John Palis uses binoculars to look for snakes up in the bluffs March 22, 2026 that surround one side of Snake Road at the LaRue-Pine Hills area of the Shawnee National Forest in Union County, Illinois.
A cottonmouth holds its head up as it crosses Snake Road in the spring of 2026. Cottonmouths are the most common species to be seen crossing the road.
A group of volunteers who attended the Snake Road Sentinel Spring 2026 Workshop in Jonesboro, Illinois walk down Snake Road February 28, 2026. The workshop started in 2022 in partnership with University of Illinois Extension and is held biannually to train volunteers on how to collect data from Snake Road. They keep track of the amount of people they see visiting the road and the number of snakes they spot.
Mycah Scoggins laughs with some volunteers of the sentinel workshop February 28, 2026 as they walk down Snake Road. Scoggins is one of the two wildlife biologists with the U.S. Forest Service who overlook the Shawnee National Forest, and she teaches the sentinel workshops.
Mary Boehler (right) points out a snake to Steve Schaefer (left) April 17, 2026.
Otter Pond is seen April 17, 2026 in the LaRue-Pine Hills area of the Shawnee National Forest in Union County, Illinois. The pond is located at the south gate entrance of Snake Road and is home to diverse wildlife.
Faith Kovich, a student at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, bends down April 20, 2026 to look for snakes in the swamps.
Faith Kovich cups her hands in a pool of tadpoles.
A timber rattlesnake is seen March 22, 2026 poking its head out of the limestone bluffs that line one side of the road. Timber rattlesnakes are a state threatened species in Illinois due to their low reproductive rate and the fear that is associated with venomous snakes.
Faith Kovich reads about Snake Road April 17, 2026 from the information board that's at the north gate entrance of the road.
The gravel road leading to Snake Road is seen from atop Inspiration Point April 20, 2026 as the sun sets.
A cottonmouth is seen swimming March 22, 2026 away from the shore of the swamps that surround Snake Road.