These Two Alabama Forests Are Home to Copperheads

I started looking into a copperhead sighting for a friend, and somehow, my “little” investigation has turned into a full-blown snake exposé. Am I qualified to investigate copperheads? Absolutely not. But I feel I should share what I've found.

Now, my investigation has led me to discover that some national forests, even in Alabama, are known to have copperhead snakes.

The National Forests with the Most Copperheads from World Atlas

Angelina National Forest, Texas
Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee
Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky
George Washington National Forest, Virginia
Mark Twain National Forest, Missouri
Shawnee National Forest, Illinois
Ouachita National Forest, Arkansas and Oklahoma
Ozark National Forest, Arkansas

Alabama

World Atlas identified two National Forests in Alabama packed with copperhead snakes.

Conecuh National Forest, Alabama

At first glance, Conecuh National Forest looks like a longleaf pine story. World Atlas said, “The taller trees pull attention upward, but copperheads are working closer to the sand. Open pine ground can thicken quickly near brush, hardwood shade, or a downed tree left at the edge of a burn.”

“That shifting ground helps explain why the snake has done well here. Fire keeps parts of the forest open, but it also brings fresh growth and prey back into the same spaces. Eastern kingsnakes have long been part of Conecuh's reptile story,” said World Atlas.

William B. Bankhead National Forest, Alabama

World Atlas said that “Bankhead has a rougher feel than many people expect from Alabama. Sandstone bluffs rise above dark hollows, and old road edges cut through heavy woods. Waterfalls get the photographs, but copperheads are more interested in the broken ground around them.”

“A slope littered with leaves is not empty space to this snake. It is cover. Fallen wood matters too, especially where storms or beetle damage have opened the canopy just enough to change the forest floor,” said World Atlas.

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So, there you have it. My copperhead investigation has taken me from one sighting to a whole lot of snake-related homework.

The lesson?

Enjoy the great outdoors, but watch where you step; there could be a copperhead ready to say hi.

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