These Oklahoma Lakes Are Known For Their Snake Sightings

You've been to our Oklahoma lakes before, so you've probably had a moment of thought like this at least once...

"Are there snakes in the water?"

Uh, yes.

Now, Oklahoma lakes aren't overrun with snakes, but with 46-ish species, they live pretty much everywhere across the Sooner State, and they love hanging out around water.

The good news is they're mostly harmless.

The bad news is, when you're floating around a lake and spot something slithering nearby, you don't care whether it's harmless or not... You commence Operation Freak-Out, and that's a completely normal reaction.

If you'd like to avoid it as much as possible, here are some of the Oklahoma lakes where snake sightings tend to be most common.

Lake Lugert

Starting really close to home, Lake Lugert near Altus doesn't get nearly as much attention as it should. The tea-stained water is beautiful even though it's brown, but it has a reputation for snakes. Not because of water snakes either. It's the number of rattlesnakes slithering around there.

Western diamondback rattlers are super-common and easy to spot, but you'll find an occasional massasauga too. They tend to bite without a rattling warning that you're too close.

Lake Texoma

It wouldn't be an Oklahoma lake snake list without Texoma.

One of the state's biggest lakes is also one of the best snake habitats. Cottonmouths, rat snakes, copperheads, and several species of water snakes are common sights.

Most snake encounters happen in the brushy, unmaintained areas on the shore, especially when snakes are most active at dawn and dusk.

Grand Lake O' The Cherokees

If you think you're seeing a theme here, I'm proud of you. Oklahoma is so hot and dry, snakes gravitate to water, and Grand Lake can be a doozy.

Most interactions at Grand are with harmless water snakes, but cottonmouths aren't out of the ordinary.

Lake Tenkiller

Tenkiller might offer up the most likely odds of encountering a snake, but not because it has so many. It's just how the ecosystem is there. It's very rocky, and the water is ridiculously clear, so spotting snakes is super easy even from a distance. It's just not as fun to hop off the dock and have one slither out after you.

Most people think they see cottonmouths, but it's almost always mistaken identity. Oklahoma's harmless water snakes look just like water moccasins.

Lake Eufaula

As Oklahoma's largest lake by surface area, Eufaula likely also has the largest population of snakes.

Stories from anglers and boaters about wild snake encounters have been rumored for decades, but they're not rumors. For whatever reason, snakes love climbing up the back of boats and making themselves at home on your vessel. It's one of those things that is more startling than dangerous, but it'll definitely give you the Code Brown when it happens.

Lake Thunderbird

If you've been around long enough to know the tales of "Dirty Bird," you can add snake sightings to the legend.

Like most Oklahoma lakes, the snakes generally want nothing to do with people. At Thunderbird, given the reputation, I'd be more worried about the strangers watching you with likely murderous intent. It's "that" lake in the Sooner State.

So Are Oklahoma Lakes Actually Dangerous?

Not really.

You should worry more about sunburn and dehydration than snakes.

Do people get bit by snakes every year? Of course, but it's not common. In fact, people overwhelmingly cause their own problems in this regard, trying to handle or kill snakes. You're best to just let them be, live and let live. I know at Lugert, you're most likely to get bit just walking off the porch of a rental cabin if you don't look at where you put your feet.

The best advice is the same advice your grandparents probably gave you years ago.

Watch your step. Don't put your hands in places you can't see. Give snakes a wide berth.