The Most Snake Infested Rivers In Michigan

Approximately 41.5% of Michigan's total surface area is covered by water. This gives snakes like the northern water snake (Nerodia sipedon), eastern garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis), and even the eastern massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus) plenty of room to roam. Rivers in Michigan's Lower Peninsula, including the Au Sable, Muskegon, Huron, and Detroit, support a range of snakes, including rarely seen species such as the Queen Snake (Regina septemvittata). Read on to discover where you should keep your eyes peeled for these reptiles near the water, and which species you are most likely to spot.

Au Sable River

The Au Sable River flows 130 miles through Michigan's Lower Peninsula. It is characterized by its high-quality water and rolling forested banks. The river begins north of Grayling, where canoe liveries operate downtown, and runs east past Mio before emptying into Lake Huron at Oscoda. Anglers fish its upper reaches for trout, especially brown trout, while paddlers camp at national forest sites along the lower river in the Huron-Manistee National Forest. Each July, racers paddle 120 miles from Grayling to Oscoda in the Au Sable River Canoe Marathon, held since 1947.

Along its banks and in the water, several species of snakes live. The northern water snake inhabits nearly all permanent bodies of water, including rivers. They prefer open, sunny areas at the water's edge where they can bask and seek shelter. However, if startled or threatened, they may also flee into the river. Other species include the blue racer (Coluber constrictor foxii), which favors dry, open habitats such as old fields and woodland edges, though it sometimes uses marsh and lake edges; and the eastern hog-nosed snake (Heterodon platirhinos), which inhabits many terrestrial woodland habitats.

Muskegon River

The Muskegon River flows 219 miles from its origin in Higgins and Houghton Lakes to its confluence with Muskegon Lake. Along the way, it passes through Big Rapids, where kayakers paddle past Riverside Park, and Newaygo before reaching Muskegon. Three hydroelectric dams, Rogers, Hardy, and Croton, hold back reservoirs along the middle river. Newaygo State Park has 99 rustic campsites above Hardy Dam Pond, where anglers catch walleye and bass. Below Croton Dam, steelhead run from late October through June and Chinook salmon arrive in September and October, and the North Country Trail gives anglers shore access downstream of the dam.

The northern water snake also inhabits the Muskegon River, where they feed primarily on frogs and small fish. Muskegon Lake is home to several snake species, including the eastern garter snake, which is commonly found in moist, vegetated habitats such as the edges of ponds, lakes, ditches, and streams. The northern ribbon snake (Thamnophis sauritus septentrionalis) is similar in appearance to the garter snake, and even inhabits similar habitat types at wetland edges, especially sunny spots with low vegetation.

Huron River

The Huron River flows for 125 miles, and there are several state recreation areas in its watershed, including Waterloo State Recreation Area. The river passes through Dexter, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Belleville, and Flat Rock before emptying into Lake Erie. Paddlers follow the 104-mile Huron River Water Trail, a designated National Water Trail, from launches such as Gallup Park in Ann Arbor. Upstream, the DNR stocks brown and rainbow trout in the river at Proud Lake Recreation Area, which also has a campground. Hikers can cover 35 miles between the Waterloo and Pinckney State Recreation Areas on the Waterloo-Pinckney Trail.

Queen Snakes are uncommon in Michigan, typically inhabiting shallow, rocky streams with an abundance of crayfish, which make up the majority of their diets. Their presence in the Huron River indicates the availability of suitable stream habitat and prey along the river. The northern brown snake (Storeria dekayi) is less abundant in the northern part of its range, making its presence in the Huron River further proof that the river is a high-quality environment. Waterloo State Recreation Area is home to Michigan's only venomous snake, the eastern massasauga rattlesnake. The area contains suitable wetland habitat that rattlesnakes favor, including lakes, marshes, wet meadows, bogs, and peatlands.

Detroit River

Although only 28 miles long, the Detroit River forms an international border between the United States and Canada, connecting Lake St. Clair with Lake Erie. Belle Isle, a 982-acre island park managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, sits in the river off Detroit. Farther downstream, along the Trenton and Gibraltar shoreline, the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge protects Humbug Marsh, the last mile of natural shoreline on the US mainland side of the river. Each spring, an estimated 10 million walleye swim up from Lake Erie to spawn, drawing anglers to the lower river.

Despite this, snakes still survive in emergent wetlands, such as the northern water snake and eastern garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis). However, other species, like the eastern fox snake (Pantherophis gloydi), are listed as threatened by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources due to habitat loss and fragmentation. Eastern fox snakes favor emergent wetlands along Great Lakes shorelines and large rivers, as well as nearby vegetated dunes, beaches, and old fields. Fighting Island, on the Ontario side of the Detroit River, marks the western edge of the species' range in that province. The reddish head of the fox snake often leads people to mistake it for a copperhead, though it is harmless and feeds on small mammals, frogs, and birds.

Michigan's Snake-Filled Rivers

Snake diversity in Michigan's rivers varies by species. The northern water snake and eastern garter snake are among Michigan's most common and widespread species. The former is found in every variety of aquatic and wetland habitat, where it hunts and seeks shelter, while the latter is never far from water-associated habitats. Even the state's only venomous species, which exists only in isolated populations, still relies on habitats in the Huron River's watershed. The eastern fox snake, meanwhile, survives in Michigan in only a handful of populations in Great Lakes shoreline wetlands, including those along the Detroit River.