👏👏
I so enjoyed that, good camera work. Thanks.
Awesome, thank you!
Excellent! I love it - next best thing to being there to see it live. Thanks for doing this.
So heres a place I never want to visit.
Nope nope nope and hell nope!!!!!!!not me 🤐🤐🤐🤤🤤🤤🤤😨😨😨😨😨
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 nor me!,
Knowing my luck I’d step on one 😮 and obviously
regret it!!! 🙋♀️🫣🫣🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🇬🇧
What a great video, thanks so much for sharing this. I love nature.
I grew up on the chattahoochee, down near Columbus, GA. Cottonmouths were everywhere. One morning, we went water skiing after a storm the previous night. I like to trick ski and thought I would grab some sticks and throw them to shore as I skied. I was about to pick up one about 4ft long until I saw it “swimming”. I almost fell.
That was such a treat to walk along with you! My sons love snakes and have got me into them now. I have hides all over the property.
Fascinating day trip. I'm more into watching Wyoming elk migrate, but this really kept my attention. You didn't announce the total number of snakes you featured. Nice that it ended with beautiful flowers and butterflies. I subscribed.
Those rough green snakes are really cool.
O.k. I'll come along on your rambles, only via RUclips though, because it's a bit of a hike from the U.K. I enjoyed that.
Only about 10 minutes in but,
thank for not pestering them.
And I'm going to check out your other videos so I can see more of your beautiful copilot.
Im digging it. You included a bit of everything, I remember meeting you here at Snake Road. I think you and I are the only ones that walk the road with just a 20oz soda and some rythm in the pocket. 💨👊.
Hell ya man I remember u ✌️ Maybe we can meet up this fall there
Wow, you got some great shots. What an awesome one of that huge cottonmouth swallowing it's prey. Love the rough green snakes. They are so cool with the way they move. Glad you got some of the racers. Shows they will not chase after you and attack you like so many people think. Stand their ground yes, but they will not chase you down. Awesome video.
Thanks ! ✌️
Thanks for the great video 😊
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great video, not too much chat. Time to observe. Respectful of habitat and creatures.Thank you.
Cool video! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the hike and all the nature sites!❤😊
Cool video. I had a great Spring at LaRue this year. I am greatly anticipating the Fall migration.
Awesome seeing you out here makin it doin something you love Jimbo!!
That cotton mouth snake was really handsome! Healthy…proud….
I went to snake road abt 2 wks ago for the Fall migration. Im going back in the Spring. Loved the experience!!! Saw a lot of Cottonmouths.
Awesome glad you enjoyed it. It is 95% cottonmouths theres gotta by thousands there. I'm down in Arkansas and Oklahoma digging crystals hoping to stop at snake road on the way back to IL.
You'll never see me there.
Nope Road goes through the middle of Nope Forest and Nope Swamp
Yup!!! Lol
Thank you for a great video, am in U.K so dont see many snakes.
Love the tiger swallowtail! I almost stepped on a cotton mouth, until it opened its mouth, and that striking white " cotton " gave me the warning. And I backed away , and thanked it! In the shadows with a really dark snake that Bright white mouth is striking. Great video, thanks for taking us along! Cool salamanders!
Thanks ! ✌️
Do you know what the cottonmouth at 6:35 had just finished eating? Perhaps a muskrat?
I raised a baby Cedar Waxwing with my Parents when I was like 8 yrs old. It would come when called and was the best pet- way better than a parakeet. We have a ceramic display of 2 eating berries, and I know the sounds instantly when a flock flies over the house. I actually has to house a drunk one 3 summers ago and released it next morning. I don't know what the snake was eating, maybe a bullhead catfish seeing as how it's a shallow swamp, but it could have been anything. You're guess is as good as mine. Thanks for watching 👍
@@JimHerbertOutdoors They’re definitely my favorite birds. We live in the upper Midwest along the Mississippi, so we get several small flocks migrating through every fall. You are so right about their distinctive song; I usually hear it for the first time while raking leaves. We have a tall juniper right outside of our sunroom and they love to land in that bush and eat the purple berries, even feeding them to each other. We also have several flowering crabapples and they pick the little fruits clean. The only time I’ve seen them really drunk was when we lived in Houston, TX. Many people had large holly trees there and a small flock could strip a tree of berries in half a day, and then they would sit around, stoned, and occasionally one or two would flop to the ground. I read that they have a rapid and inefficient digestive system, so they extract some nourishment from otherwise toxic fruits without building up dangerous levels of poison in their systems. Finally, I am originally from W KY, just across the Ohio River from southern IL, so have actually walked on the snake road before. I am an admirer of snakes - at a distance - and I remember it as a very adrenaline-filled afternoon. I just discovered your channel with this video, and have subscribed. I am a retired geologist, so I look forward to watching some of your crystal videos as well!
Very good video. Thanks for sharing.
👍👍👏👏🇺🇲
Just imagine how many you didnt see.
Nice video you are a brave man.
Nice to still see places with so much nature 😊
That cotton mouth in the water was huge!
Thanks i think it just swallowed a bullhead catfish !
If you look closer that wasn't a double it was a triple there was another one a little further away from the second one. Great video Clay from mobile Alabama
WISH YOU WOULD'VE NAMED THE SNAKES; SOME I DID NOT KNOW. THANX 4 SHARING
Eh it's 50/50 some people complain about talking during nature vids and others say I don't talk enough . Thanks for watching 👍 ✌️
Very good video. I really enoyed seeing the under jar of the cotton mouths. Really fancy. Thanks.
The very young cottonmouths almost look like copperheads. As they get older, they go from brownish to dark olive green and almost black. Also as they darken in color, it’s harder to see the bands on their bodies.
Love the video the snakes and the frog. I would love to walk down that road.
Dig that place, need to plan another trip sooner than later. Had a few cold and rainy spring Snake Rd trips over the years. Good to see things moving.
I have always wanted to go there to see these snakes but not brave enough to do so. Thanks for the great video !!
What are those really long black ones on the cliffs you were showing? Are those venomous too ?
Im guessing you're talking about the black rat snake 👍 , they are non venomous and usually are up climbing around hunting bird eggs and/or birds.
Oh okay ty, they are good looking ones but I am not going anywhere near them as close as you do ….
I think I saw a similar one crossing my trial when I was walking in one of the trails in starved rock park few years ago and it was early in the morning and it went very quick and I didn’t know what kind of snake it was. I was glad I didn’t step on it :)
No thank you!!! But very nice video. I’d have nightmares for the rest of my life if I ever walked down that road.
I finally went there this spring! So cool!
These snakes can make so much noise as they go through those dead Leaves.
That's one of the best tips while at snake road..... listen ! , and you will see more!
Great video!.
Thanks!
What was the long black snake and then the striped one?
Black rat snake was the black one, the striped was a ribbon snake. Thanks for watching!!
A sign of a healthy ecosystem 👏
Hi from Ohio! Just came across your channel by chance. I loved this video! Very unique. I like snakes, think they are fascinating!❤ You mentioned though in another comment you were chased by some of the snakes! Were you serious? Ugh! I was thinking it would be cool to go there to see a snake migration, but No thank you!, haha 😆 Anyways, I look forward checking out your other videos! I definitely smashed the 'like' button 😊
Thank you ! It was a joke snakes don't chase people :) . If you've never been to snake road you should go this October. Usually 3rd week of October is 👍 . They literally just lay there. You meet people from all over the world, there to photograph snakes 👍
@@JimHerbertOutdoors Wow, I did not know that people came from all over! That's cool!😀
@@JimHerbertOutdoors Black racers will chase you if you chase them and turn and run. I did not believe it when my dad told me about it as a child. We had stopped at a friends river camp and i saw a racer and chased it. I turned around to run back and the snake chased me. Scared me to bad as I could not climb onto the car since I was about 4 or 5. It did nothing to me just went on its merry way. I live in Florida and was in the woods all the time as a child in the 60s and played with snakes all the time. My dog was a rattlesnake killer. He would pick them up and crack them like a whip and break the snakes neck. Love your visit to this park. I could not imagine camping there as all the snakes would want to cuddle at night to keep warm.
Nice channel
7:23, is that a gator in the water? Above the snake...
Looks like a turtle.
Doubtful in this part of the country but you never know these days. We had one in Chicago in Humbolt Park pond somebody released a couple years ago. 😳
@@JimHerbertOutdoors I remember that. Didn't they call someone from Florida to catch it? 🤔 Yes, typically Illinois climate is not gator friendly.
Beautiful butterfly!
I only thought cottonmouths were along the east coast. I am shocked at the numbers in Illinois
Honestly it should be called "cottonmouth road". Some days you can easily see over 50 on the actual road itself, not including hidden ones along the sides 👍. Thanks for watching ✌️
several weeks ago I saw a brown colored snake in my back yard, we used to have a lot of hog nosed snakes because we had a lot of toads but when it dried up we had less toads which made less snakes.
OMGOSH…. I find snakes fascinating, I would never kill one just because it’s a snake. For certain, I don’t want to be friends with them.😂 I respect them for their importance in our ecosystem. Great video. Not a walk I would take, but glad you shared it.
Great video, calmly stated and informative. I’m from the U.K. and am so envious of the variety of snakes to be seen in the USA, especially all those wonderful cottonmouths on the road. I’m visiting my son in Boston in September and am tempted to visit this road to see the reverse migration. What would be the optimum week to provide the best chance of sightings?
And the fact he has to walk back through there to his truck 😂
Not sure, but I think the reason the green ones wiggle their heads like that is because they are attempting to mimic blowing grass.
You are correct !
@@JimHerbertOutdoors I found your video to be fascinating! What was that large black snake going up the hillside? Thanks for sharing this! I love snakes.
black rat snake 👍 They spend a lot of time searching for bird nests and can literally climb vertically
@@JimHerbertOutdoors Fascinating. What a gorgeous snake! I feel very sorry for the birds, though, since they are rapidly declining in numbers already 😞
Yep-they climb up our downspouts! One so heavy it pulled the vertical downspout pipe away from house!
Nice video jim. That one in the water was a biggins
Somewhat surprised that such an amazing wonderful place would call snakes "poisonous".
I saw that too. 🤷🏼♂️
Very Cool✌️
I’m glad they don’t chase you!
A couple of year,s ago I was camping down in the Shawnee and got pic of a mountain lion ,in 20 year,s only 8 had been seen ,they just pass through area he or she ? Was killing deer !my Dog knew he was around ,and wanted no part of that ,he spooked horse,s and mule,s !
That's cool to hear. They are definitely out there 👍 One time we saw something run across the road and still don't know what it was . Could have very well been a mtn lion
Weed snake was testing the theory “if I can’t see you, you can’t see me.” You made him smarter.
Cool
The noise at the start shut it off very quickly for me, but I came back because I live near a high desert hotsprings and snakes crossing the driveway leaves multiple trails a day in spring and fall.
Three species den here but tend to come and go on different days. The largest of the cannibalistic Great Basin Gopher snakes come and go last. Mother nature gives the little guys and rattle snakes a head start.
Had somebody complain about the original music so a buddy literally just edited it last night. Can't win with you people 🙄 lol. But it's all good, I'm happy with it, you can't please everybody I guess 🤷 . Thanks for watching. I would love to visit a desert habitat - the closest I have been to "desert" is western Kansas. Wanting to get out towards AZ next year 👍
Where is the pup?
She stays in the jeep in the shade with water and a rechargeable camping fan. Way too many venomous snakes , too risky 👍 .
Nice place to walk,if you don't mind the critters🙂
I have had nightmares of a road covered in snakes and I've never been where you are
I would never ever ever go to that scary place.
Wow!!!! Great video but way too many snakes for me!!!!🤣
So many Cottonmouths!
They looked pretty 'plump' after hibernating a winter in the rocks.
I'm an Australian. And can't believe a county closed a road, just to protect mungrel snakes. 😮
Thankfully not all Aussies share this view. Snakes are protected native animals in Australia.
Beautiful scenery and walk.
Was that a bird the snake was swallowing here? 6:43
I'm not sure, I only caught the end of it - If I had to guess probably a bullhead catfish but that's just a guess 👍
@@JimHerbertOutdoors - I couldn't see clearly. I thought that might be a feather that went down last. It could just have easily been a fin 😊
Interesting video. Seeing that many snakes in one hike seems almost surreal. I had a small (maybe 15-18") Southern Pacific Rattlesnake in my backyard a few weeks ago. First one I've seen in 20 years of living there. We moved him down the ravine a ways. I have nothing against them but I hope he doesn't return. 🙃
Just one old guy's opinion here but the intro music feels like a mismatch for the cool nature in the video.
Thanks. It's all good 👍, somehow that music is copyrighted even though I got it from a video editing app , so I'll probably have to change it sometime soon. I'll try and go with something better
I bet you don’t have any squirrels 🤣
The smallest one you've ever seen was a Copperhead!
No, it wasn't. 👍 Bet you $10,000
Thanks ✌️
Damn and I thought Florida had a lot of cottonmouth moccasins ! 😳
Good video no bouncing around
Este es el paraíso para los amantes de las serpiente 🐍❤😊... cuánto tiempo se maneja desde Chicago a ese lugar?
It's about 5 1/2 hours from Chicago. I'm actually from Joliet 👍 .
That place is the stuff my nightmares are made of.
I’ll have to nope out of that walk!
Hisss Hisss Hisss 😂
You'll see a ton of them along the Fox river.
That was cool.
Never, never, hate, hate them.
They are fascinating but not a chance in hell would make that walk
All the cottonmouths you'd ever want to see. I thought Snake Road was known for it's timber rattlesnakes. Maybe they come out later. Not complaining though, I like water moccasins.
Some people get lucky and see them a lot. I've been there over 50 times and have only see one :(
One of those was a copper head.
Nope :) Baby cottonmouth 👍
I always try to get snakes off the road; I think ignorant people run them over on purpose. Heartbroken one day dozens of bull snakes/gopher snakes killed on a very busy two-lane highway, no way to help the situation. Fortunately, a place i know where the salamanders cross just a certain time is lightly travelled. I still used to stop and give them a lift!
If you don't have health insurance that covers the cost of CroFab, a hike down that road puts you at a significant risk.
Sounds like a road to stay off of !! lol 😮😮
Super interesting nd beautiful but at the same time. My personal nightmare
None of those cottonmouths chased you and attacked you. Amazing!!!
I actually died 17 times during this trip I got chased and attacked so many times 😬 lol.
@@JimHerbertOutdoors Haha!!!
How many snakes did you see? Don’t eat any of them, they’re poisonous haha!
Probably at least 2 or 3 dozen. Some good days you can see 50 . I always lose count after a while 😆 Thanks for watching ✌️
What a neauty of s copperhad, what did he just eat???
Nice video but I wish you had named the snakes that were not cottonmouths.
Stick season!