Forests › Washington
Mushroom foraging in Gifford Pinchot National Forest
16 of our 17 species have habitat in Gifford Pinchot National Forest (about 3,666 km² of public forest mapped). This week 10 of them are flushing somewhere in the forest. Updated every night from the weather forecast.
Where the habitat is
5 km squares: darker green means more of the square is habitat for at least one species. The map shows the zones at 250 m.
Species and seasons
Shrimp russula
Russula xerampelina groupFlushing peak Thursday, Nov 5
2,797 km² of habitat · season here 13 Oct – 5 Nov
Conifer forest (Douglas-fir, spruce, pine, hemlock), mixed evergreen forest in California.
Fall king bolete
Boletus edulis groupSome flushing
2,779 km² of habitat · season here 28 Sep – 25 Oct
Sitka spruce and shore pine dunes, Bishop and Monterey pine, tanoak–madrone, true fir.
Chicken of the woods (conifer)
Laetiporus conifericolaOut of season
2,725 km² of habitat · season here 6 Sep – 15 Oct
Big living or dead conifers: true fir, spruce, hemlock, also pines and redwood; mountains in California, down to the coast further north.
Lobster
Hypomyces lactifluorum on RussulaOut of season
2,668 km² of habitat · season here 23 Sep – 26 Oct
Orange mould on short-stemmed russulas under Douglas-fir, spruce, pine and hemlock; late summer to autumn.
Bear's head
Hericium abietis, H. erinaceus, H. coralloidesFlushing peak Thursday, Nov 5
2,636 km² of habitat · season here 12 Oct – 9 Nov
Large dead wood: true fir and Douglas-fir logs in the mountains, oak and tanoak in California.
Hedgehog
Hydnum spp.Flushing peak Wednesday, Nov 11
2,577 km² of habitat · season here 13 Oct – 17 Jan
Douglas-fir, hemlock and spruce; in California tanoak, live oak, madrone and Bishop pine. Late: into winter.
Yellowfoot
Craterellus tubaeformisFlushing peak Wednesday, Nov 11
1,500 km² of habitat · season here 22 Oct – 16 Jan
Western hemlock above all, on rotten wood and moss in old wet forest; late autumn into winter.
Cauliflower
Sparassis radicataFlushing peak Thursday, Nov 5
1,122 km² of habitat · season here 15 Oct – 16 Nov
At the base of Douglas-fir and pines, often on the same tree year after year; autumn, winter in California.
Oyster
Pleurotus ostreatus groupFlushing peak Wednesday, Nov 11
971 km² of habitat · season here 20 Apr – 17 May and 10 Oct – 10 Dec
Dead alder, cottonwood, maple, oak and tanoak; spring and autumn in Oregon and Washington, winter in California.
Matsutake
Tricholoma murrillianumFlushing peak Friday, Nov 6
799 km² of habitat · season here 6 Oct – 4 Nov
Lodgepole and shore pine, Shasta red fir, tanoak; sandy, acidic, well-drained soils.
Spring king
Boletus rex-verisOut of season
225 km² of habitat · season here 24 May – 14 Jun
Ponderosa, lodgepole and white fir mixed conifer, red fir; follows the snowmelt line.
Candy cap
Lactarius rubidus, L. rufulusFlushing peak Thursday, Nov 5
117 km² of habitat · season here 14 Nov – 8 Dec
Tanoak, live oak, Douglas-fir and Bishop pine in the coastal fog belt; winter in California, November further north.
Chanterelle
Cantharellus formosus, C. californicusFlushing peak Thursday, Nov 5
77 km² of habitat · season here 7 Oct – 20 Nov
Second-growth Douglas-fir and western hemlock, Sitka spruce; coast live oak in California.
Natural morels
Morchella spp.Out of season
24 km² of habitat · season here 17 Apr – 20 May
Riparian cottonwood, mixed conifer and red fir, aspen; also landscaping wood chips.
Burn morels
Morchella spp., recent firesOut of season
20 km² of habitat · season here 17 Apr – 20 May
Conifer forest inside last year's fire perimeters; fruits the first spring after the fire.
Black trumpet
Craterellus calicornucopioidesOut of season
1 km² of habitat · season here 27 Nov – 25 Jan
Tanoak above all, also madrone and live oak; moss and deep shade. California and southern Oregon, winter to spring.
"Flushing": at least a fifth of the species' habitat in the forest is rated good or better on one of the next 7 days. Season: the middle half of dated finds in this part of Washington (GBIF, 2000-2026). How accurate is this?
Picking rules
- Permit required: A free-use permit (online) is required to remove mushrooms; closed in Mount St. Helens NVM, wilderness, RNAs and experimental forests. official page
Rules change: always check with the forest before you go. Wilderness areas, research natural areas and some monuments are closed to picking.
250 m habitat zones for 17 species, a 15-day flush outlook that follows the weather and the terrain, public-land picking rules, field mode with offline maps, picking alerts, and photo check-ins. It is in private beta: ask for an invite.
Ask for an inviteSafety
Never eat a wild mushroom unless an expert has identified it in person. Several deadly species grow in these forests.