The Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake is a venomous pitviper subspecies found in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. A medium-sized snake, it is found mostly in rocky country, active at night and feeding on small mammals. The coloration is variable and depends on the color of the rocks and soil of the habitat.
The Southwestern Speckled Rattler is the most common rattlesnake found around Las Vegas and can grow over 3' long. They can be identified by their faded colors and the lack of bold markings on the sides of the face (no white eye stripes). The individual scales on the snakes body have small black spots, or speckles. (Hence the name.)
These snake are Poisonous!!! Do not touch, approach closer than 4', or try to catch these snakes!!
This cache is almost .7 mi from the "Snake Pit"... aka parking. It's a short and quick walk but don't forget it can be extremely hot and dry here. Carry water, wear a hat, and watch out for snakes. I DO NOT recommend this walk for children. There is some moderate exposure and some steep edges that children could fall from. I DO NOT recommend anyone walk to any edge and look down... the ground is just too soft and rotted and could easily collapse if you're too close to the edge.
Go look at "Snake Bit" to see some pictures of what this area looks like.
Cache on!