LaRue Road Is Closed For Two Months For The Great Snake Migration In Illinois
By Elizabeth Crozier|Published April 21, 2020
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Elizabeth Crozier
Author
An Illinois transplant who grew up and went to school in Indiana for 22 years, Elizabeth holds a BFA in creative writing and has enjoyed traveling across the country and parts of Europe. She has visited half of the states, as well as parts of Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean, and regularly travels home to the Hoosier State to see friends and family. With more than five years of writing experience, Elizabeth’s articles have been featured on several websites, and her poetry and short stories have been published in multiple literary journals.
Did you know that Illinois has a designated road known as Snake Road? For more than 40 years, this special road closes to vehicular traffic twice each year for the migration of snakes and other reptiles, and it’s a wild sight to see. If you like wildlife, you’ve got to check this out. Scroll on for more details.
LaRue Road is closed each year between March 15 and May 15 to allow for the migration of endangered reptile species.
The road is closed again September 1 through October 30 to allow for the return migration of these reptiles.
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This sectioned off area of road is within LaRue-Pine Hills/Otter Pond Research Area, and there is a parking area nearby. While you can visit to view the snakes, guests are not allowed to collect.
Featuring 150-foot limestone bluffs, this natural area is a unique part of the Shawnee National Forest. Though hilly, it is covered in coniferous trees and is considered a one-of-a-kind ecosystem.
There are more than 1,200 species that live here and many are threatened or endangered. Most of the snakes, frogs, and other reptiles that live in Illinois, live in this part of the state.
For this reason, you are guaranteed to see a large number of these critters slithering, jumping, and scattering across this road, and you can now understand why it had to be closed.
It takes small sacrifices to help our ecosystems thrive, and this is just one of them. Snakes are not scary but in fact add to our diverse landscape and environment, and that's why we must save them here in Illinois.
If you do choose to visit the snake road, remember to practice physical distancing guidelines. If you’ve ever been before, send us your photos and stories below in the comments.