Sinks Canyon snakes

I heard Sinks is in some kind of snake migration right now. Can any locals confirm this, and when will it be safe again?

From user punkencack:
"Seasonal Mass Snake Migration in Sinks Canyon. Thousands of snakes moving in packs of two to nine. Dangerous and extremely aggressive! Known to swarm. Have cut dogs to pieces and disarmed people swinging shovels at them."

Rattlesnake migration??? Well I have been there nine summers in a row during the supposed "migration" period and have yet to see a rattlesnake although I have seen a lot of bull snakes which are often mistaken for rattlesnakes. During my summer trips there I got to know the campground hosts Chuck and Mitzi (sp?) They lived at the Sinks Canyon campground for several summers. Chuck was a retired cowboy and the kind of guy that knew a rattlesnake when he saw one. He had never seen one and thought it was too high for them there. Ya Rattlesnakes might be there but I find it hard to believe that punkencack's post is legitimate.

This is a myth. it is meant to keep the Greenies out of Sinks. I don't think that many people ever really believed this garbage though.

I've seen 3 or 4 snakes there... I can think of one, I think we called him CHalrie, that hung out on the trail up to the Killer Cave. Very big rattler. There were two on the trail at the base of Baldwin Creek years ago. I saw another one over by the big boulder where Youth Cry is.

Yes, there are snakes, but not as many as some areas... like Massacre Rocks near Pocafellow.

I assumed it was at least partially made up. I'll be spending most of my time up at WI anyway.

To my knowledge, there is no such thing as a "snake migration." There are no more snakes there now than any other time of year. They are just active in times and places you are likely to encounter them. They are emerging from hibernation and looking for meals and mates. Also, the cooler spring temperatures keep them active during warmer times of the day (when we like to climb!). As soon as those summer temps hit, you will only see them at from dusk to dawn.
As far as aggression.... they are unlikely to "cut dogs to pieces and disarmed people swinging shovels." Prairie rattlesnakes can be a bit tempermental, but don't get closer than 3' to one and you'll be fine! Over 90% of bites occur to people messing with them (demonstrated by most bites being males--stupid testosterone--and to the hand or face). Just a statistic to keep in mind that fewer than 5% of venomous snake bites in the U.S. are "legitamate" bites.... meaning the victim did nothing to directly provoke or initiate the bite like trying to move or kill the snake.

I have seen my fair share of Rattlers around Killer cave, most of the time they let you know when there around.

If only these snakes could be migrating when its cool enough to actually climb, then all the Greenies would stay away...

There isn't a migration per say, but if they den in large groups, and then emerge around the same time, it could appear that way.