Forests › Northern California

Mushroom foraging in Shasta-Trinity National Forest

14 of our 17 species have habitat in Shasta-Trinity National Forest (about 6,841 km² of public forest mapped). This week 2 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

In season, quiet this week

4,367 km² of habitat · season here 19 Sep – 5 Nov

Big living or dead conifers: true fir, spruce, hemlock, also pines and redwood; mountains in California, down to the coast further north.

Fall king bolete

Boletus edulis group

Some flushing

3,537 km² of habitat · season here 23 Oct – 5 Dec

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

Spring king

Boletus rex-veris

Out of season

3,134 km² of habitat · season here not enough records

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

Matsutake

Tricholoma murrillianum

Some flushing

3,011 km² of habitat · season here 17 Nov – 31 Dec

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

Shrimp russula

Russula xerampelina group

Out of season

2,711 km² of habitat · season here 15 Nov – 16 Jan

Conifer forest (Douglas-fir, spruce, pine, hemlock), mixed evergreen forest in California.

Lobster

Hypomyces lactifluorum on Russula

In season, quiet this week

2,542 km² of habitat · season here 1 Sep – 9 Nov

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

Out of season

2,217 km² of habitat · season here 29 Nov – 22 Jan

Large dead wood: true fir and Douglas-fir logs in the mountains, oak and tanoak in California.

Hedgehog

Hydnum spp.

Out of season

2,079 km² of habitat · season here 10 Dec – 1 Feb

Douglas-fir, hemlock and spruce; in California tanoak, live oak, madrone and Bishop pine. Late: into winter.

Natural morels

Morchella spp.

Out of season

2,029 km² of habitat · season here 1 Apr – 20 May

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

Cauliflower

Sparassis radicata

Out of season

1,256 km² of habitat · season here 15 Nov – 7 Jan

At the base of Douglas-fir and pines, often on the same tree year after year; autumn, winter in California.

Oyster

Pleurotus ostreatus group

Out of season

1,244 km² of habitat · season here 16 Nov – 18 Jan

Dead alder, cottonwood, maple, oak and tanoak; spring and autumn in Oregon and Washington, winter in California.

Black trumpet

Craterellus calicornucopioides

Out of season

929 km² of habitat · season here 28 Dec – 18 Feb

Tanoak above all, also madrone and live oak; moss and deep shade. California and southern Oregon, winter to spring.

Candy cap

Lactarius rubidus, L. rufulus

Out of season

369 km² of habitat · season here 26 Dec – 11 Feb

Tanoak, live oak, Douglas-fir and Bishop pine in the coastal fog belt; winter in California, November further north.

Chanterelle

Cantharellus formosus, C. californicus

In season, quiet this week

27 km² of habitat · season here 3 Oct – 21 Dec

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 Northern California (GBIF, 2000-2026). How accurate is this?

Picking rules

Permit required: Shasta-McCloud unit: every adult needs a permit; free personal-use permit is issued in spring only (20 lb per month); no personal-use permits in fall. official page
Check the rules with the land manager: No current mushroom rule found for the Trinity portion of Shasta-Trinity NF; ask the Weaverville or Hayfork district. 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.