If you are looking for one heck of a unique spot to visit, there are snake pits in rural Manitoba where you can see and even hold some of the snakes.
The Narcisse Snake Dens are about an hour and a half away from Winnipeg, with four active dens being found in the Narcisse Wildlife Management Area.
According to the Manitoba government, every spring the dens come alive with tens of thousands of red-sided garter snakes as they slither to the surface from their winter dens.
The snakes hold a “mating ball” where one female is surrounded by up to 100 males, with the gathering considered the largest assembly of snakes in the world.
The dens are connected by a three-kilometre-long self-guiding interpretive trail and the snakes are best viewed from the observation platforms built next to the dens.
Access into the dens and adjacent buffer zones is prohibited for both the safety of visitors and the well-being of the snakes. Viewing platforms at each den site provides a great location to watch them.
You can even handle the snakes as long as you are gentle with them. While they may try and bite you, they are not poisonous and have tiny teeth that probably won’t break your skin.
The best times to view the snakes in action are in the spring and fall, with the latter part of April and the first three weeks of May considered the best times to visit the dens.
If you plan to visit in the fall, the best time to do so is early September when garter snakes return to their dens, where they remain active and visible to visitors until cool, wet autumn weather forces them underground. Fall viewing of snakes is best during warm, sunny days.
Narcisse Snake Dens
Where: MB-17, Narcisse, Manitoba