Nobody wants to experience a reptile that is deadly pulling on their legs when they are swimming or traveling.
Thus, it’s critical to know whether lakes in your state or the state you’re visiting may be home to potentially dangerous species. Fortunately for Minnesotans, only four of the state’s more than 11,000 lakes are thought to be plagued with snakes.
Even in that scenario, the lakes can still be a beautiful place to go for enjoyment because the majority of snake species are not regarded as dangerous.
The following lakes, however, might be ones to stay away from when visiting Minnesota if you have ophidiophobia or detest snakes.
Continue reading to learn more about the snakes that live in these snake-infested lakes.
Lake Pepin
The common garter snake, which is frequently seen in Minnesota lakes, is distinguished by its short red or yellow stripes running along its body and its black or gray coloring.
With an average length of 22 inches (55 cm), this snake is on the smaller end of the spectrum. The northern water snake, on the other hand, is distinguished by its darker bands on a paler body.
It is typically thicker than regular garter and measures between 24 to 48 inches (60 and 122 cm) in length. However, neither of the snakes is toxic.
Thus, even though Lake Pepin is home to these two snake species, the lake nevertheless offers a variety of sports and leisure pursuits to the thousands of visitors that come there every year.
Red Lake
Red Lake is the largest naturally occurring freshwater lake inside the borders of Minnesota and the 16th largest lake in the nation.
The common garter snake and the plains garter snake are the two semi-aquatic snake species found in Red Lake, just like in Lake Pepin.
The plains garter snake has recognizable orange or yellow stripes on the side and can be either brown or black. These snakes are common in the central United States and have an average length of 3 feet (91 cm).
Although they are fortunately not poisonous, they could bite you if you are irritated.
In addition to being a popular place for ice fishing in the winter, Upper Red Lake contains about 48,000 acres available for non-tribal sportfishing.
Otter Tail Lake
Another sizable lake in center-west Minnesota is Otter Tail Lake, which covers around 14,000 acres and is home to a few reptile species below.
The common garter snake and the plains garter snake can be found in this lake, much like in Red Lake. Otter Tail Lake is still a well-liked recreational area because neither of the snake species is dangerous or lethal.
The most popular water sports on these lakes are walleye and northern pike fishing, along with boating, jet skiing, sailing, and power boating.
The lake is well-liked by tourists and has even hosted yearly sailing competitions in the past.
Lake of the Woods
Because of its picturesque splendor and 25,000-mile shoreline—one of the longest in the world—Lake of the Woods is one of the most well-known lakes in North America.
It is home to a wide variety of wildlife species and is one of the biggest freshwater lakes in the world.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that several reptile species call this place home.
Nevertheless, compared to other lakes on this list, it is somewhat less frightening because only the common garter snake is common in these waters.
To Conclude
In conclusion, a few snake species can be found in each of the lakes on this list. However, those snakes also offer fantastic outdoor experiences and recreational opportunities because they are non-toxic and essentially harmless.
Together with their picturesque surroundings, the aforementioned bodies of water offer an exciting excursion and would be ideal for a camping trip.
However, travelers may want to think about visiting and swimming in one of Minnesota’s 11,842 lakes if snakes and reptiles are a significant source of worry.
