Please exercise caution while using the Rail Trail. Rattlesnakes have been spotted on the Rail Trail. Stay alert and be mindful of your surroundings to ensure your safety. Rattlers are cold-blooded and need to seek out warmth when they get too cold. This is why you’ll often find them sunning themselves on a road or a large rock.
Here are some tips to remember while traveling the Rail Trail:
- Limit the use of headphones. Rattlesnakes use a hollow, segmented rattle at the end of their tail to alert predators of their presence.
- Be on the lookout. Always keep your hands and feet where you have a clear view. Avoid tall grasses and rocky crevices.
- Do not touch, pick up, or kill rattle snakes. There is no better way to be bitten by a rattlesnake than to purposefully touch it, so don’t do it.
- Keep your dog on a leash.
- Don’t travel alone.
If you are bitten by any snake while on the Rail Trail, call 911 immediately. All rattlesnake bites should be treated as an emergency until a doctor tells you otherwise.
Follow the tips below if you have been bitten by a rattlesnake:
- Remain calm and rest until help arrives. Slow your heartbeat if you can.
- Remove any jewelry, tight clothing, or anything that could be a problem with swelling.
- Do not cut, suck, apply ice, or “bleed” the bite.
- Do not drive yourself to the hospital. Call 911 and remain calm until their arrival.
- Do not tie it off and do not attempt a compression bandage.