Best Time to See Snakes in the US
May, April and June is the best time to see snakes in the United States. This is a national picture built from 1,191,305 verified iNaturalist observations across 49 states, showing when and where snakes are most active.
By Tim, founder of Easy Street Markets. I maintain the wildlife database and verify every animal and source myself.
1,191,305 verified observations of snakes in the US, recorded across 12 months of the year on iNaturalist.
When snakes are recorded in the US
Peak month
May
237,323 records (19.9% of the year)
| Month | Observations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| January | 13,659 | 1.1% |
| February | 24,181 | 2% |
| March | 88,997 | 7.5% |
| Aprilpeak | 193,043 | 16.2% |
| Maypeak | 237,323 | 19.9% |
| Junepeak | 173,048 | 14.5% |
| July | 115,867 | 9.7% |
| August | 100,815 | 8.5% |
| September | 110,667 | 9.3% |
| October | 83,387 | 7% |
| November | 33,844 | 2.8% |
| December | 16,474 | 1.4% |
Snakes you are most likely to see
| Species | Verified observations |
|---|---|
| Common Garter Snake | 132,032 |
| Common Watersnake | 73,086 |
| Gopher Snake | 69,291 |
| DeKay's Brownsnake | 56,241 |
| Central Ratsnake | 53,698 |
| North American Racer | 44,417 |
| Ring-necked Snake | 35,353 |
| Western Rattlesnake | 34,208 |
Across the country, snakes sightings peak in May, when 237,323 of the 1,191,305 annual observations are logged, about 19.9% of the national total. Nationwide activity stays high through May, April and June.
The best states to see snakes by recorded sightings are Texas (187,567), California (153,623), Florida (91,961), North Carolina (58,431) and Arizona (44,169). Each state page below breaks the year down month by month for that state.
The snakes you are most likely to encounter nationwide are Common Garter Snake, Common Watersnake and Gopher Snake, the most-recorded species across all states combined.
Best states to see snakes
- snakes in Texas187,567 sightings, peak April
- snakes in California153,623 sightings, peak May
- snakes in Florida91,961 sightings, peak April
- snakes in North Carolina58,431 sightings, peak May
- snakes in Arizona44,169 sightings, peak August
- snakes in Virginia43,358 sightings, peak May
- snakes in Pennsylvania32,666 sightings, peak May
- snakes in Ohio30,370 sightings, peak May
- snakes in New York29,947 sightings, peak May
- snakes in Georgia29,687 sightings, peak May
- snakes in Maryland27,984 sightings, peak May
- snakes in Hawaii27,552 sightings, peak March
- snakes in Tennessee26,339 sightings, peak May
- snakes in Illinois24,551 sightings, peak April
- snakes in Colorado22,644 sightings, peak June
Most-recorded snakes species nationwide
- Common Garter Snake132,032 records
- Common Watersnake73,086 records
- Gopher Snake69,291 records
- DeKay's Brownsnake56,241 records
- Central Ratsnake53,698 records
- North American Racer44,417 records
Gear to see them
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to see snakes in the US?+
May is the single best month nationwide, with the broader peak running through May, April and June, based on 1,191,305 verified observations across 49 states.
Which states are best for seeing snakes?+
By recorded sightings, the top states are Texas, California and Florida. Texas leads with 187,567 verified observations.
How many snakes sightings are recorded in the US each year?+
About 1,191,305 verified snakes observations are logged on iNaturalist across 49 states with enough data to chart a seasonal pattern.
What kinds of snakes live in the US?+
The most-recorded species nationwide are Common Garter Snake, Common Watersnake and Gopher Snake, based on all-time iNaturalist counts.
See snakes by species
Full snakes guides by state