The northwestern garter snake is a small, mild-mannered snake of the Northwest, usually 1 to 2 feet long, with a small head barely wider than its neck. Few snakes vary so much in color. The stripe down the back may be red, orange, yellow, blue, white or tan, wide or narrow, or missing altogether, and the background may be black, olive, brown or gray, often with rows of dark spots. Some individuals are entirely black.
It specializes in slugs and earthworms, with the occasional snail, salamander, frog or small fish. That diet keeps it close to damp, leafy ground at the edges of meadows and forest clearings.
It is active by day and spends a lot of time basking in sunny openings, sometimes even on bright winter days. When disturbed it usually slips into thick vegetation rather than water. Striped individuals tend to keep crawling away, while spotted or plain ones may stop and freeze. If picked up it may smear a smelly musk, but it rarely bites and is not dangerous. Females give birth to live young in late summer.
Look for it in meadows, thickets, clearings and along trail edges at lower elevations, especially on sunny days.
How to identify it
A small garter snake, usually 12 to 24 inches long, with a small head barely wider than the neck and keeled scales. Color is highly variable: the back stripe can be red, orange, yellow, blue, white or tan, or absent, over a dark ground color often marked with two rows of dark spots.
Look-alikes
The common garter snake is larger, with a bigger, longer head and larger eyes.
Habitat
Damp, well-vegetated places with sunny openings, such as meadows, thickets, forest clearings and talus, as well as yards and parks, mainly west of the Cascades. It often shelters under boards and other cover.
Sightings in the forest
292 research-grade sightings in Mt. Hood National Forest on iNaturalist, most recently on October 20, 2026. See them on iNaturalist →