Forests › Oregon

Mushroom foraging in Mt. Hood National Forest

15 of our 17 species have habitat in Mt. Hood National Forest (about 2,390 km² of public forest mapped). This week 9 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

Chicken of the woods (conifer)

Laetiporus conifericola

Out of season

1,915 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.

Shrimp russula

Russula xerampelina group

Some flushing

1,892 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 group

Out of season

1,871 km² of habitat · season here 28 Sep – 25 Oct

Sitka spruce and shore pine dunes, Bishop and Monterey pine, tanoak–madrone, true fir.

Lobster

Hypomyces lactifluorum on Russula

Out of season

1,701 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. coralloides

Flushing peak Thursday, Nov 5

1,679 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

1,393 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.

Matsutake

Tricholoma murrillianum

Some flushing

910 km² of habitat · season here 6 Oct – 4 Nov

Lodgepole and shore pine, Shasta red fir, tanoak; sandy, acidic, well-drained soils.

Cauliflower

Sparassis radicata

Flushing peak Thursday, Nov 5

783 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.

Yellowfoot

Craterellus tubaeformis

Flushing peak Wednesday, Nov 11

634 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.

Oyster

Pleurotus ostreatus group

Flushing peak Wednesday, Nov 11

520 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.

Spring king

Boletus rex-veris

Out of season

518 km² of habitat · season here 24 May – 14 Jun

Ponderosa, lodgepole and white fir mixed conifer, red fir; follows the snowmelt line.

Burn morels

Morchella spp., recent fires

Out of season

169 km² of habitat · season here 17 Apr – 20 May

Conifer forest inside last year's fire perimeters; fruits the first spring after the fire.

Natural morels

Morchella spp.

Out of season

141 km² of habitat · season here 17 Apr – 20 May

Riparian cottonwood, mixed conifer and red fir, aspen; also landscaping wood chips.

Candy cap

Lactarius rubidus, L. rufulus

Flushing peak Saturday, Nov 7

109 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. californicus

Flushing peak Thursday, Nov 5

29 km² of habitat · season here 7 Oct – 20 Nov

Second-growth Douglas-fir and western hemlock, Sitka spruce; coast live oak in California.

"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 Oregon (GBIF, 2000-2026). How accurate is this?

Picking rules

Picking allowed, no permit: Incidental personal use without a permit; not in wilderness, research areas, riparian zones or developed recreation sites. official page

Rules change: always check with the forest before you go. Wilderness areas, research natural areas and some monuments are closed to picking.

The full forage map

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 invite

Safety

Never eat a wild mushroom unless an expert has identified it in person. Several deadly species grow in these forests.