Forests › Northern California
Mushroom foraging in Lassen National Forest
12 of our 17 species have habitat in Lassen National Forest (about 4,341 km² of public forest mapped). No species is flushing widely this week. 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
Spring king
Boletus rex-verisOut of season
2,332 km² of habitat · season here 16 May – 10 Jun
Ponderosa, lodgepole and white fir mixed conifer, red fir; follows the snowmelt line.
Chicken of the woods (conifer)
Laetiporus conifericolaOut of season
1,886 km² of habitat · season here 2 Aug – 25 Sep
Big living or dead conifers: true fir, spruce, hemlock, also pines and redwood; mountains in California, down to the coast further north.
Matsutake
Tricholoma murrillianumOut of season
1,658 km² of habitat · season here 22 Nov – 9 Jan
Lodgepole and shore pine, Shasta red fir, tanoak; sandy, acidic, well-drained soils.
Fall king bolete
Boletus edulis groupIn season, quiet this week
1,290 km² of habitat · season here 7 Oct – 12 Dec
Sitka spruce and shore pine dunes, Bishop and Monterey pine, tanoak–madrone, true fir.
Shrimp russula
Russula xerampelina groupIn season, quiet this week
757 km² of habitat · season here 2 Nov – 10 Jan
Conifer forest (Douglas-fir, spruce, pine, hemlock), mixed evergreen forest in California.
Lobster
Hypomyces lactifluorum on RussulaOut of season
595 km² of habitat · season here not enough records
Orange mould on short-stemmed russulas under Douglas-fir, spruce, pine and hemlock; late summer to autumn.
Natural morels
Morchella spp.Out of season
581 km² of habitat · season here 11 Apr – 27 May
Riparian cottonwood, mixed conifer and red fir, aspen; also landscaping wood chips.
Bear's head
Hericium abietis, H. erinaceus, H. coralloidesOut of season
418 km² of habitat · season here 6 Dec – 25 Jan
Large dead wood: true fir and Douglas-fir logs in the mountains, oak and tanoak in California.
Hedgehog
Hydnum spp.Out of season
334 km² of habitat · season here 16 Jan – 18 Feb
Douglas-fir, hemlock and spruce; in California tanoak, live oak, madrone and Bishop pine. Late: into winter.
Cauliflower
Sparassis radicataOut of season
58 km² of habitat · season here 10 Dec – 18 Jan
At the base of Douglas-fir and pines, often on the same tree year after year; autumn, winter in California.
Oyster
Pleurotus ostreatus groupOut of season
43 km² of habitat · season here 28 Nov – 15 Jan
Dead alder, cottonwood, maple, oak and tanoak; spring and autumn in Oregon and Washington, winter in California.
Candy cap
Lactarius rubidus, L. rufulusOut of season
1 km² of habitat · season here 7 Jan – 19 Feb
Tanoak, live oak, Douglas-fir and Bishop pine in the coastal fog belt; winter in California, November further north.
"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 Northern California (GBIF, 2000-2026). How accurate is this?
Picking rules
- Permit required: A free personal-use mushroom permit (mail-in) is required; morels and king boletes limited. 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.